LOCATION ELNORA NY+OH PA
Established Series
Rev. MGC-LWK-RAR
04/2025
ELNORA SERIES
The Elnora series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in sandy glacial lake, eolian, and deltaic sediments. They are primarily on beach ridges and relict longshore bars on lake plains. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high. The mean annual air temperature is 9.2 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation is 975 millimeters.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Aquic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Elnora loamy fine sand in an idle area on a 3 percent slope. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap -- 0 to 25 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters thick.)
Bw1 -- 25 to 53 centimeters; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2 -- 53 to 81 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; weak thick platy structure; very friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4 and 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 0 to 107 centimeters.)
C1 -- 81 to 102 centimeters; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
C2 -- 102 to 183 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; few fine faint brown (7.5YR 5/2) iron depletions in the matrix; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Wayne County, New York; Town of Butler, 100 yards east of Limekiln Road, 100 feet north of Salter-Colvin Road. USGS Wolcott, NY topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees, 11 minutes, 33 seconds N. and longitude 76 degrees, 49 minutes, 36 seconds W. NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 15 to 132 centimeters. Rock fragments are typically absent, but up to 3 percent may be present.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5 (6 or more dry), and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR through 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Some pedons have chroma of 2 in the lower part. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sand. Structure is weak granular, subangular blocky, or platy, and consistence is very friable or friable. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid. A few thin lamellae are present in some pedons. Some pedons do not have a B horizon.
Some pedons have a BC horizon. It has properties similar to the Bw and C horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR through 5Y, or is neutral, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 6. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sand. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutral. The material is massive or single grain, or structure is weak platy. Consistence is loose to friable. Some pedons have subhorizons up to 30 centimeters thick that contain up to 15 percent rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: The
Algansee,
Altmar,
Birchwood,
Brems,
Brockatonorton,
Deerfield,
Fortress,
Livonia,
Meckling,
Morocco,
Ottokee,
Partridge,
Tedrow, and
Zaborosky series are members of the same family. Algansee soils have an irregular decrease of organic matter in the series control section. Altmar soils average more than 10 percent rock fragments in the series particle size control section. Birchwood soils have densic contact within 96 centimeters. Brems soils typically have a thicker solum and are strongly acid in the lower part of the series control section. Brockatonorton soils have a buried organic horizon within the series control section. Deerfield soils contain more medium and coarse sand in the lower part of the control section. Fortress are less acidic in the B horizon. Meckling soils are slightly or moderately alkaline in the series control section. Livonia soils have redox depletions with chroma of 2 or less within a depth of 60 centimeters. Morocco soils have redoximorphic features of 2 or less in the upper 40 centimeters of the series control section. Ottokee soils have lamellae in the lower part of the series control section. Partridge soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 50 to 100 centimeters. Tedrow soils have redoximorphic features of 2 or less in the upper 50 centimeters of the series control section. Zaborosky soils have a buried surface within the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elnora soils are on beach ridges and relict longshore bars on glacial lake plains and associated deltas of Wisconsin age. They formed in water sorted or windblown deposits dominated by fine sand with a significant amount of very fine sand. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 7.5 to 10.5 degrees C, mean annual precipitation from 800 to 1200 millimeters, and mean growing season from 140 to 185 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Agawan,
Amboy,
Arkport,
Collamer,
Colonie,
Deerfield,
Dunkirk,
Junius,
Merrimac,
Niagara,
Ninigret,
Oakville,
Plainfield,
Stafford,
Wallington, and
Williamson soils.
Agawam, Colonie, Merrimac, Oakville and Plainfield soils are better drained. Amboy, Arkport, Collamer, Dunkirk, Niagara, Williamson, and Wallington soils are on nearby landscapes and formed in finer textured deposits. Junius and Stafford soils are more poorly drained. Ninigret soils have a cambic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is negligible to low. Saturated hydrauliuc conductivity is moderately high in the surface layer and high in the subsoil and substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for growing small grains, corn, hay, tree fruits, small fruits and vegetables. Native vegetation is sugar maple, northern red oak, white ash, black cherry, beech, hemlock, and white pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Erie plain of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania and the Ontario plains and Mohawk and Hudson Valleys of New York. MLRA's 99, 101, 139, 143, and 144A. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Niagara County, New York, 1968.
REMARKS: A bedrock substratum phase is recognized. It will need to be evaluated during MLRA update activities. Soils previously classified as Deerfield soils which are dominated by fine sand are within the range of Elnora soils.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 25 centimeters (Ap horizon).
b. Aquic conditions - as evidenced by low chroma matrix with redoximorphic features in the zone from 81 to 180 centimeters (Cg1 and Cg2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.