LOCATION MEDORA INEstablished Series
The Medora series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in loess, loamy material and a paleosol in outwash on eskers and crevasse fillings. They are moderately deep or shallow to a fragipan. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1067 mm (42 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C (53 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Fragiudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Medora silt loam on a south-facing, convex, 8 percent slope in a cultivated field at an elevation of about 189 meters (620 feet) above MSL. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; friable; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm or 2 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--20 to 53 cm (8 to 2l inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; many light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt coatings on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 66 cm or 10 to 26 inches thick)
2Btx1--53 to 84 cm (2l to 33 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak very thick platy; very firm; common fine vesicular pores; many distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; many fine and medium black (N 2.5/0) and common fine yellowish red (5YR 5/8) iron and manganese concretions; common prominent light gray (10YR 7/2) clay depletions on faces of peds; common medium distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions in the matrix; brittle; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Btx2--84 to 114 cm (33 to 45 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak very thick platy; very firm; common fine vesicular pores; many prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; common prominent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine and medium black (N 2.5/0) iron and manganese concretions; common prominent light gray (10YR 7/2) clay depletions on faces of peds; brittle; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Btx horizon is 30 to 61 cm or 12 to 24 inches.)
3Bt1--114 to 145 cm (45 to 57 inches); yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay loam; weak very thick platy structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; firm; common fine pores; many prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; few prominent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay films in root channels; common distinct light brown (7.5YR 6/4) skeletans on faces of peds; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
3Bt2--145 to 178 cm (57 to 70 inches); yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay loam; moderate very thick platy structure; firm; many prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common distinct light brown (7.5YR 6/4) skeletans on faces of peds; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
3Bt3--178 to 203 cm (70 to 80 inches); red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; many prominent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) clay films on faces of peds; common prominent light brown (7.5YR 6/4) skeletans on faces of peds; common medium black (N 2.5/0) iron and manganese concretions; 4 percent gravel; very strongly acid. (The combined thickness of the 3Bt horizons is more than 89 cm or 35 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Jackson County, Indiana; about 3 miles south of Seymour; 1,195 feet west and 1,400 feet south of the center of sec. 5, T. 5 N., R. 6 E.; USGS Seymour, Ind. topographic quadrangle; lat. 38 degrees 53 minutes 58 seconds N. and long. 085 degrees 53 minutes 03 seconds W., NAD 27. UTM Zone 16, 597091 easting and 4306635 northing, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon: more than 203 cm (80 inches)
Depth to the top of the fragipan: 51 to 91 cm (20 to 36 inches), but severely eroded pedons can range from 30 to 51 cm (12 to 20 inches)
Thickness of the loess: 30 to 91 cm (12 to 36 inches)
Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silt loam
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral
A horizon, where present:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 3
Texture: silt loam
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 24 to 30 percent
Sand content: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: commonly very strongly acid or extremely acid, and the upper part ranges to neutral
2Btx horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR, and the lower part can range to 5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: commonly silt loam or loam, and less commonly clay loam or gravelly loam
Clay content: 12 to 30 percent
Sand content: 30 to 50 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid
Rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 3 percent cobbles
3Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR, and less commonly 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: commonly clay loam, sandy clay loam, sandy clay, and less commonly clay, gravelly clay loam, or gravelly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 44 percent
Sand content: 40 to 60 percent
Reaction: strongly acid or very strongly acid
Rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 3 percent cobbles
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jennings, and Spickert series. The Jennings, and Spickert soils do not have hue redder than 7.5YR in the lower part of the series control section, and have a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Medora soils are on summits, shoulders, and backslopes of eskers and crevasse fillings. They formed in 30 to 91 cm (12 to 36 inches) of loess, loamy material, and the underlying paleosol in outwash considered to be of pre-Illinoian age. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1016 to 1143 mm (40 to 45 inches), the mean annual temperature ranges from 11 to 14 degrees C (51 to 57 degrees F), frost free period ranges from 170 to 190 days, and elevation ranges from 122 to 259 meters (400 to 850 feet) above mean sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Avonburg, Dubois, Haubstadt, Nabb, Negley, and Parke soils. The somewhat poorly drained Avonburg and the moderately well drained Nabb are on summits and shoulders of till plains. The somewhat poorly drained Dubois and the moderately well drained Haubstadt soils are on flats, summits and shoulders of lake plains. The well drained, more permeable Negley soils are on backslopes. The well drained, more permeable Parke soils are on similar landform positions as the Medora soils.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface water runoff ranges from medium to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high (4.23 to 14.11 micrometers/s) above the fragipan and low to moderately high (0.07 to 1.41 micrometers/s) in the fragipan Permeability is moderate above the fragipan and slow or very slow in the fragipan. In non-eroded to moderately eroded soils, depth to an intermittent perched water table is at a depth of 0.5 to 1 meter (1.5 to 3.0 feet) in most years. In severely eroded soils, depth to an intermittent perched water table is at a depth of 0.3 to 0.6 meters (1.0 to 2.0 feet) in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are being used to grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. Some areas are for hay and pasture. Native vegetation is mixed hardwood forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Indiana. The series is of small extent in MLRA 114A.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, Indiana, 1985.
REMARKS: A severely eroded phase is recognized.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: 1) Ochric epipedon: the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 20 cm (8 inches) (Ap horizon); 2) Argillic horizon: the zone from 20 to 203 cm (8 inches to 80 inches) (Bt, 2Btx1, 2Btx2, 3Bt1, 3Bt2, 3Bt3 horizons); 3) Fragipan: the zone from 53 to 114 cm (21 to 45 inches) (2Btx1, 2Btx2 horizons); and 4) Redoximorphic features: at 53 to 114 cm (21 to 45 inches).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data available: Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University; Station Bulletin No. 274, file no. JN7804 and, unpublished file no. SC8708.