B30.7 s PO.RB5 cop. 8 UNlVERSn AGRICULTURE i. ; CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS ASSOCIATED WITH GLACIAL TILLS IN NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS GRAVEL AND COBJBLES (>|2mm) AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BULLETIN 665 LOAM GLACIAL TILL TEXTURE GROUPS DIFFERENCES IN TILL TEXTURE ARE AMONG TH MOST IMPORTANT PROPERTIES THAT CHARACTER! THE SOILS OF NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN AGRICULTURE NOTICE: Return or renew all Library Materials! The Minimum Fee for each Lost Book is $50.00. The person charging this material is responsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for discipli- nary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN - , 1996 L161 O-1096 Characteristics of Soils Associated With Glacial Tills in Northeastern Illinois By Herman L. Wascher, John D. Alexander, B. W. Ray, A. H. Beavers, and R. T. Odell The authors are indebted to J. B. Fehrenbacher, Associate Professor of Pedology, Department of Agronomy, for Figures 25-28; to the U. S. Department of Agriculture for data in Profiles 14, 20, 23, 25, and 27; and to John M. Parker, Scientific Analyst, Department of Agronomy, and many former staff members and graduate students for much of the data in the remaining profiles. Urbana, Illinois November, 1960 Publications In the Bulletin series report the results of investigations made or sponsored by the Experiment Station CONTENTS PURPOSE AND METHOD OF STUDY 5 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 8 Postglacial climate 8 Late Pleistocene history 13 Soils 18 SOILS STUDIED AND METHODS USED 24 Field methods 25 Laboratory methods 27 CHARACTERISTICS OF PARENT TILL MATERIAL 29 Texture or particle-size distribution 30 Moisture-holding capacity 35 Bulk density 35 Permeability 36 Color 37 Carbonate content 38 Depth of leaching 38 Pebble lithology 41 LOESS 42 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES 45 Calcareous glacial till 45 Other soil horizons 46 MINERALOGY 48 Clay minerals 48 Calcareous till 50 B 2 horizon 51 A 2 horizon 51 A! horizon 52 Potassium content 52 Heavy minerals 52 Weight analyses of sand and coarse silt 52 Petrographical analyses of very fine sand 53 X-ray spectrographic analyses of coarse silt 56 CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAY-BROWN PODZOLIC AND ASSOCIATED GRAY-BROWN PODZOLIC INTERGRADE TO BRUNIZEM SOILS 57 Occurrence 58 Native vegetation 59 x r - x fl o . Morphology 59 Physical properties 63 Chemical properties . 65 Use 69 CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUNIZEM SOILS 71 Occurrence 71 Native vegetation 72 Morphology 73 Physical properties 74 Chemical properties 76 Use 79 CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMIC-GLEY SOILS 80 Occurrence 80 Morphology 81 Physical properties 81 Chemical properties 83 Genesis 85 Use 86 SOIL DEVELOPMENT, CLASSIFICATION, AND CORRELATION 87 Development 87 Importance of parent material 87 Kinds of soil parent materials 88 Influence of climate 89 Influence of drainage conditions 89 Influence of vegetation and organisms 90 Degree of weathering 91 Classification 92 Parent material 92 Great Soil Groups 93 Correlation 94 REFERENCES 101 APPENDIX A: DETAILED PROFILE DESCRIPTIONS 105 APPENDIX B: ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES 1 29 APPENDIX C: DETAILED PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DATA 131 APPENDIX D: HEAVY-MINERAL DATA 1 50 APPENDIX E: ATTERBERG LIMIT VALUES 1 54 Color map of northeastern Illinois soils } Pocket in$ide back cover Special soil series table Color plates face pages 32 and 61. In this bulletin data from physical, chemical, and min- eralogical analyses and field studies are used to characterize 33 representative soil profiles of 17 different soil series from three Great Soil Groups Gray-Brown Podzolic, Brunizem (Prairie), and Humic-Gley. Because of the important role glacial till plays in the identification and classification of the soils, considerable in- formation is presented characterizing the kinds of glacial till in northeastern Illinois. Different kinds of till result in differences in the morphology of the soil profiles the key to proper soil classification in this area. Included in the illustrations are two color plates showing differences in till textures and in soil profiles. A table of