LOCATION CONESUS                 NY

Established Series
Rev. WEH-SWF-PSP-GWS
06/2015

CONESUS SERIES


The Conesus series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in till. They are nearly level to moderately steep soils on till plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 25 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C. and mean annual precipitation is 991 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Glossaquic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Conesus silt loam on a 5 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 23 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly silt loam; weak fine and medium granular structure; friable, slightly plastic; many fine roots; 20 percent gravels; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick.)

E/B--23 to 36 cm; 60 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3) and 40 percent brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly silt loam; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure parts to weak medium platy structure; firm, slightly plastic; common fine roots; many fine pores; 15 percent gravels; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick.)

Bt/E--36 to 48 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly silt loam; common medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly plastic; few fine roots; many fine pores; common clay films on surfaces along pores and 10 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt coats on vertical faces of peds; 20 percent gravels; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 23 cm thick.)

Bt1--48 to 64 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly silt loam; strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; many clay films on surfaces along pores; common fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions and common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; 20 percent gravels; moderately acid; redoximorphic features are in lower part of horizon; diffuse boundary.

Bt2--64 to 91 cm; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) gravelly silt loam; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately plastic; common fine pores; many olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) clay films on surfaces along pores; common medium distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions and common medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; 25 percent gravels; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 20 to 66 cm thick)

C--91 to 107 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) gravelly loam; massive parting to weak thick platy structure; very firm, slightly plastic; few pores; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) masses of oxidized iron; 5 percent cobbles and 25 percent gravels; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Cayuga County, New York Town of Scipio, 951 ft north-east of the junction of Boot and Welch Roads. USGS Scipio, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 42 degrees 45 minutes 31.01 seconds north, Longitude: 76 degrees 30 minutes 18.09 seconds west, NAD 1983.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 76 to 127 cm. Bedrock is deeper than 152 cm. Depth to carbonates ranges from 76 to 152 cm. Rock fragments range from 5 to 30 percent in the solum and from 10 to 60 percent in the C horizon and include cobblestones and flagstones which range from 0 to 10 percent in the solum and 0 to 15 percent in the C horizon. The soil ranges from strongly acidd to neutral in the A and B horizons, and from neutral to moderately alkaline in the C horizon.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is loam,silt loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate fine to coarse granular or subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable. Some pedons have a BA horizon below the A horizon.

The E or E/B horizons, where present, have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate medium or fine subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or firm. Redoximorphic accumulations may be present.

The Bt/E horizon has colors similar to the Bt and E horizons respectively. Textures are silt loam, loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam, but averaging less than 28 percent clay. Structure is weak or moderate medium or fine subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or firm. Redoximorphic features may be present.

The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction, with individual subhorizons ranging to clay loam or silty clay loam, but averaging less than 28 percent clay. It has weak to strong, fine to coarse subangular blocky structure. Consistence is friable or firm. Redoximorphic depletions are present.

Some pedons have a BC horizon that is friable or firm with colors similar to the B horizon and textures similar to the C horizon

The C or Cd horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. It is massive and may have plate-like divisions. It has firm or very firm consistence, but can include lenses of friable water-sorted material. Redoximorphic features may be present.

COMPETING SERIES: The Aurora, Danley, Grindstone, and Nunda series are members of the same family. Aurora soils have bedrock within a depth of 51 to 102 cm. Danley soils have bedrock deeper than 102 cm and have an average clay content of 28 to 35 percent in the particle-size control section. Grindstone soils have sola ranging from 30 to 84 cm. Nunda soils have a silty mantle that ranges from 33 to 76 cm thick.

The Cassopolis, Cazenovia, Elbaville, Guelph, Hilton, Honeoye, Hortonville, Lansing, Lima, Mariette, Ontario, Remus, Wampsville, and Wassaic series are in related families. Cassopolis soils have a lower rock fragment content in the substratum. Cazenovia soils have 28 to 35 percent clay and hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR in the Bt horizons. Elbaville soils redoximorphic features in the subsoil and do not have a Cd horizon. Guelph soils have solums that are less than 64 cm thick. Hilton soils contain more than 35 percent sand in the Bt horizon. Honeoye and Lansing soils either lack mottling in the Bt horizon or mottling is limited to the lower 10 cm of the Bt horizon. Hortonville soils have hue redder than 10YR in the B horizons. Lima soils have sola that are less than 76 cm thick. Marlette soils lack mottling in the B horizons. Ontario soils lack mottling in the Bt horizons and contain more than 35 percent sand. Remus soils lack mottles in the B horizon and have less rock fragments in the substratum. Wampsville soils have stratified sand and gravel in the lower part of the series control section. Wassaic soils have bedrock within 51 to 102 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Conesus soils are nearly level to sloping soils on till plains, glaciated dissected plateaus, and drumlin fields. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent, but are as great as 25 percent locally. The soils formed in till of late Wisconsin age derived from shale with varying components of limestone and fine-grained sandstone and siltstone. Mean annual temperature ranges from 5 to 10 degrees C., mean annual precipitation ranges from 790 to 1450 mm, and mean annual frost-free days ranges from 100 to 190 days. Elevation ranges from 390 to 1950 ft above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Amboy, Appleton, Arkport, Aurora, Colonie, Dunkirk, Howard, Kendaia, Lansing, and Lyons soils. The well drained Lansing, somewhat poorly drained Kendaia and Appleton, and poorly or very poorly drained Lyons soils are in drainage sequence with Conesus soils. Amboy soils contain a fragipan and have coarse-silty particle-size control section. Arkport and Colonie soils are dominantly fine sandy loam and fine sand, respectively. Aurora soils are 51 to 102 cm deep to bedrock. Dunkirk soils have fine-silty particle-size control sections. Howard soils formed in glacial outwash and have loamy-skeletal particle-size control sections.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the solum, and moderately low or moderately high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cleared and used to grow corn, small grains, hay, and pasture in support of dairying. Some vegetable crops, dry beans, and grapes are produced. Woodlots have sugar maple, red and white oak, American beech, and associated species.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The north facing slope of the Allegheny Plateau from western New York to the central Mohawk Valley of New York and in adjacent valleys of the glaciated Allegheny Plateau. MLRA 101, 140, and 144A. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Livingston County, New York, 1940.

REMARKS: It is known that Oxyaquic Hapludalfs lacking 2 chroma redoximorphic depletions in the argillic horizon occur in some surveys and will be accommodated as inclusions in the mapping unit of the Conesus series or may be accommodated as a new series.

Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typifying pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - from the surface to 23 cm (Ap horizon).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 36 to 91 cm (B/E and Bt horizons).
3. Glossaquic subgroup - as evidenced by interfingering of albic material around pedons in the upper part of the argillic horizon (Bt/E horizon), and low chroma mottles in the upper 25 cm of the argillic horizon.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from Cornell University Soil Survey Laboratory for pedon S86NY077-3.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.