LOCATION MANCELONA MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Alfic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Mancelona loamy sand on a 3 percent slope. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); black (N 2.5/0) loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium, and common coarse roots; about 4 percent fine and medium gravel; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. [3 to 10 centimeters (1 to 4 inches) thick]
E--5 to 8 centimeters (2 to 3 inches); pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) loamy sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and medium, and common coarse roots; about 4 percent fine and medium gravel; strongly acid; abrupt broken boundary. [3 to 18 centimeters (1 to 7 inches) thick]
Bs1--8 to 38 centimeters (3 to 15 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) loamy sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; friable; common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; about 5 percent fine and medium gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. [13 to 30 centimeters (5 to 12 inches) thick]
Bs2--38 to 64 centimeters (15 to 25 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; about 10 percent fine and medium, and 5 percent coarse gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. [0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) thick]
Bt1--64 to 79 centimeters (25 to 31 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) gravelly loamy sand; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many distinct clay bridges between sand grains and clay coatings on rock fragments; about 10 percent fine and medium, 5 percent coarse gravel, and about 2 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear broken boundary. [0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches) thick]
2Bt2--79 to 91 centimeters (31 to 36 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly loamy sand; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many distinct and discontinuous clay coatings on upper side of rock fragments; about 35 percent fine and medium, 10 percent coarse gravel, and about 2 percent cobbles; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. [0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick]
3C--91 to 203 centimeters (36 to 80 inches); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) stratified very gravelly sand and pink (7.5YR 7/4) sand; single grain; loose; individual strata range from about 10 to 50 percent fine and medium, 5 percent coarse gravel, and about 2 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otsego County, Michigan; 1,090 feet north and 500 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 26, T. 31 N., R. 1 W., north part Charlton Township; USGS Saunders Creek Michigan 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 01 minutes 44.94 seconds N., and long. 84 degrees 23 minutes 56.12 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to carbonates typically is 66 to 97 centimeters but ranges from 46 to 102 centimeters. Cobble content ranges from 0 to 10 percent throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR or is neutral; value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 or 2. It is loamy sand, sand, loamy fine sand, or gravelly analogs of these textures. Some pedons have Ap horizons with similar colors and textures. Reaction is moderately or strongly acid. Gravel content is 3 to 25 percent.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or gravelly analogs of these textures. Reaction is moderately or strongly acid. Gravel content is 3 to 25 percent.
The Bs1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value and chroma of 3 or 4. Value and chroma of 4 predominate and value and chroma of 3 do not occur together. It is sand, loamy sand, or gravelly analogs of these textures. Reaction is moderately or strongly acid. Gravel content is 3 to 25 percent.
The Bs2 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is sand, loamy sand, or gravelly analogs of these textures. Reaction is slightly acid to strongly acid. Gravel content is 3 to 25 percent.
Some pedons have E' horizons with colors and textures similar to the E horizon.
The Bt1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is loamy sand, sandy loam or the gravelly analogs of these textures. . Reaction is neutral or slightly acid. Gravel content is 3 to 25 percent.
The 2Bt2 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is the very gravelly analogs of loamy sand or sandy loam. Some pedons have textures of very gravelly sandy clay loam that rarely exceed 8 or 10 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) in thickness. Reaction is slightly alkaline to slightly acid. Gravel content ranges from 10 to 70 percent in individual strata but averages over 35 percent.
The 3C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is commonly stratified very gravelly sand, gravelly sand, very gravelly coarse sand, coarse sand or sand. The reaction of the C horizon is moderately alkaline or slightly alkaline. Gravel content ranges from 10 to 70 percent in individual strata but averages over 35 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Keweenaw, Leelanau, Melita and Southwells series. Keweenaw, Leelanau, Melita and Southwells soils do not have calcareous sand and gravel within a depth of 102 centimeters.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Mancelona soils are on moraines, outwash plains, lake plains, deltas, eskers, stream terraces, and old beach ridges. Slopes typically range from 0 to 12 percent but have a maximum range of 0 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 710 to 810 millimeters (28 to 32 inches). The mean annual temperature ranges from 4 to 7 degrees C (39 to 45 degrees F).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the East Lake, Epoufette, Gladwin, Millersburg, and Rubicon soils. The somewhat poorly drained Gladwin soils and poorly drained Epoufette soils are in the same drainage sequence. The somewhat excessively drained East Lake, well drained Millersburg, and excessively drained Rubicon soils are on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Surface runoff is negligible to medium depending on slope. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high in the solum and very high in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: A considerable part is used for growing small grain, hay, corn, and beans; some potatoes and vegetables. A large part of the more sloping areas are in permanent pasture, woodland, or is idle cropland. The native vegetation was chiefly northern hardwoods with some eastern white pine and red pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin. The series is of large extent with about 140,000 acres correlated.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Antrim County, Michigan, 1923.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 8 centimeters (3 inches) (A and E horizons); Albic horizon - the zone from 5 to 8 centimeters (2 to 3 inches) (E horizon); Spodic horizon - the zone from 8 to 64 centimeters (3 to 25 inches) (Bs horizons); Argillic horizon - the zone from 64 to 91centimeters (25 to 36 inches) (Bt and 2Bt horizons).
The type location was moved to a more representative site and described to 203 centimeters (80 inches).