6
Soils of the Lake Superior Coastal Zone
6.1
Introduction
With a surface area of 82,100 km
2 , Lake Superior is the
largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Superior is the
highest (183 m), western-most (92° W), and northern-most
(49° N) of the great Lakes. The Lake Superior basin has lon,
cold, and snowy winters and short, cool summers.
Three-quarters (75%) of the Lake Superior shore contains
Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks, with sandstone being present in the other 25% on the south shore.
Boreal forest occurs alon the north shore of Lake Superior;
the native vegetation of the remaining shore is temperate
mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest. Lake Superior was the
last great Lake to be located, with the glaciers retreating 9.5
kyr ao.
6.2
Soils by Natural Resource Sement
The US portion of the Lake Superior Coastal Zone contains
dominantly Haplorthods and Haplosaprists, with lesser
amounts of lossudalfs, Eutrudepts, Hapludalfs, and Endoaquods (Table 6.1, Fig. 6.1). Lake Superior can be divided
into six segments based on Major Land Resource Areas (US
only), parent materials, and dominant soil series. From
Duluth, Minnesota to Thunder Bay, Ontario–the first segment–the dominant parent material is loamy till that forms a
moraine parallelin Lake Superior. This moraine has been
wave-washed by ancestral lakes. Key soils on the moraine
are Eutrudepts (Barto, reysolon, Mesaba, and Normanna soil
series) and lossaqualfs (Cuttre). lossudalfs (Miskoaki soil
series) occur on wave-cut till plains, and Hapludalfs
(Auustana and Heber soil series) occur in areas of discontinuous lacustrine sediments that frine the coastline and
overlie till in places. Segment 1 is part of MLRA 93A
Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills, Western
Part. Some of the key soil series were depicted in Chap. 5,
including the Barto (Fig. 5.13a), the Mesaba (Fig. 5.13b), the
Cuttre (Fig. 5.5), and the Auustana-Heber (Fig. 5.1).
Discontinuous sandy and sandy loam till deposits over
bedrock extend along the second segment from Thunder Bay
to Red Rock, Ontario. Provisional mapping by the Great
Lakes Forestry Centre suggests that the soils are primarily
Dystric Brunisols, with some Luvisols (Hapludalfs), Mesisols (Haplohemists), and rock land.
The north and eastern shore of Lake Superior from Red
Rock to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario–the third segment–is
composed of discontinuous sandy till over bedrock with a
discontinuous, narrow Fringe of sandy lacustrine materials
containing Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzols (Haplorthods) and
Precambrian rock land.
The southeast shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste.
Marie to Munising, Michigan (segment 4) is composed of a
wide band of sandy lacustrine material backed by a prominent end moraine, the Munising Moraine (Fig. 6.2). The
Kingston sandy outwash plains occur near Grand Marais; a
large outwash plain also exists south of Munising. The
Rubicon (Fig. 5.6c), Croswell (Fig. 5.6a), and Kalkaska soil
series (Fig. 5.6b) (Haplorthods) are common on these sandy
materials. Beach ridges feature Udipsamments (Deer Park
soil series) and Endoaquods (Au Gres and Kinross soil
series); the swales contain Haplosaprists (Carbondale,
Tawas, and Lupton soil series) and Psammaquents (Deford
soil series). The Grand Sable Dunes, which occur west of
Grand Marais, are the largest dune system on Lake Superior.
This segment is part of MLRA 94B, Michian Eastern Upper
Peninsula Sandy Drift. Several of these soil series were
shown in Chap. 5, including the Deer Park (Fig. 5.17a), Au
Gres (Fig. 5.7a), and Carbondale (Fig. 5.22a).
The fifth segment along Lake Superior extends from
Munising to Marquette, Michigan. This segment features
sandy till and lacustrine sediments over sandstone bedrock
(Fig. 6.3). This segment contains primarily Haplorthods
(Croswell and Kalkaska soil series) and Haplosaprists
(Carbondale and Tawas soil series), along with Fragiorthods
(Munising and Yalmer) on the Marquette end moraine and
Udipsamments (Deer Park) on beach rides. This segment is
included in MLRA 93B, the Superior Stony and Rocky
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. G. Bockheim, Soils of the Laurentian Great Lakes, USA and Canada,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52425-8_6
89
Soils of the Lake Superior Coastal Zone
6.1
Introduction
With a surface area of 82,100 km
2 , Lake Superior is the
largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Superior is the
highest (183 m), western-most (92° W), and northern-most
(49° N) of the great Lakes. The Lake Superior basin has lon,
cold, and snowy winters and short, cool summers.