correlated soil series is given in the pocket inside the back cover. Also in the pocket is a colored map showing location and extent of areas of soils associated with loamy gravel, sandy loam, loam and silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, and clay textures of till. This map also shows areas of soils developed from medium- and fine-textured water-deposited sediments as well as wind- and water-deposited sandy materials. Detailed field descriptions and laboratory data are given in the appendixes. A list of references to related studies is included. Characteristics of Soils Associated With Glacial Tills in Northeastern Illinois THE SOILS OF NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS developed primarily in glacial till and outwash of different textures and in loess of vari- ous thicknesses on the till and outwash. These soils vary widely in their properties, and in order to use and manage them most efficiently it is necessary to characterize them and understand their genesis. Toward this end, field and laboratory studies were made of the tills of various textures in northeastern Illinois and the soils associated with them. The results of these studies are reported in this publication. PURPOSE AND METHOD OF STUDY The four major objectives of this study were as follows: 1. Determine through field studies and laboratory analyses the properties and distribution of Wisconsin-age tills of various textures in northeastern Illinois and the thickness of the loess cover over the glacial tills. 2. Obtain chemical, physical, and mineralogical data to characterize selected Gray-Brown Podzolic, Brunizem, and Humic-Gley soils asso- ciated with these glacial tills of different textures. 3. Trace the genesis or development of the soils from their mineral constituents by studying changes due to weathering and resynthesis of minerals. 4. Provide through laboratory and field studies a basis for the proper classification of these soils in northeastern Illinois and their correlation with similar soils in northern Indiana, southern Michigan, and southeastern Wisconsin. The field studies covered most of the area of Wisconsin glaciation in Illinois, except for limited portions in the east-central and north- western parts of the state (Figs. 1 and 3). Laboratory determinations were made on samples of important soils developed in glacial tills of different textures selected from areas in which the silty loess cover This bulletin was prepared by HERMAN L. WASCHER, Associate Professor of Pedology; JOHN D. ALEXANDER and B. W. RAY, Assistant Professors of Pedol- ogy; A. H. BEAVERS, Associate Professor of Soil Mineralogy; and R. T. OIJELL, Professor of Pedology. BULLETIN NO. 665 [November Northeastern Illinois counties or portions of counties included in the field investigations for this study. The numbers 1 through 33 locate the sites at which detailed soil profile descriptions were written and samples were collected. The towns of Marengo, Hoopeston, and Peoria, where weather data were taken, are also shown. (Fig. 1) I960] CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS . . . NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS is thin or absent. These soils are representative of till-derived soils in Illinois, which occupy approximately 13 percent of the area in the state. Six textural groups of Wisconsin-age glacial till 1 in Illinois have been recognized, ranging from clay to loamy gravel. For each of these six textural groups of parent material, representative light-colored Gray-Brown Podzolic soils, developed under forest vegetation, dark- colored Brunizem soils, developed under prairie vegetation, and very dark-colored Humic-Gley soils, developed under swampy prairie vege- tation, were studied (Table 1). Beecher and Frankfort, two Gray- Brown Podzolic intergrade to Brunizem soils, were also studied. For twelve of the soil series studied, two profiles of each were analyzed. Table 1. Soil Series and Profiles Studied in Northeastern Illinois* Texture of underlying glacial till Gray-Brown Podzolic soils Gray- Brown Podzolic intergrade to Brunizem soils Brunizem soils Humic- Gley soils Loamy gravel Fox Warsaw Sandy loam (1, 2, 3) McHenry (15, 16) Ringwood Loam and silt loam (4,5) Miami (17, 18) Saybrook Drummer Silty clay loam (6,7) Blount Beecher (19, 20) Elliott (28, 29) b Ashkum Silty clav (8,9) Kylar (12, 13) Frankfort (21,22,23) Swygert (30) Bryce Clay.. (10) Eylar (14) (24, 25) Clarence (31, 32) Rowe (ID (26, 27) (33) a Each profile studied is identified by a number in parentheses. b The Drummer profiles were developed primarily in water-sorted sediments. Three profiles each of the Fox and Elliott series and one profile each of the Frankfort, Ashkum, and Rowe series were analyzed. Each of the thirty-three soil profiles studied is identified by a number. Profile descriptions, together with the location of all sampling sites, are given in Appendix A. Their general location is indicated in Fig. 1. 