By Toni Teague

Surficial Geology of the Anoka 30 x 60 Minute

Quadrangle

The Surficial Geology of the Anoka 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle Map I used for this project

A closer look at the tables

Soils Of Anoka County

Hubbard-Nymore Association

This soil association is mainly a nearly level to gently sloping outwash plain that is dissected by drainageways and pitted by large depressions. Steeper slopes occur next to these larger depressions and drainageways.

This association makes up about 15 percent of the county. It is about 40 percent Hubbard soils, 35 percent Nymore soils, and 25 percent soils of minor extent.

Hubbard soils have a black and very dark grayish-brown coarse sandy surface layer about 20 inches thick. The subsoil is dark-brown and yellowish-brown coarse sand. The underlying material at a depth of about 44 inches is yellowish-brown sand.

Nymore soils typically have a surface layer of very dark gray and black to very dark grayish-brown loamy sand about 2-8 inches thick. The subsoil is dark-brown loamy sand. The underlying material at a depth of about 26 inches is yellowish-brown sand.

Rifle-Isanti Association

This soil association is a series of large level bogs dominated by organic soils and small sandy islandlike features that rise several feet above the general level of the surrounding bogs. The natural water table is high.

This association makes up about 17 percent of the county, It is about 60 percent Rifle soils, 20 percent Isanti soils, and 20 percent soils of minor extent.

Rifle soils occur in large bogs and are very poorly drained. They have a surface layer of very dark brown mucky peat about 8 inches thick. The next layer and the underlying material are dark yellowish-brown and very dark grayish-brown mucky peat.

Isanti soils occur as slight rises and narrow rims around islandlike features and are very poorly drained. They have a surface layer typically of black loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam about 10 inches thick. The subsoil is gray and dark-gray fine sand. The underlying material to a depth of about 31 inches is light brownish-gray fine sand.

Zimmerman-Isanti-Lino Association

This soil association is mainly a broad undulating sand plain. The naturally occurring high water table is at or near the surface in most depressed areas. Steeper slopes occur next to drainageways and large depressions.

This association makes up about 50 percent of the county. It is about 45 percent Zimmerman soils, 15 percent Isanti soils, 10 percent Lino soils, and 30 percent soils of minor extent.

The excessively drained Zimmerman soils are in broad undulating areas and on narrow escarpments. The surface layer is very dark gray and dark-brown fine sand about 2 to 10 inches thick. The subsoil is yellowish-brown and light yellowish-brown fine sand. The underlying material at a depth of about 28 inches is very pale brown fine sand.

The very poorly drained Isanti soils are in depressions and on low-lying sandy loam about 10 inches thick. The subsoil is gray and dark-gray fine sand. The underlying material at a depth of about 31 inches is light brownish-gray fine sand.

The somewhat poorly drained Lino soils are on small flats, in small depressions, and on small concave rises. The surface layer is black, dark-gray or dark grayish-brown loamy fine sand about 2 to 8 inches thick. The subsoil is mottled brown and light brownish-gray fine sand. The underlying material at a depth of about 45 inches is pale-brown fine sand.

This soil association is a gently undulating to steep morainic landscape of short irregular slopes, scattered small lakes, and scattered depressions of organic soils.

This association makes up 10 percent of the county. It is about 40 percent Heyder soils, 20 percent Kingsley soils, 10 percent Hayden soils, and 30 percent soils of minor extent.

Heyder soils are on hill crests and hillsides. The surface layer is typically very dark grayish-brown fine sandy loam about 3 to 8 inches thick. The subsurface layer, which is not evident in some cultivated fields, is grayish-brown fine sandy loam 3 to 15 inches thick. The subsoil is dark yellowish-brown and yellowish-brown sandy loam and fine sandy loam. The underlying material at a depth of about 53 inches is light olive-brown sandy loam.

