LOCATION TOBICO MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Mollic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Tobico mucky fine sand - on a l percent slope in an idle cultivated area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (l0YR 2/l) mucky fine sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to l0 inches thick)
Clg--7 to l2 inches; dark gray (l0YR 4/l) fine sand; common medium faint grayish brown (l0YR 5/2) and common medium distinct dark gray (N 4/0) mottles; single grained; loose; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
C2g--l2 to 20 inches; light brownish gray (l0YR 6/2) fine sand; common medium faint grayish brown (l0YR 5/2), common medium distinct yellowish brown (l0YR 5/6) and brown (l0YR 5/3) mottles; single grained; loose; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to l8 inches thick)
C3g--20 to 35 inches; grayish brown (l0YR 5/2) sand; common fine distinct yellowish brown (l0YR 5/6) mottles; single grained; loose; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C4g--35 to 60 inches; gray (l0YR 5/l) stratified sand and fine sand; single grained; loose; few l to 4 inch thick layers containing from 3 to l5 percent of gravel; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Clair County, Michigan; 800 feet east and 920 feet south of the NW corner of sec. 4, T. 7 N., R. l7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Free carbonates are at depths of l5 inches or less. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 5 percent in the surface horizon and 0 to 25 percent in the C horizons.
The Ap horizon has l0YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y hue, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of l or 2. It is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, or a mucky phase of these textures. Some pedons have a surface layer of well decomposed organic material. It has 5YR, 7.5YR, l0YR, 2.5Y or 5Y hue, value of 2, and chroma of l. The A horizon is neutral or mildly alkaline and some pedons contain free carbonates. Some pedons have thin B2 horizons. The C horizons have l0YR, 2.5Y or 5Y hue, value of 4 to 7 and chroma of l to 3. They are sand, fine sand or stratified sand or fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES These are the Glendora, Kingsville, and Vestaburg series in the same family. Glendora and Kingsville soils have more acid sola. Vestaburg soils lack carbonates above 20 inches and have more than l0 percent coarse fragments in the C horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tobico soils are on level areas and slightly concave depressions on outwash plains and lake benches of the Wisconsinan glaciation. Slope gradients are 0 to 2 percent. The climate is modified continental. The mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 5l degrees F, and mean summer temperature from 65 to 68 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation from 28 to 3l inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The well and moderately well drained Eastport and the somewhat poorly drained Wainola and Au Gres soils are in a drainage sequence with Tobico soils. The finer textured Bach and the more acid Deford soils are poorly drained soils that border Tobico soils and are nearby.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained. Surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Permeability is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely in second growth forest and idle brush-land. Willow, tag alder, elm, sedges, and water tolerant shrubs and grasses make up most of the present vegetation. A few areas are pastured, mainly where Tobico soils are closely associated with better drained soils. The native vegetation was forest of elm, ash and some white cedar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Middle-eastern and central Michigan, and possibly Wisconsin and Minnesota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanilac County, Michigan, l955.