1 Material of loamy gravel texture, such as underlies Fox and Warsaw soils, seems to be water-sorted even though most sampling sites were in morainic areas. However, the term till is used in the text of this bulletin to denote the underlying materials of all soils sampled, rather than the broader term drift. 8 BULLETIN NO. 665 [November REVIEW OF LITERATURE Postglacial climate The type of climate that has prevailed throughout post- Wisconsin glacial time and the length of this period are responsible for certain profile characteristics that distinguish the soils of northeastern Illinois from those of other regions. Geological evidence. A review of literature by Flint (1947) indi- cates that temperatures at the maximum of the Wisconsin glaciation were about 9 F. (5 C.) lower than at present and Flint concludes, "it is probable that during the glacial ages the amount of moisture available for precipitation both along the borders of the former ice sheets and in the nonglaciated regions was considerably greater than it is in the same regions today." To him the evidence seems to indicate "climatic fluctuations of considerable amplitude." From the Scandinavian literature Flint found that postglacial cli- mate in northern Europe reached a maximum of warmth and dryness between 6,000 and 4,000 years ago (approximately 4050-2050 B.C.) and has since become more cool and moist. Presumably a Climatic Opti- mum, a term devised by Scandinavians, lasting 2,000 years existed dur- ing that time. Flint states that "it (a warm, dry period) is the out- standing fact of so-called postglacial history." As evidence of a corresponding warm, dry period in North America he cites data from pollen analyses of peat bogs, invertebrate marine fossils, saline lakes, and other features. Russell (1941), in an attempt to reconstruct the climates of the past, reviewed the literature and decided that the weight of evidence sug- gests that man is now living in an interglacial period and that the climate of this period has been extremely variable and complex. He was uncertain whether this variability could be the result of long-time trends combined with short-time fluctuations or simply unexplainable random fluctuations. He found the evidence of climatic variations more complete for central and western Europe than for North America but felt that "certain sympathetic swings seem to be related even though appearing in observations as widely spaced as different con- tinents or hemispheres." Combining the results of studies of varves, tree rings, plant suc- cession in peat bogs, and other types of geochronological evidence, Russell concluded that the Arctic climate of the last glacial maximum "gradually passed into the Subarctic period in about 12,000 B.C.," that "accelerated melting occurred in about 8000 B.C.," and that "in about J960] CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS . . . NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS 9 the year 5000 B.C. the Baltic became warm enough to support types of life that demand temperatures warmer than those of today." He con- cluded that these "warm and moist conditions lasted from about 5000 B.C. to 3000 B.C." with temperatures high enough that "all small mountain glaciers of the Alps and in the present United States disap- peared completely." This period roughly coincides with the warm and dry Climatic Optimum of the Scandinavians. Ruhe et al. (1957) collected peat material from a central Iowa bog that had been divided into layers or zones on the basis of pollen analysis. The uppermost or most recent layer, having a predominance of grass pollen, was denoted as a grassland vegetation zone, and inter- preted as resulting from a hotter and drier climate than had