LOCATION UNIONGROVE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Uniongrove loam with a plain level slope on a glacial moraine in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (N 2/0) loam, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 1 percent gravel, about 1 percent cobbles; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--9 to 16 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; friable; about 1 percent gravel; about 1 percent cobbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizon is 11 to 24 inches)
Bg1--16 to 24 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) loam; few fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; friable; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic coats on faces of peds; about 3 percent gravel; about 1 percent cobbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Bg2--24 to 30 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; very friable; about 3 percent gravel; about 2 percent cobbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of Bg horizons is 4 to 24 inches)
Bkg1--30 to 38 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) and few distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; very friable; common fine irregular soft white (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concentrations distributed uniformly throughout the horizon; about 5 percent gravel; about 3 percent cobbles; violent effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bkg2--38 to 60 inches; light gray (5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) and few distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine irregular soft white (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concentrations distributed uniformly throughout the horizon; about 7 percent gravel; about 4 percent cobbles; violent effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: About 3 1/2 miles west and 1/2 mile north of Manannah; about 1500 feet east and 1525 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 27, T. 121 N., R. 32 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates commonly is between 21 and 32 inches but ranges from 16 to 42 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges in thickness from 11 to 24 inches. The upper part of the series control section has as much as 23 percent clay but the control section averages between between 14 and 18 percent clay and 35 and 55 percent fine sand and coarser. Rock fragments of mixed lithology range from about 2 to 6 percent in the A horizons and increase to about 8 to 15 percent in the lower part of the Bkg horizons.
The upper one-fourth of the control section (A) is N2/0 or 10YR 2/1 in the upper part. The lower part has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y or is neutral, value of 3 and chroma of 0 to 2. It commonly is loam but in some pedons the upper part is clay loam. It is neutral or slightly acid.
The second one-fourth of the control section (Bg) has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value 4 or 5 and chroma of 1 or 2. High chroma mottles are present in the lower part. It is loam, sandy clay loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The lower one-half of the control section (Bkg) has hue of 5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Mottles of high chroma range in abundance from common to many. It commonly is fine sandy loam or sandy loam but some pedons have thin subhorizons of loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Corunna, Darfur, Dassel, Gilford, Hanska, Jubilee, Lyles, Toolsboro and Zadog soils. Corunna soils average more than 18 percent clay in the lower one-half of the control section. Darfur and Lyles soils have subhorizons in the lower one-fourth of the control section that average more than 55 percent fine sand and coarser. Dassel, Gilford, Hanska, Jubilee, Toolesboro, and Zadog soils average more than 55 percent fine sand and coarser in the lower one-half of the control section. Also, Toolesboro soils do not have free carbonates in the solum or above 30 inches
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Uniongrove soils are on slightly convex to slightly concave slope positions on nearly level landscape positions and low gradient swales. Slope gradient ranges from 0 to 2 percent. They have formed in loamy glacial till of the Wadena sublobe of the Late Wisconsin glaciation. Mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 28 inches. The number of frost free days ranges from 145 to 155 days. Elevation above sea level ranges from 1100 to 1250 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Delft, Grovecity, Crowriver (T), Koronis, Manannah (T), Marcellon, Sunburg, Swedegrove (T) and Wadenill soils. Koronis, Sunburg and Wadenill soils are well drained. Koronis and Wadenill soils are on back slopes, shoulders and summits. Sunburg soils are calcareous throughout and are on shoulders. The somewhat poorly and moderately well drained Grovecity soils and somewhat poorly drained Marcellon soils are on summits. The poorly drained Delft soils are on footslopes. The poorly drained Crowriver soils are highly calcareous and on rims of depressions. The Swedegrove soils are calcareous throughout and are on nearly level landscape positions. The very poorly drained Manannah soils are in closed depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is moderately rapid. The apparent water table is at 1 to 3 feet at some time during November to July in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly artificially drained and used to grow corn and soybeans. A few areas are in pasture. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and South central Minnesota. Moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES PROPOSED: Meeker County, Minnesota, 1991.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 16 inches (Ap and A horizon); Cambic horizon - the zone from a depth of 16 inches to 60 inches or more(Bg and Bk horizons) Other features: aquic moisture regime - low chroma below the mollic epipedon; mesic temperature regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Central File Code numbers 4021, 4303, 4422, 4029 and 4416 for results of laboratory analyses of some pedons of this series.