Soil Association Map of Michigan (1981)
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Author: emlemke
Soil Association Map of Michigan (1981)
This full-color soil association map of Michigan provides a detailed overview of the state’s major soil patterns grouped into associations, which are landscapes of similar soil series, topography, and parent material. Compiled by the USDA Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with Michigan State University, it identifies 30+ distinct soil associations divided by climate region (humid temperate vs. moist temperate). This map highlights the diversity of Michigan’s soils—from sandy glacial outwash plains in the north to clayey lakebed soils in the south—and serves agricultural, conservation, and land-use planning purposes.
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Source:
USDA Soil Conservation Service & Michigan State University Agricultural Experiment Station. Soil Association Map of Michigan. Extension Bulletin E-1550, 1981.
Resolution:
Printed map on paper with color-coded associations, approximate scale 1:1,000,000. Based on regional soil surveys; not georeferenced but cartographically precise for macro-scale analysis.
Suggested Use:
Ideal for agricultural planning, land capability assessment, education, and ecological research. Particularly useful for understanding how climate and glacial history shape regional soil distribution across Michigan.
References
USDA Soil Conservation Service. 1981. Soil Association Map of Michigan.
Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E-1550.
Soil Survey Staff. 1999. Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys. USDA-NRCS.
Grigal, D.F., & Vance, E.D. 2000. Influence of soil properties on forest productivity across the Upper Great Lakes.