Kingsley soils, also on hill crests and hillsides, typically have a surface layer of very dark gray fine sandy loam about 3 to 8 inches thick. The subsurface layer, a pale-brown fine sandy loam 5 to 10 inches thick, does not always occur in cultivated fields. The subsoil is dark reddish-brown and reddish-brown sandy clay loam and fine sandy loam. The underlying material at a depth of about 34 inches is firm, dark reddish-brown sandy loam.

Heyder-Kingsley Association

Emmert-Kingsley AssociationThis soil association is a gently undulating to steep morainic landscape of short irregular slopes and scattered small marshes and depressions of organic soils.This association makes up 3 percent of the county. It is about 45 percent Emmert soils, 30 percent Kingsley soils, and 25 percent soils of minor extent.Emmert soils are on irregularly shaped knolls and hills. They typically have a surface layer of very dark gray gravelly coarse sand. The underlying material is a depth of about 23 inches is brown to very pale brown coarse sand or gravelly coarse sand.Kingsley soils are on hill crests and hillsides. They typically have a surface layer of very dark gray fine sandy loam about 3 to 8 inches thick. The subsurface layer, a pale-brown fine sandy loam 5 to 10 inches thick, does not always occur in cultivated fields. The subsoil is dark reddish-brown and reddish-brown sandy clay loam and fine sandy loam. The underlying material at a depth of about 34 inches is firm, dark reddish-brown sandy loam.

Nessel-Dundas-Webster Association

This nearly level to gently sloping soil association is a series of undulating ground moraines. Steeper slopes are adjacent to large bogs and drainage ways. All slopes are short.

This soil association makes up about 5 percent of the county. It is about 35 percent Nessel soils, 15 percent Dundas soils, 15 percent Webster soils, and 35 percent soils of minor extent.

Nessel soils are nearly level to gently sloping and moderately well drained. They typically have a surface layer of very dark grayish-brown fine sandy loam about 2 to 9 inches thick. The subsurface layer is grayish-brown fine sandy loam 7 to 14 inches thick. The subsoil is mottled yellowish-brown, brown, and light olive-brown fine sandy loam and sandy clay loam. The underlying material at a depth of about 40 inches is light olive-brown, calcareous fine sandy loam.

Dundas soils are nearly level and poorly drained. They typically have a surface layer of black loam about 4 to 10 inches thick. The subsurface layer is mottled gray fine sandy loam 5 to 12 inches thick. The subsoil is mottled dark-gray to light olive-gray sandy clay loam. The underlying material is a depth of about 39 inches is mottled gray, calcareous fine sandy loam.

Another Example of Soil: Loam

Sand Dunes

Bodies of Water

Buffalo lake is one of the largest lakes on this map.Center: 45.1619°N 93.9108°W

Elevation at center: 922 feet (281 meters)

Quad: Anoka

The Rum River

The Rum picks up its pace, running through class I rapids for several miles. It then settles down and flows quietly for its last few miles to the Mississippi. This section provides excellent fishing. Houses and strip malls are springing up throughout the southern end of the Rum River Valley, but the river still manages to look wild along much of its length

The Path of the Rum

The Mississippi

River

Glacial activity, a review

n

Glacial Activity

Only an example

The arrows show the general movement of the glacial meltwater! It shows a lot of movement!

This shows the area of the map, with respect to the rest of the state’s glacial activity

Anoka Sandplain The majority of Anoka County is located in a geologic region known as the Anoka Sandplain. The Anoka Sandplain is known for its flat topography, sandy soils, and shallow water table. Land use practices in this unique area have far reaching implications. This area is the sources of drinking water for the several major cities, the home for many rare plants, animals and ecosystems, and the site of expanding urban growth boundaries.

The Anoka Sandplain is located in central Minnesota within 13 counties; Anoka, Benton, Chisago, Crow Wing, Hennepin, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Ramsey, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington, and Wright. Sixty-eight cities and seventy-four townships are at least partially located within the boundaries. During a warm dry period 4,000 to 8,000 years ago, the sands were exposed to strong winds and dunes were formed. This combination of factors led to the diversity of landscape types within the Anoka Sandplain.

