LOCATION LAPEER MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Lapeer sandy loam - on a 3 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak coarse granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
E--8 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam; moderate medium platy structure; friable; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
BE--12 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--15 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in root channels; 2 percent cobbles, 2 percent gravel; many fine roots; medium acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--24 to 34 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; common fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 14 to 26 inches.)
C--34 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; few fine roots; two percent cobbles; 2 percent gravel; strong effervescence; mildly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lapeer County, Michigan; about 1 mile south of Almont; 600 feet east and 280 feet south of the northwest corner, sec. 34, T. 6 N., R. 12 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 24 to 40 inches and coincides with depth to free carbonates. Reaction of the solum is medium acid or slightly acid, but in some pedons the E and BE horizons range to strongly acid. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent in the solum and from 0 to 20 percent in the C horizon.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. Undisturbed areas have an A horizon with hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 2, and ranges from 1 to 3 inches thick. The A horizons are sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or silt loam. In severely eroded areas the A horizons are sandy clay loam.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sandy loam or loam.
The BE horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4.
The Bt horizons have hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. They are sandy loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. The argillic horizon averages less than 18 percent clay, but individual subhorizons may contain more than 18 percent clay.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam. Pockets of loamy sand or sand are in the C horizon in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alvin, Boyer, Burnsville, Council, Dryden, Eleva, Elmdale, Hillsdale, Lamont, Mecan, Oshtemo, Perrin, and Wyocena series in the same family and the Kidder, Locke, Miami, and Spinks series. Alvin, Elmdale, and Hillsdale soils have thicker and more acid sola. Boyer soils have C horizons of stratified gravel and coarse sand. Burnsville, Oshtemo, and Perrin soils have sand and coarse fragments in the solum and C horizons. Council soils have finer textured, more acid C horizons. Dryden soils have mottles of low chroma in the lower part of the argillic horizon. Eleva soils have a paralithic contact at depths between 20 and 40 inches. Lamont soils are more acid and are coarser textured in the lower C horizon. Mecan soils have thicker sola. Wyocena soils have less silt and clay in their sola and have loamy sand C horizons. Kidder and Miami soils are fine-loamy. Locke soils have dark colored surface horizons and mottles of low chroma within the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon. Spinks soils are sandy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Lapeer soils are on ground moraines and end moraines. Slopes are mainly 2 to 12 percent and range from 0 to about 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 29 to 37 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 46 to 49 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barry, Dryden, Gilford, Locke, Mussey, Oakville, and Spinks soils. The moderately well drained Dryden soils, the somewhat poorly drained Locke soils, and the poorly or very poorly drained Barry soils form a common drainage sequence with the Lapeer soils. The sandy Oakville and Spinks soils are on slightly higher parts of some moraines. Small areas of the sandy somewhat poorly drained Wasepi soils, poorly drained Gilford soils, and loamy poorly drained Mussey soils are in drainageways in some of the moraines.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff ranges from slow to rapid, depending upon slope. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Eighty percent or more of the Lapeer soils on slopes of less than 12 percent are under cultivation. The principal crops are corn, small grains, beans, and hay. A large part of the steeper slopes, and a small part of the gentler slopes are in permanent pasture or in woodland. The native vegetation is forest of oaks, shagbark hickory, and sugar maple.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The series is of large extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McHenry County, Illinois, 1960.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (Ap and E horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 15 to 34 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).