7
Soils of the Lake Michigan Coastal Zone
7.1
Introduction
Lake Michigan is the third-largest Great Lake by area and
the second-largest by volume. It is the only Great Lake with
its axis oriented roughly north-to-south. Lake Michigan is
joins Lake Huron via the Straits of Mackinac, leading some
to consider the two lakes as one large lake, with an elevation
of 176 m. However, because of ice blocking the Straits of
Mackinac during glacial cycles, the two lakes responded
differently to post-glacial lake processes. The Lake Michigan
shore has the most complex bedrock geology of the Great
Lakes; it features the Niagara Escarpment on the north, west,
and south shores and shale and sandstone on the east shore.
The floristic tension zone cuts across Lake Michigan
between Sheboygan, WI and Muskegon, MI, separating the
temperate mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest to the north
and the temperate broadleaved forest to the south. The
easternmost extension of prairie reaches the southern tip of
Lake Michigan. Some of the oldest geomorphic surfaces in
the Great Lakes Coastal Zone are found along the southern
Lake Michigan shore, including soils derived from the 13.8
kyr Glenwood lake stage.
7.2
Soils by Natural Resource Segment
Lake Michigan is entirely in the US, and the coastal zone
contains primarily Hapludalfs, Haplosaprists, and Endoquods, with lesser amounts of Haplorthods, Hapludolls, and
Udipsamments (Table 6.1; Fig. 7.1). Lake Michigan can be
divided into six segments based on MLRAs, parent materials
and dominant soil series. The first segment is a lake-floored
till plain extending from Chicago, Illinois to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Urban land composes nearly 70 miles (120 km)
of shoreline between Gary, Indiana and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The primary native soils are Hapludalfs (Manawa,
Kewaunee, and Boyer soil series) and Haplosaprists
(Houghton soil series). This segment is part of MLRA 110,
the Northern Illinois and Indiana Heavy Till Plain. A common soil in this segment the Kewaunee series is derived
from a thin mantle of loess over clayey till (Fig. 7.2). The
Kewaunee profile contains a brownish Ap horizon to 10 in.
(25 cm), a grayish brown E horizon to 14 in. (36 cm), and a
reddish brown argillic (Bt1, 2Bt2-4) to 29 in. (74 cm).
The second segment, which extends from Milwaukee to
Escanaba, Michigan, includes the Door Peninsula, which
projects into Lake Michigan. Part of MLRA 95A, the
Northeastern Wisconsin Drift Plain, this segment contains
clayey till and lacustrine sand and gravel. The till contains
Hapludalfs (Kewaunee, Manawa, and Onaway soil series)
(Fig. 7.3). The Ensley soil series (Endoaquepts) occupy lake
terraces created by wave action in the till. Glacial lake
benches mantled with till support Haplorthods (Longrie soil
series), Hapludolls (Alpena and Namur), and Eutrudepts
(Summerville). Beach ridges and stable dunes contain
Udipsamments (Oakville) and Haplorthods (Rousseau).
Haplosaprists (Lupton, Cathro, Markey, Tawas, and Carbondale) occupy swales of beach ridges and wetlands.
Poorly drained glaciofluvial sediments in lake plains contain
Psammaquents (Deford) and Endoaquods (Wainola). The
Rousseau soil series is an Entic Haplorthods derived from
sandy eolian deposits on dunes and lake plains (Fig. 7.4).
© 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_7
99
Soils of the Lake Michigan Coastal Zone
7.1
Introduction
Lake Michigan is the third-largest Great Lake by area and
the second-largest by volume. It is the only Great Lake with
its axis oriented roughly north-to-south. Lake Michigan is
joins Lake Huron via the Straits of Mackinac, leading some
to consider the two lakes as one large lake, with an elevation
of 176 m. However, because of ice blocking the Straits of
Mackinac during glacial cycles, the two lakes responded
differently to post-glacial lake processes. The Lake Michigan
shore has the most complex bedrock geology of the Great
Lakes; it features the Niagara Escarpment on the north, west,
and south shores and shale and sandstone on the east shore.
The floristic tension zone cuts across Lake Michigan
between Sheboygan, WI and Muskegon, MI, separating the
temperate mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest to the north
and the temperate broadleaved forest to the south. The
easternmost extension of prairie reaches the southern tip of
Lake Michigan. Some of the oldest geomorphic surfaces in
the Great Lakes Coastal Zone are found along the southern
Lake Michigan shore, including soils derived from the 13.8
kyr Glenwood lake stage.
7.2
Soils by Natural Resource Segment
Lake Michigan is entirely in the US, and the coastal zone
contains primarily Hapludalfs, Haplosaprists, and Endoquods, with lesser amounts of Haplorthods, Hapludolls, and
Udipsamments (Table 6.1; Fig. 7.1). Lake Michigan can be
divided into six segments based on MLRAs, parent materials
and dominant soil series. The first segment is a lake-floored
till plain extending from Chicago, Illinois to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Urban land composes nearly 70 miles (120 km)
of shoreline between Gary, Indiana and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The primary native soils are Hapludalfs (Manawa,
Kewaunee, and Boyer soil series) and Haplosaprists
(Houghton soil series). This segment is part of MLRA 110,
the Northern Illinois and Indiana Heavy Till Plain. A common soil in this segment the Kewaunee series is derived
from a thin mantle of loess over clayey till (Fig. 7.2). The
Kewaunee profile contains a brownish Ap horizon to 10 in.
(25 cm), a grayish brown E horizon to 14 in. (36 cm), and a
reddish brown argillic (Bt1, 2Bt2-4) to 29 in. (74 cm).
The second segment, which extends from Milwaukee to
Escanaba, Michigan, includes the Door Peninsula, which
projects into Lake Michigan. Part of MLRA 95A, the
Northeastern Wisconsin Drift Plain, this segment contains
clayey till and lacustrine sand and gravel. The till contains
Hapludalfs (Kewaunee, Manawa, and Onaway soil series)
(Fig. 7.3). The Ensley soil series (Endoaquepts) occupy lake
terraces created by wave action in the till. Glacial lake
benches mantled with till support Haplorthods (Longrie soil
series), Hapludolls (Alpena and Namur), and Eutrudepts
(Summerville). Beach ridges and stable dunes contain
Udipsamments (Oakville) and Haplorthods (Rousseau).
Haplosaprists (Lupton, Cathro, Markey, Tawas, and Carbondale) occupy swales of beach ridges and wetlands.
Poorly drained glaciofluvial sediments in lake plains contain
Psammaquents (Deford) and Endoaquods (Wainola). The
Rousseau soil series is an Entic Haplorthods derived from
sandy eolian deposits on dunes and lake plains (Fig. 7.4).
© 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_7
99