Anoka Sand Plain—lands with loose sandy soils left on the surface by the outwash of glacial meltwater. Most of this area is relatively flat, and where the land has not been used to grow potatoes or other crops, the poor soils still support grassland and the mixed brush and scrubby northern pin and bur oak of the savannah.

The Anoka Sandplain revisited

The formation of the landscape that we see as the Anoka Sandplain today is primarily due to a series of glaciers that scoured the terrain and left deposits of sediment as they retreated.

The Wisconsin glaciation started about 35,000 years ago and lasted until about 10,000 years ago. It consisted of two major glacial ice lobes. The first was the Superior lobe, which advanced southward from eastern Ontario through Lake Superior to encompass the Anoka Sandplain (nearly level to undulation, excessively drained, somewhat poorly drained, and very poorly drained soils that are dominated by fine sands throughout. When it retreated, it left behind reddish brown sandy loam.

The second major glacial ice lobe was the Des Moines Lobe. It came from Manitoba in the northwest and traveled south into Iowa. On the eastern side of the Des Moines Lobe, a sub-lobe called the Grantsburg Sublobe formed and pushed north into the Anoka Sandplain area. It carried "gray" till with it, a light brown sandy loam derived from the limestone bedrock around Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.

Watersheds

The Anoka Quad is located on the Mississippi (above St. Paul) and St. Croix River Areas

The watershed around the Anoka quad can be broken down into much smaller sections, regions, and basins.

There are two campgrounds in the Anoka County Park System. The Bunker Hills Campground, located in Bunker Hills Regional Park (City of Coon Rapids), and the Rice Creek Campground, located in the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve (City of Lino Lakes). Both offer primitive (a.k.a. rustic) to modern camping experiences. Some campsites include water and electric hookups for RV's. Both campgrounds have restroom/shower buildings and a sanitation station for RV's. Campsites are available from May through early October (weather permitting due to snow/frost).

We also offer group camping at Camp Salie and Canoe camping at Rum River North County Park and Rum River Central Regional Park

Camping in Anoka County

The Anoka County Riverfront Regional Park is a linear park along the east shore of the Mississippi River. It stretches from 39th Ave. NE past the I-694 bridge. An excellent bicycle/walking trail connects this park to additional trails north of the park, and south to the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway trails. Two bridges in the area span the river allowing for a pleasant loop along the Mississippi River.  It is a critical link to the North Mississippi River Regional Corridor Trail system.

At the northernmost point of the park is a boat launch ramp. And at the other end of the park is the almost hidden "Arboretum Trail." This 1/3 mile long trail takes you through a bucolic prairie grassland that winds in and around a variety of Minnesota trees, each marked with a sign. Birch, pine, spruce, oak, maple, ash, and linden are examples of trees that hikers can see along the way.

Parks along the Mississippi River

http://www.pricoldclimate.org/ http://www.anokanaturalresources.com http://www.trails.com/usgs-topo-buffalo-lake-seaplane-base-airport-topographic-map-

660090.html http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/22408896.jpg http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=CGM017-080 http://www.ci.anoka.mn.us/vertical/Sites http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Receding_glacier-en.svg/

400px-Receding_glacier-en.svg.png http://anthropologylabs.umn.edu/images/Figure1.1bMnGeolMap.jpg http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=httphttp://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/ph

otogallery/images/icecntdrift.jpg://www.anokanaturalresources.com http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/other/gtr-nc178/images/fig13.jpg http://www.anokacountyparks.com/camping/default.htm http://www.pineedge.com/Mississippi%20River.jpg http://www.nps.gov/miss/photosmultimedia/index.htm http://www.clospepe.com/images/18tierra.jpg

Works Cited