LOCATION CHEEKTOWAGA NY+IN
Established Series
Rev. JPW-JWW-TDT
05/2011
CHEEKTOWAGA SERIES
The Cheektowaga series consists of very deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained soils formed in sandy deposits overlying clayey lacustrine sediments. They are nearly level soils on lake plains. Permeability is rapid in the surface and sandy subsoil, and slow or very slow in the substratum. Mean annual temperature is 48 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is 40 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over clayey, mixed, active, mesic Typic Epiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cheektowaga fine sandy loam - idle (Colors for moist broken soil unless noted otherwise.)
Ap -- 0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; many fine pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 12 inches thick)
Eg -- 9 to 15 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loamy fine sand; very weak very fine granular structure; very friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) soft masses of iron accumulation; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick.)
Bg1 -- 15 to 22 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand;; very weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; common pores; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary
Bg2 -- 22 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) loamy fine sand; very weak very thick platy structure; friable; common pores; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation, and coarse faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bg horizon is 5 to 21 inches.)
2Cl -- 26 to 33 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) varved silty clay loam; weak medium plate-like divisions; firm, plastic; few fine pores; many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) soft masses of iron accumulation, and common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) areas of iron depletion; calcareous; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 17 inches thick.)
2C2 -- 33 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) varved silty clay, weak medium plate-like divisions; firm few fine pores; common, medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Erie County, New York; Town of Clarence, 2.2 miles northwest of village of Clarence Center on County Road, 1.7 miles east of junction with New York 78. Clarence Center, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 43 degrees, 2 minutes, 1 second N. and Longitude 78 degrees, 40 minutes, 36 seconds W., NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to the underlying fine textured material ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The soil contains few or no coarse fragments. Soil reaction is moderately acid to neutral in the upper part of the solum but ranges to moderately alkaline in the lower part just above the clayey material. Reaction of the substratum is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Ap or A1 horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loamy sand to very fine sandy loam. The Ap or A1 horizon has weak or moderate, fine or very fine granular structure.
The Eg horizon is neutral or has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2 and it has redoximorphic features. It is loamy fine sand to sand. The Eg horizon has very weak or weak, very fine or fine granular structure, and friable or very friable consistence.
The Bg horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 3. It is loamy fine sand to sand. The Bg horizon has very weak or weak fine or medium subangular blocky or very weak or weak medium through very thick platy structure. It has friable or very friable consistence.
The 2C horizon has hue of 5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 through 4. They have common or many high and low chroma redoximorphic features. The 2C horizon is silty clay loam to clay with more than 35 percent clay. It is massive with or without plate-like depositional varves.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family.
Cosad,
Granby,
Junius,
Scarboro,
Wareham,
Wauseon, and
Whately are similar soils in related families. Cosad soils lack dominant chromas of 2 or less within a depth of 20 inches and lacks a mollic epipedon. Granby soils have a sandy particle size control section. Junius, Scarboro and Wareham lack mollic epipedons and contrasting particle size control sections. Wauseon and Whately soils are coarse-loamy in the upper part of the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are in low lying nearly level and depressional areas of lake plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Cheektowaga soils formed in sandy deltaic deposits overlying fine textured lacustrine deposits. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 45 inches, the growing season from 120 to 180 days, and the mean annual air temperature from 46 degrees to 52 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the moderately well drained
Claverack and somewhat poorly drained
Cosad soils that are in a drainage sequence with Cheektowaga. Also associated are the
Alton,
Arkport,
Colonie,
Howard,
Lakemont,
Madalin, and
Palmyra soils. Alton, Howard and Palmyra soils formed in glacial outwash and contains high contents of gravel within 40 inches. Arkport and Colonie are deep, well drained and excessively drained soils that formed in sandy deltaic deposits. Lakemont and Madalin are poorly drained or very poorly drained soils that formed in clayey lacustrine deposits.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained and very poorly drained. Potential for surface runoff is negligible to very low. Permeability is rapid in the solum and slow or very slow in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested or idle. Native species consist of red maple, swamp elm, and other wet tolerant species. Idle areas are in various stages of reversion to woody cover. Drained areas are used for vegetable crops, corn, and hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: New York State outside the Adirondack highlands, in proglacial lake deposits and northern Indiana. These soils may possibly occur in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and western Pennsylvania. MLRA's 101, 111, and 144A. The Cheektowaga soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Niagara County, New York, 1972.
REMARKS: Indiana is using this series in LaPorte County. It is doubtful it will be retained in a future update, but it is active for the time being.
The type location seems to be in error and was corrected. The location seems to be '2.2 miles northwest, not northeast' and '1.7 miles east of Highway NY 78, not NY 73'. The original location makes no sense and there is a Cheektowaga map unit at the replacement location.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1) Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (Ap horizon).
2) Aquic moisture regime as evidenced by redoximorphic features within 9 inches of the mineral surface (Eg, Bg1, and Bg2).
3) Episaturation above the varved silty clay substratum.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.