existed previously when spruce, fir, birch, and oak forests had presumably covered the landscape. Peat material from the lower part of this "grassland" zone was found to have a radiocarbon date of 6,575 200 years B.P. (before the present) or 4,600 years B.C. This corresponds to the earliest part of the Scandinavian Climatic Optimum and indicates a similarity in climate between the two regions. Historical evidence prior to the 1850's. From documentary evidence Russell (1941) further found that numerous climatic changes have occurred within historical times or since about 2000 B.C. Evidence of recent glacial activity is part of this climatic record. During the early 1600's A.D., Alpine glaciers extended far down the valleys. Between 1640 and 1770 A.D. the glaciers retreated but again advanced until about the middle 1800's when they again re- treated to positions occupied prior to 1600 A.D. Russell concludes that this last glacial recession "appears to be a worldwide condition," suggesting that the last century (approximately 1840-1940) has had higher average temperatures than the century just preceding. Recorded data (1856 through 1956). A continental type of climate has prevailed over northeastern Illinois within the memory of man. It is characterized by a wide range in temperature between the extremes of winter and summer and by an irregularly distributed but relatively abundant rainfall. This variety of climate is due to the interchange of cyclonic and anticyclonic air masses passing over the region. Climatological data from Marengo, Peoria, and Hoopeston weather stations are discussed below. 1 Marengo and Hoopeston stations repre- 1 Temperature and rainfall data courtesy of Illinois State Water Survey and U.S. Weather Bureau, mostly from J. L. Page (1949). 10 BULLETIN NO. 665 [November sent the northern and southern extremes, respectively, of the area from which soil profile samples for this study were collected (see Fig. 1). Data from Peoria are included because they comprise the longest un- interrupted records of any station in this part of the state. The rainfall records at Marengo cover the 101-year period 1856 through 1956, except for 1917 and 1918. Temperature records cover only the 57-year period 1900 through 1956. All of these records in- clude data collected prior to 1918 at Riley, 3 miles south of Marengo. The records at Hoopeston cover the 54-year period 1903 through 1956, while at Peoria the records for both temperature and rainfall are complete for the 101-year period 1856 through 1956. The lowest temperature recorded at Marengo was 27 F. ( 32.8 C.) in February, 1905, and the highest was 109 F. (42.8 C.) in July, 1936. At Hoopeston the lowest temperature recorded was 25 F. (-31.7 C) in February, 1905, and the highest was 111 F. (43.9 C.) also in July, 1936. Although below-freezing air temperatures may slow many chemical soil-weathering processes and most biological soil activity, higher temperatures up to certain points accelerate both processes. Air temperatures as high as 109 and 111 F. ordinarily do not limit biological activity in soil, particularly if moisture is present. 1 The average mean monthly temperature at Marengo is near or below freezing (i.e., less than 36 F.) during the five months November through March (Table 2). At Hoopeston the average mean monthly temperature is less than 36 F. only during the three months December, January, and February. Since near- or below- freezing temperatures prevail about 5 months at Marengo and 3 months at Hoopeston, we may assume that the soil surface is at least partially frozen about 4 months each year at Marengo but probably not more than about 2 or 2i/2 months each year at Hoopeston. 1 Personal communication from F. J. Stevenson, Associate Professor of Soil Chemistry. Table 2. Average Mean Monthly Temperature and Average Monthly Precipitation at Marengo and Hoopeston Weather Stations Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Annual Temperature ( F.) Marengo. . . 20.0 22.6 32.9 46.5 57.8 67.7 72.5 70 . 2 62.6 50.5 35.9 24.3 46.9 Hoopeston . 27.4 29.9 40.0 51.1 61.9 71.4 75.5 73.3 66.5 55.0 41.4 29.9 51.9 Precipitation (inches) Marengo . . . 1.71 1.63 2.42 2.76 3.55 4.13 3.32 3.42 3.74 2.42 2.06 1.72 32.88 Hoopeston . 