Three-quarters (75%) of the Lake Superior shore contains
Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks, with sandstone being present in the other 25% on the south shore.
Boreal forest occurs alon the north shore of Lake Superior;
the native vegetation of the remaining shore is temperate
mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest. Lake Superior was the
last great Lake to be located, with the glaciers retreating 9.5
kyr ao.
6.2
Soils by Natural Resource Sement
The US portion of the Lake Superior Coastal Zone contains
dominantly Haplorthods and Haplosaprists, with lesser
amounts of lossudalfs, Eutrudepts, Hapludalfs, and Endoaquods (Table 6.1, Fig. 6.1). Lake Superior can be divided
into six segments based on Major Land Resource Areas (US
only), parent materials, and dominant soil series. From
Duluth, Minnesota to Thunder Bay, Ontario–the first segment–the dominant parent material is loamy till that forms a
moraine parallelin Lake Superior. This moraine has been
wave-washed by ancestral lakes. Key soils on the moraine
are Eutrudepts (Barto, reysolon, Mesaba, and Normanna soil
series) and lossaqualfs (Cuttre). lossudalfs (Miskoaki soil
series) occur on wave-cut till plains, and Hapludalfs
(Auustana and Heber soil series) occur in areas of discontinuous lacustrine sediments that frine the coastline and
overlie till in places. Segment 1 is part of MLRA 93A
Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills, Western
Part. Some of the key soil series were depicted in Chap. 5,
including the Barto (Fig. 5.13a), the Mesaba (Fig. 5.13b), the
Cuttre (Fig. 5.5), and the Auustana-Heber (Fig. 5.1).
Discontinuous sandy and sandy loam till deposits over
bedrock extend along the second segment from Thunder Bay
to Red Rock, Ontario. Provisional mapping by the Great
Lakes Forestry Centre suggests that the soils are primarily
Dystric Brunisols, with some Luvisols (Hapludalfs), Mesisols (Haplohemists), and rock land.
The north and eastern shore of Lake Superior from Red
Rock to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario–the third segment–is
composed of discontinuous sandy till over bedrock with a
discontinuous, narrow Fringe of sandy lacustrine materials
containing Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzols (Haplorthods) and
Precambrian rock land.
The southeast shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste.
Marie to Munising, Michigan (segment 4) is composed of a
wide band of sandy lacustrine material backed by a prominent end moraine, the Munising Moraine (Fig. 6.2). The
Kingston sandy outwash plains occur near Grand Marais; a
large outwash plain also exists south of Munising. The
Rubicon (Fig. 5.6c), Croswell (Fig. 5.6a), and Kalkaska soil
series (Fig. 5.6b) (Haplorthods) are common on these sandy
materials. Beach ridges feature Udipsamments (Deer Park
soil series) and Endoaquods (Au Gres and Kinross soil
series); the swales contain Haplosaprists (Carbondale,
Tawas, and Lupton soil series) and Psammaquents (Deford
soil series). The Grand Sable Dunes, which occur west of
Grand Marais, are the largest dune system on Lake Superior.
This segment is part of MLRA 94B, Michian Eastern Upper
Peninsula Sandy Drift. Several of these soil series were
shown in Chap. 5, including the Deer Park (Fig. 5.17a), Au
Gres (Fig. 5.7a), and Carbondale (Fig. 5.22a).
The fifth segment along Lake Superior extends from
Munising to Marquette, Michigan. This segment features
sandy till and lacustrine sediments over sandstone bedrock
(Fig. 6.3). This segment contains primarily Haplorthods
(Croswell and Kalkaska soil series) and Haplosaprists
(Carbondale and Tawas soil series), along with Fragiorthods
(Munising and Yalmer) on the Marquette end moraine and
Udipsamments (Deer Park) on beach rides. This segment is
included in MLRA 93B, the Superior Stony and Rocky
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. G. Bockheim, Soils of the Laurentian Great Lakes, USA and Canada,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52425-8_6
89