LOCATION KINGSTON MN+IAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kingston silty clay loam with a slightly convex slope of about 1 percent on a glacial lake plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--20 to 33 cm (8 to 13 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
A2--33 to 41 cm (13 to 16 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of A horizons is 30 to 61 cm (12 to 24 inches.)]
Bg1--41 to 51 cm (16 to 20 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) coatings on faces of peds; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common dark colored krotovinas; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
B2--51 to 63 cm (20 to 25 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; many fine light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) Fe concentrations; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of B horizon is 8 to 51 cm (3 to 20 inches.)]
C--63 to 152 cm (25 to 60 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; common fine faint olive gray (5Y 5/2) and olive (5Y 5/3) Fe depletions and Fe concentrations; weak thin to thick platy structure; very friable; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Meeker County, Minnesota; about 3 miles north and 6 miles east of Litchfield; about 494 m (1,620 feet) north and 31 m (100 feet) west of southeast corner of sec. 26, T. 120 N., R. 30 W. ; USGS Forest City quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 10 minutes 14 seconds N and long. 94 degrees 23 minutes 59 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonates range from 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches). The profile does not have rock fragments. The mollic epipedon ranges from 30 to 61 cm (12 to 24 inches) in thickness. The 25 to 102 cm (10 to 40 inch) control section typically averages between 22 and 30 percent clay with a range of 20 to 35 percent and typically 2 to 8 percent fine sand and coarser but ranging to as much as 15 percent.
The A horizon has 10YR hue, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1. It typically is silty clay loam, but silt loam and loam high in content of very fine sand are included in the range. It is medium acid through neutral. Some pedons have an AB or BA horizon.
The B horizon has 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 3 or 4 in the upper part and 4 or 5 in the lower part, and chroma of 2 or 3 in the upper part and 2 through 4 in the lower part. It has faint or distinct Fe concentrations in some parts, but it has distinct Fe concentrations only in the lower part. In the upper part where it has chroma of 3 with hue of 10YR, it has Fe depletions with chroma of 2 or less. It typically is silty clay loam, but silt loam is
included in the range. It is moderately acid through neutral.
Some pedons have a BC horizon that is slightly alkaline.
Some pedons have a Bk horizon with colors and textures similar to the C horizon.
The C horizon has 2.5Y or 5Y hue, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 through 4, It typically is silt loam but silty clay loam is included in the range. In some pedons it is stratified with these textures as well as having thin coarser textured strata. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amana, Breeds, Grantcenter, Joy, Joyce, Klingmore, Klinger, Lakefield, Larpenteur, Mccreath, Minden, Muscatine, Nerwoods, Okabena, Primghar, and Ransom series in the same family and similar Corwith series. Corwith soils average less than 20 percent clay in the particle-sizecontrol section. Amana soils have thicker sola, lack free carbonates within depths of 60 inches, and have coatings of clean silt and sand particles on faces of peds in the Bw and BC horizons. Breeds soils have paralithic contact within 152 cm (60 inches). Grantcenter soils have more than 8 percent fine sand in the particle size control section. Joy, Klinger, Minden, and Muscatine soils have thicker sola. Joyce soils have more than 70 percent sand in the lower third of the series control section. Lakefield soils have carbonates within 25 cm (10 inches). Klingmore soils have moist bulk density range of 1.8g/cc to 2.0g/cc in the lower third of the series control section. Larpenteur soils have carbonates within a depth of 25 cm (10 inches). Mccreath soils have moist bulk density range of 1.6 g/cc to 1.8 g/cc in the lower half of the series control section. Nerwoods soils have carbonates between depths of 102 to 203 cm (40 to 80 inches. Okabena soils have 2 to 8 percent rock fragments in the lower third of the series control section Primghar soils formed in loess and have more clay in the A horizon and the upper part of the B horizon. Ransom soils have loam or clay loam 2B or 2C horizons at depths of less than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils have plane or slightly convex slopes on glacial lake plains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in very deep, calcareous, silty lacustrine sediments of Late Wisconsinan age. Mean annual temperature is approximately 7 to 11 degrees C (45 to 52 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is approximately 660 to 813 mm (26 to 32 inches). Frost-free period ranges from 155 to 200 days. Elevation ranges from 244 to 479 m (800 to 1,570 feet).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The main ones are the Madelia and Truman soils which form a drainage sequence with the Kingston soils. The well drained Truman soils are on rolling slopes. The poorly drained Madelia soils are on nearly level slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is very low or low. The saturated hydraulic conductivity 4.23 to 14.11 micrometer per second (.6 to 2.00 inches per hour). Saturation is as high as 46 cm (1.5 feet) at some time from November to July in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Almost all of this soil is cropped to corn and soybeans. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-103. Central and southern Minnesota and north- central Iowa. Moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nobles County, Minnesota, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 41 cm (16 inches) (Ap, A1, and A2 horizons); cambic horizon - The zone from 41 to 64 cm (18 to 53 inches) (Bg 1 and Bg2 horizon). Udic moisture regime aquic subgroup - low chroma below mollic epipedon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle size analysis of the typical pedon (Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Central File Code No. 71.)