Dfb- Humid continental This climate has warm, humid summers with storms occurring often. Winters are cold and frequently have snow precipitation.
Temperatures were taken in Faribault, MN, Rice County. Highest temperature on record is 104 F in Lowest temperature on record is -36 F in
Measurements taken in Faribault, MN, Rice County.
ftp://mgssun6.mngs.umn.edu/pub3/c-9/c9_plt2_bedrock.pdf Prairie Du Chien Group- Made up of dolostone, sandstone and shale. The upper part of this group is a thin to medium, yellow gray dolostone that has scattered layers of quartzose sandstone and shale. The lower section has a medium to thick bedded, yellow, gray dolostone which contains some pockets of quartzose sandstone. Dolostone Bedrock
Decorah, Plateville, and Glenwood Formations - made up of limestone, shale and dolostone. Decorah shale is grayish green, and has scattered beds of fine grained limestone in thin layers. Platteville Formation is made up of limestone, and has very shale like dolostone mixed in with the limestone. Glenwood Formation is greenish gray, sandy and has a layer of shale 3 to 5 feet thick. ftp://mgssun6.mngs.umn.edu/pub3/c-9/c9_plt2_bedrock.pdf
Franconia Fromation- sandstone Franconia, sandstone layer Jordan Sandstone- medium to coarse grained, friable, yellow, gray, quartzose sandstone with feldspathic sandstone in the mid to lower regions of the this formation. Jordan Sandstone ftp://mgssun6.mngs.umn.edu/pub3/c-9/c9_plt2_bedrock.pdf
Lester-Hamel- Le Sueur Kilkenny-Derrynane-Lerdal Racine-Littleton-Lindstrom Clarioin-Nicollet-Webster Eastern Half of Rice County
Western half of Rice county Moland-Morton-Maxcrook Hayden-Le Sueur-Dundas Hayden-Hamel Racine-Kenyon-Nerwoods Kenyon-Klinger-Maxfield Estherville-Colo-Waukegan
Main soil content of Rice County
Parent Material TypesSurface Material Types Alluvium Formed from moving water such as rivers, streams, etc. Colluvium Small to medium pebbles that are transported mainly by gravity. Till(Glacial Till) Formed from the dragging of glacial activity. Glaciolacustrine Deposit Formed from sediment layering in glacial lakes. Loam (course loam)- sandy, course to fine sand. Clay loam (Fine loam)- may contain sandy clay, silty clay or clay. Smallest particle of soil composition Spring-2005/CourseHome/index.htm Silt loam (medium loam)- intermediate between course and fine loam. Very fine sand to courser clay loam.
Areas more susceptible to high erosion rates. Three forms of water erosion.
Prairie Wet Prairie Aspen-Oak Open Oaks and Barren Oaks Hardwoods (Oak, Hickory, Basswood) Water
Prairie Wet Prairie Aspen-Oak Open Oak and Barren Hardwoods
Seasonally Flooded basin Meadow Shallow marsh Deep Marsh Shallow open water Shrub Swamp Wooded Swamp Bogs Upland system
Bodies of water Buried aquifer Exposed aquifer Aquifer Recharge Area
River Lake Cannon River Watershed Minnesota River Watershed Zumbro River Watershed Cannon River All three watersheds have a dendritic drainage pattern.
Laurentide Glacier Occurred between 95,000 and 20,000 years ago during the Quaternary Period Rice County after the Laurentide Glacier. The Laurentide Glacier left behind Till of the Bemis Moraine Des Moines Lobe
Eskers are located in central and north central Rice county. They are formed when a glacier has a river running underneath it and when the glacier melts the river disappears and leaves an elevated river bed.
Bemis Moraine, which was formed from the Des Moines Lobe during the Laurentide Glacier. The Bemis Moraine is a lateral moraine that was created during the Laurentide Glacier on the eastern side of the Des Moines Lobe.
Clear Channel Scarp Located mainly along the Cannon River. Scarp
Flat-Topped Hills are located in eastern Rice County. Formed where saturated debris, unsorted by water filled low in the stagnant ice. When the ice melts the debris is left behind creating a flat-topped hill.
Active Transitional Buried Photo inside a karst Karsts form from acidic rain flowing through the ground and dissolving limestone rock.
Rice County Wind speed on average is between 16mph-18mph. Northfield in Rice County has several wind turbines.
Rice county has a wide variety of physical features such as karsts and moraines. There is diverse vegetation which ranges from prairie to hardwood forests. Overall Rice County has a very unique history, climate and geology.
ftp://mgssun6.mngs.umn.edu/pub3/c-9/c9_plt2_bedrock.pdf