SOIL SURVEY

1
SOIL SURVEY The National Cooperative Soil Survey
(backbone of NRCS)

2
Soil survey began in 1899 -- initially did the
survey work with horse and buggy (Isanti Co.)
3
Soil Taxonomy Scientific nameCommon name

• Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid, Calcic
  Hapudolls
• (scientific name)

4
(12) Soil orders recognized

• Minnesota is covered by (3) soil orders
• Mollisols-soils formed under prairie
• Alfisols-soils formed under forests
• Histosols-organic soils

5
(No Transcript)
6
Profile of Nebish Forested
Soil Thin A Horizon Prominent E and Bt
Horizon
7
Series Description (Common name)
Formdale
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10

• (5) Soil forming factors

• Parent Material
• Relief (topography)
• Plants and Animals
• Climate
• . Time

11
Soils occupy certain positions on the landscape
and are predictable
12
Representative soils on a landscape

• 40 Formdale Soils

20 Langhei Soils

• 25 Minor Soils

15 Flom and Similar Soils
13

• Shoulderslope double convex light colored
  areas
• The darkest areas are depositional areas and
  also areas
• with a higher seasonal zone of
  saturation

Formdale-Langhei-Flom Association
14
Soil map units on aerial photography
15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
Some of the Tools We Use
19
Hand tools to use in sampling soil for mapping

• Sharpshooter spade
• JMC backsaver push probe
• Closed bucket auger

20
Giddings Soil Probe Truck
21

• ATV 4-wheeler helps to move from one
• point to another in the field
• Makes carrying equipment easier
• Increases the mapping speed

22
Soil Color
Munsell Color Book
Hue
Value
Chroma
23
Soil Color
10 YR 5/3
24
Some areas are mapped and characterized during
the winter months

• Bog mapping
• Large areas of
• organic deposits

25
McCauley peat auger works well in these areas to
capture samples from specific depths
26

• Soil survey field sampling to help
  characterize soil types

27
(No Transcript)
28
Demand for Digital soil information

• Digital Resource Data-soil information is the
  number one request

29
GIS APPLICATIONS

• Overlaying data layers using
• Arc-View Software

30
Digitizing the soil polygon lines and attribute
data allow compatibility with GIS systems
31
Color-coded map allowing land use interpretations
to be digitally expressed
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
Soils Data Types MUIR SSURGO OSDs
35
How do we use the soil survey?
36
(No Transcript)
37
(No Transcript)
38
(No Transcript)
39
Nasis Downloads for Soil Data Viewer MS - Access
Template that allows printing soil reports for
selected map units or all map units in the
county.
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
Classifying Soils at Quadna Mountain Itasca
County - 1975