2.43 2.06 3.21 3.67 4.06 3.85 3.57 3.27 3.42 2.96 2.61 2.22 37.33 J960] CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS . . . NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS 11 At Marengo the average annual precipitation (rainfall and melted snowfall), 1856 through 1956, was 32.9 inches. This varied from a high of 50.3 inches in 1858 to a low of 19.7 inches in 1901. At Hoopes- ton the average annual precipitation, 1903 through 1956, was 37.3 inches. It varied from a high of 52.1 inches in 1927 to a low of 27.4 inches in 1914. Thornthwaite (1948) estimates that the average annual potential water loss through evapotranspiration in this region is 27 inches. This would tend to be slightly lower (approximately 26 inches) at Marengo and slightly higher (approximately 28 inches) at Hoopeston. It would also tend to be slightly higher during warm, dry periods and lower during cool, moist periods. In general the higher amounts of yearly precipitation are adequate to replenish the ground-water supply in addition to providing for all evaporation from the soil and transpiration by plants. Only the lower amounts do not always adequately supply all such needs, and the ground-water table is sometimes lowered to a critical depth for some purposes. With Hoopeston's higher average mean annual temperature of 5.0 F. (Table 2) and somewhat shorter period of frozen soil surface each year, soil weathering and profile development would be expected to progress faster than at Marengo, but slightly higher evaporation and transpiration rates, may offset this tendency toward greater leaching and solution losses from the soil. Temperature and rainfall data from the Peoria weather station for the 101-year period 1856 through 1956 show the same irregularities as those from Marengo and Hoopeston. Because the data at Peoria are complete for the entire period, trends were calculated from them. At Peoria the average annual precipitation for the 101 years was 34.9 inches. Although cycles of wetter and dryer periods are indicated and precipitation at times fluctuated more than 20 inches from one year to the next there was no significant trend throughout the 101-year period (Fig. 2). Rainfall data from both Marengo and Hoopeston also indicate no significant increase or decrease. On the other hand, a highly significant warming trend is indicated by the temperature data from Peoria (Fig. 2). At this station the average mean annual temperature for the 101 -year period was 50.9 F. For the first 25-year period it was 50.2 F.; for the second 25 years, 50.2 F.; for the third 25 years, 51.0 F.; and for the last 26 years, 52.0 F. This warming trend is substantiated not only by the data from Marengo and Hoopeston but also from 15 other weather stations 12 BULLETIN NO. 665 [November S3HONI H3HN3HVd S33d93d J960] CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS . . . NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS 13 scattered throughout the area studied that were established prior to 1931. Of these 15 stations, 8 have recorded an average mean annual temperature between 1 and 2 F. higher since 1931 as compared with before 1931. At 6 stations the average mean annual temperature is between 0.5 and 1 F. higher and at one it is less than 0.5 F. higher. No station in northeastern Illinois has recorded a decrease in average mean annual temperature subsequent to 1931 as compared with before 1931. Landsberg (1958) also reached the conclusion that no significant change in rainfall has occurred but that available data do indicate a rise in temperature of about 2 F. for the last century. Late Pleistocene history Extensive investigations of Pleistocene deposits have been made in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. Studies of these deposits have been in progress in Illinois and neighboring states for about 80 years. Classification of materials. Leverett (1899) described numerous stratigraphic sections from well records and personal observations. Many publications of the Illinois State Geological Survey report ob- servations of Pleistocene deposits and interpretations of Pleistocene events in east-central and northern Illinois. Descriptions of some of the most recently observed stratigraphic sections in this part of the state are given by Eveland (1952), Horberg (1953), Leighton and Willman (1953), Horberg and Potter (1955), and Shaffer (1956). These and other publications were consulted in arranging the outline