LOCATION RIPON WI+IA IL MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ripon silt loam - on a 4 percent slope in a cultivated field at an elevation of about 1,045 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine and very fine granular structure; very friable; few fine fibrous roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--9 to 11 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine and very fine granular structure; very friable; few fine fibrous roots; many very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and few yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) earthworm casts; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Ap and A horizons ranges from 10 to 13 inches.)
Bt1--11 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--23 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few faint thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons ranges from 12 to 21 inches.)
2Bt3--32 to 34 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; faint thin continuous dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) clay films on faces of most peds and in pores; about 5 percent fine gravel of mixed origin ; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
R--34 inches; pale yellow (5Y 7/3) dolomitic limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Green Lake County, Wisconsin; about 2 1/2 miles north of Markesan; 1,050 feet east and 600 feet north of the center of sec. 30, T. 15 N., R. 13 E. USGS Markesan Wis. Quad. Latitude ? 43 degrees 44 minutes 39 seconds N., Longitude ? 88 degrees 59 minutes 31 seconds W. NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the loess mantle ranges from 20 to 36 inches. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon ranges from 20 to 40 inches and coincides with the depth to limestone. The particle-size control section averages 25 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.
Coarse fragments typically are absent in the loess. Volume of gravel ranges from 2 to 15 percent in the till. Volume of cobbles ranges from 0 to 2 percent in the till. Reaction naturally ranges from slightly acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the solum but ranges to neutral, where the soil is limed. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the till subsoil.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is silt loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam, or loam.
The 3R horizon is limestone bedrock that is typically dolomitic.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashdale, Broadwell, Dinsdale, Douglas, Elkhart, Elmont, Healing, Lycurgus, Malcolm, Meadowbrook, Mendota, Mickle, Ogle, Osco, Parkway, Plano, Proctor, Richwood, Sibley, Sidell, Tama, Tecumseh, Toddville, Wakenda, Waupecan, and Wiota series. None of these soils have a lithic contact within a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Ripon soils typically are on ground moraines underlain by limestone. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. The soils formed in loess and the underlying loamy till which in turn overlies limestone. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 28 to 31 inches. Mean annual air temperature
ranges from 46 to 51 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Channahon, Dinsdale, Knowles, Mendota, and Tama soils. Channahon soils are on nearby areas where depth to bedrock is less than 20 inches. Where the loess is 20 to 40 inches thick over loamy till, the Dinsdale soils are nearby. Mendota soils are on areas next to Ripon soils where depth to limestone is greater than 60 inches and the solum formed in highly calcareous glacial till. In areas where the loess is thicker than 60 inches or no part of the sola formed in till, the Tama soils are nearby on similar slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff ranges from negligible to high. Permeability is moderate in the solum and ranges from moderate to slow in the limestone.
USE AND VEGETATION: many areas are used for cropland. Common crops are corn, small grain, and hay. Some areas are used for pastureland. Native vegetation is prairie grasses with a few bur oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Wisconsin and parts of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. This series is of minor extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Columbia County, Wisconsin, 1972.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - 0 to 11 inches (Ap, A) argillic horizon - 11 to 34 inches (Bt1, Bt2, 2Bt3).