LOCATION CENTRALPARK NY+NJ

Established Series
Rev. JMG-LAH-JTI
04/2017

CENTRALPARK SERIES

The Centralpark series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in a deep or very deep mantle of human transported natural soil materials and occurs in fill areas on anthropogenic landforms in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high but may range to moderately low if the soil has been compacted. Slope ranges from 0 to 60 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C. Mean annual precipitation is about 1195 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, spolic, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Anthroportic Udorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Centralpark extremely gravelly sandy loam in a turfgrass area on a large smoothed pile of soil with a slope of 1 percent. (Colors are for moist soil unless noted differently.)

^Au -- 0 to 5 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) extremely gravelly-artifactual sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine plus common medium and coarse roots; 72 percent gravel and 1 percent cobble-sized rock fragments; few broken glass fragments; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 cm thick.)

^Bwu -- 5 to 28 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very stony-artifactual sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine and fine plus few medium and coarse roots; few fine and medium pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobble, and 10 percent stone-sized rock fragments; few broken glass fragments; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick.)

^Cu -- 28 to 46 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very stony-artifactual coarse sandy loam; massive; friable; common very fine plus few fine and medium roots; no pores observed; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobble, and 15 percent stone-sized rock fragments; very few broken glass fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary.

^C1 -- 46 to 101 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) extremely stony sandy loam; massive; firm; few fine and medium roots; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobble, and 20 percent stone-sized rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual smooth boundary.

^C2 -- 101 to 140 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) extremely stony sandy loam; massive; friable; few fine and medium roots; 51 percent gravel, 15 percent cobble, and 20 percent stone-sized rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of C horizons is 78 to 142 cm.)

2Ab -- 140 to 142 centimeters; black (N 2/) mucky silt loam; massive; compacted; very friable; few fine and medium roots; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 13 centimeters thick.)

2Bwb -- 142 to 200 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/3) loam; massive; compacted; friable; few fine and medium roots; moderately acid (pH 5.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Richmond County, New York: From the intersection of Forest Hills Avenue and Independence Avenue, 400 feet southwest on Forest Hills Avenue, 200 feet southeast on an unnamed road, 430 feet northeast on an unnamed road, then 40 feet southeast on the southwest face of the fill area; USGS Arthur Kill, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 40 degrees, 34 minutes, 15.27 seconds N. and Longitude 74 degrees, 9 minutes, 55.39 seconds W., NAD 1983.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the human transported materials is 100 cm or more. Rock fragments range from 4 to 90 percent by volume with less than 10 percent (absolute) human artifacts, and the textures range from coarse sandy loam to silt loam. Consistence is very friable to firm. The firm layers are usually not root restricting and do not perch water. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly alkaline.

The ^A horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 6. It has granular structure. Consistence is very friable or friable, or firm in compacted areas. Discrete pieces of ^B horizon material may be mixed in.

The ^B horizons have hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 8. Structure is subangular blocky, and fine roots are generally common to many. Consistence is very friable or friable.

The ^C horizons in the transported soil have hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 8. These horizons are massive and may have plate-like divisions. Consistence is very friable to firm.

The 2Ab, 2Bwb, and 2Cb horizons, where present, have similar physical and chemical properties to corresponding master horizons listed above and in nearby undisturbed soils.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Centralpark soils are on nearly level to very steep anthropogenic landforms. These soils formed in human-transported soil material. Some pedons have a contact (lithologic discontinuity) with a buried natural soil below 100 cm. The human transported soil material contains less than 10 percent artifacts (e.g., plastic, glass, bricks, concrete, and/or metal). It is sourced from locally excavated soil materials that formed in till, glaciofluvial deposits, or alluvium parent materials. Rock fragments are derived mainly from metamorphic or sedimentary rocks. Slope ranges from 0 to 50 percent. Higher slopes occur when the soil is formed in unleveled mounds. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1020 to 1325 millimeters. Mean annual temperature ranges from 8 to 17 degrees Celsius.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canarsie, Ebbets, Greenbelt, Laguardia, Ladyliberty, and Secaucus soils. Canarsie soils average less than 35 percent coarse fragments (i.e., combined artifacts and rock fragments) in the control section and have less than 100 centimeters of transported material. Ebbets soils contain greater than 10 percent artifacts and less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle size control section. Greenbelt soils average less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section. Ladyliberty soils are moderately well drained, dominated by sandy textures, and average greater than 35 percent coarse fragments. Well drained Laguardia and moderately well drained Secaucus soils average greater than 10 percent artifacts and greater than 35 percent coarse fragments.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to medium on vegetated slopes less than 8 percent, and medium to high on vegetated slopes 8 percent and greater. The potential for surface runoff is one class higher where the soil is unvegetated or the surface is poorly protected from erosion. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high, but may be moderately low if the soil has been compacted.

USE AND VEGETATION: Depending on management, these soils may be vegetated primarily with herbaceous plants including raspberry, common reed, and mugwort or by turf grass if part of a recreation area. Less managed areas are typically covered with native and non-native forest vegetation. The more compacted areas support sparse populations of various grasses, annuals, and perennials that invade disturbed/stressed areas. Recreational use is unlikely in park areas where the surface is unsmoothed, or where the surface stones and boulders have not been removed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur on modified landscapes in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. MLRAs 144A and 149B. The soils of this series are of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudson County, New Jersey; 2012.

REMARKS: Prior to the 12th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Centralpark soils were classified as Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Dystric Eutrudepts.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Anthropic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 28 cm (^Au and ^Bwu horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Complete characterization data collected as pedon S1995NY085032. Pedon analyzed by the NSSL, Lincoln, NE.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.