Soil Series Atlas

Tama soil series

Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudolls

050100150cm1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ftApTopsoil · plowed0–15 cm · 0–6 inA1Topsoil15–25 cm · 6–10 inA2Topsoil25–36 cm · 10–14 inBASubsoil grading from topsoil36–46 cm · 14–18 inBt1Subsoil · clay build-up46–81 cm · 18–32 inBt2Subsoil · clay build-up81–114 cm · 32–45 inBCSubsoil grading to parent material114–152 cm · 45–60 in050100150cmApTopsoil · plowed0–15 cm · 0–6 inA1Topsoil15–25 cm · 6–10 inA2Topsoil25–36 cm · 10–14 inBASubsoil grading fromtopsoil36–46 cm · 14–18 inBt1Subsoil · clay build-up46–81 cm · 18–32 inBt2Subsoil · clay build-up81–114 cm · 32–45 inBCSubsoil grading toparent material114–152 cm · 45–60 in
Typical pedon, to scale: 152 cm (60 in), 7 horizons.

Mollisols — soils with a thick, dark, organic-rich topsoil

Tama is mapped on 826,703 acres in 5 states, 246th nationally by area. It is the only series in the atlas that belongs to the great group Argiudolls. It is the largest of the 27 established series in its family. Its biggest share, 70%, is in Iowa, where it ranks 9th of 541 series. It is the state soil of Iowa.

Depth
Very deep
Drainage
Well drained
Water movement
Moderately high

Compare with another seriesSimilar series in the finder

Where Tama is mapped

826,703 acres in 54 soil survey areas, from current SSURGO data.

AlabamaArizonaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIndiana: 613 acresKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesota: 107,508 acresNew JerseyNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinois: 38,661 acresNew MexicoArkansasCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaIowa: 581,522 acresKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew HampshireNew YorkOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsin: 98,399 acresNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontLouisianaRhode Island

Share of all Tama acres

  1. Iowa70%
  2. Minnesota13%
  3. Wisconsin12%
  4. Illinois5%
  5. Indiana0.1%
  • Rank in the state · share of its mapped soil
  • Iowa 9th of 541 · 1.95%
  • Minnesota 114th of 1,038 · 0.23%
  • Wisconsin 83rd of 782 · 0.30%

In the field

Drainage

Well drained

Drains fastStays wet

Soil depth

Very deep

ShallowDeep

Water movement (Ksat)

Moderately high

SlowFast
Parent material
Loess
Landform
Ridges/interfluves, hills, uplands, terraces, valleys/basins
Type location
Iowa

How it is classified

  1. OrderMollisols
  2. SuborderUdolls
  3. Great groupArgiudolls
  4. SubgroupTypic Argiudolls
  5. FamilyFine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudollsfine-silty particle-size classmixed mineralogy classsuperactive cation-exchange activity classmesic soil temperature regime

Against other Mollisols

Tama makes up 0.19% of all mapped Mollisols — the 69th largest of 7,593 series in the order.

Solum thickness (topsoil + subsoil)

152 cm over a median of 104 cm

Depth to the subsoil

36 cm over a median of 25 cm

Its relatives

26 other established series share the family “Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudolls”

  1. Tama827 k
  2. Osco731 k
  3. Plano381 k
  4. Dinsdale301 k
  5. Sibley157 k
  6. Elmont90 k
  7. Richwood66 k
  8. Ashdale65 k
  9. Proctor56 k

Other Mollisols in this atlas

  1. Tama152 cm · Typic Argiudolls
  2. Williams152 cm · Typic Argiustolls
  3. Ector102 cm · Lithic Calciustolls
  4. Harney152 cm · Typic Argiustolls
  5. Pullman203 cm · Torrertic Paleustolls
  6. Tarrant76 cm · Lithic Calciustolls

Horizon by horizon

HorizonLayerDepthThickness
ApTopsoil: plowed0–15 cm0–6 in15 cm
A1Topsoil15–25 cm6–10 in10 cm
A2Topsoil25–36 cm10–14 in11 cm
BASubsoil grading from topsoil36–46 cm14–18 in10 cm
Bt1Subsoil: clay build-up46–81 cm18–32 in35 cm
Bt2Subsoil: clay build-up81–114 cm32–45 in33 cm
BCSubsoil grading to parent material114–152 cm45–60 in38 cm

Sources: USDA–NRCS Official Series Description (revised 2015-03), Soil Classification database and SSURGO. Ranks computed by Soil Series Atlas. Method · Guides