shown in Fig. 4. Leverett (1899) identified the tills in northeastern Illinois as pri- marily of Wisconsin glacial age. In the southwestern part of the area studied (Fig. 3), his boundary between Wisconsin and Illinoian tills remains essentially unchanged. However, his outline of the margin of Wisconsin till in the Rock river-Green river basin in the north- western part of the area studied was subsequently shifted by Leighton (1923) to coincide with the newly discovered White Rock moraine (Fig. 3). Till lying west and north of Leigh ton's White Rock moraine was suggested by Shaffer (1956) to belong to Farmdale time and was named Farmdale by him. Later Frye and Willman (1960) suggested the name Winnebago for this material and assigned it to the Altonian substage to distinguish time-stratigraphic subdivisions from morpho- stratigraphic units. 14 BULLETIN NO. 665 [November The morainic systems of Wisconsin glacial age in eastern Illinois and western Indiana were divided by Chamberlain (1883) into two substages on the basis of differences of trend and freshness of con- tour. This division was later extended into northern Illinois by Leverett. The older or Early substage included all of the nearly con- KANKAKEE TORRENT AREAS LAKE CHICAGO AND OUTLET MARGIN OF WISCONSIN GARY - TAZEWELL BOUNDARY BOUNDARY OF AREA STUDIED After George E. Ekblow Illinois State Geological Survey Moraines, till plains, and major glacial lakes of Wisconsin age in northeast- ern Illinois. (Fig. 3) I960] CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS . . . NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS 15 centric moraines from the Shelbyville through the Marseilles (Fig. 3). The younger or Late Wisconsin substage included the combined Minooka-Iroquois and those other moraines in Illinois lying between the Minooka and Lake Michigan. In 1933 Leighton suggested that more distinctive names be applied to the substages of Wisconsin age and, for the two represented in Illinois, proposed Tazewell for the Early and Gary for the Late ( Fig. 3 ) . These names were subsequently applied to till, outwash, and loess deposited during those periods, ex- cept that the term Peorian was used to designate the multiple loess of middle to late Wisconsin time where the loesses of that period were not separable. Because this loess is generally thought of as a rock- stratigraphic rather than a time-stratigraphic unit, Frye and Willman (1960) dropped the adjectival ending. These authors also preferred to combine Gary and Tazewell into one time-stratigraphic unit and have assigned the name Woodfordian to this unit. Age of materials. Time relationships among the different Wiscon- sin glacial substages are shown in Fig. 4. These are estimates based on studies of varves, wave cutting, pollen analyses, depth of leaching, mineralogy, deep-sea sediments, etc., and, more recently radiocarbon (C 14 ) determinations. In general, time estimates based on geological data are nearly twice as long as estimates based upon radiocarbon datings. In making such estimates it is important to use all available sources of information to obtain maximum accuracy. Early estimates of postglacial time in North America according to Coleman (1929) varied from a maximum of 39,000 years to a minimum of 7,000 years. From his own study of wave cutting in Lake Ontario, Coleman estimated the beginning of Niagara Falls at approximately 25,000 years ago. This presumably occurred near the end of Gary (late Woodfordian) time following the retreat of Gary ice to the north and opening of the St. Lawrence river outlet. Russell (1941), basing his conclusions on geologic information, suggested that "the last general recession of continental glaciers began about 30,000 to 40,000 years ago" but that the last Arctic period or probable glacial maximum occurred just prior to 12,000 B.C. A summary of radiocarbon datings by Suess (1956) places the age of Mankato till deposits (Valders by other authorities, see Leighton, 1958) at 10,000 to 11,000 years B.P., Gary at about 13,000 to 14,000 years B.P., and Tazewell at approximately 14,500 to 18,000 years B.P. (Fig. 4). Ruhe, Rubin, and Scholtes (1957), from radiocarbon datings of 16 BULLETIN NO. 665 [November 1 *S *~\* - "1 | bb a: 1 1 " E CD O u_ o o o o K o o o o O c" ' o o u 1/1 Z in" m o O t " of cs" co O Q o 5J o; 1/1 ^- CM CN CO t Q