LOCATION ALTMAR NY+MI
Established Series
Rev. WEH
01/2017
ALTMAR SERIES
The Altmar series consists of very deep, moderately well or somewhat poorly drained soils formed in glacial outwash deposits. They are nearly level to gently sloping soils in slight depressions or in moderately low areas on outwash plains, terraces,remnant deltas, near-shore zones, and along margins of glacial beach ridges. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual temperature is 9 degrees C and mean annual precipitation is 860 mm.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Aquic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Altmar gravelly fine sandy loam, on a 3 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 25cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many roots; 20 percent rock fragments; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)
Bw--25 to 41 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) mottles; single grain; loose; common fine roots; 5 percent rock fragments; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 38 cm thick)
C1--41 to 61 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly sand; mixed white (10YR 8/1) and black (10YR 2/1) uncoated sand grains; single grain; loose; common fine roots; 25 percent rock fragments; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)
C2--61 to 91 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) stratified loamy fine sand, sand, and gravelly sand; many medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) mottles; single grain; loose; few thin vertical streaks of clean sand grains; few roots in upper part; 10 percent rock fragments; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 46 cm thick)
C3--91 to 183 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sand; many medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; single grain; loose; 20 percent rock fragments; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Niagara County, New York; Town of Wilson, 300 feet south of New Road, 100 feet west of Daniels Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates is 50 to 200 cm or more. Bedrock is deeper than 152 cm. Content of rock fragments range from 0 to 35 percent, by volume, in individual subhorizons above a depth of 102 cm and 0 to 70 percent below 100 cm. The weighted average is more than 10 percent in the 25 to 100 inch section.
The Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture ranges from sandy loam to loamy fine sand and loamy sand with or without gravelly analogues. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium granular structure and friable or very friable consistence. It ranges from strongly acid to neutral.
The B horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 through 6. Texture ranges from loamy fine sand to sand with or without gravelly analogues. It has very weak granular structure or it is single grain, and has very friable or loose consistence. The B horizon ranges from strongly acid to mildly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. It is stratified loamy fine sand to sand in the fine earth fraction. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: The
Algansee,
Brems,
Birchwood,
Brockatonorton,
Deerfield,
Elnora,
Fortress,
Livonia,
Meckling,
Morocco,
Ottokee,
Partridge,
Succotash,
Tedrow and
Zaborosky series are members of the same family. The Algansee, Brems, Brockatonorton, Deerfield, Elnora, Livonia, Meckling, Morocco, Ottokee, Tedrow, and Zaborosky soils have less than 10 percent rock fragments as a weighted average in the 25 to 100 cm control section. Birchwood soils have a dense substratum. Fortress soils contain human transported materials. In addition the Deerfield soils have rock fragments dominated by granite, gneiss and quartizite. The Partridge soils have bedrock at a depth of 50 to 100 cm. Succotash soils are formed in marine sediments.
The
Bonaparte,
Duane,
Fahey,
Junius,
Otisville,
Plymouth, and
Stafford series are similar soils in related families. Bonaparte, Otisville, and Plymouth soils lack mottles with chroma of 2 or less within a depth of 100 cm. Duane and Fahey soils have spodic horizons. Junius and Stafford soils have dominant chroma of 2 or less and mottles within a depth of 50 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Altmar soils are nearly level to gently sloping soils in slightly depressions and on moderately low outwash plains, valley terraces, remnant deltas, nearshore zones and along the margins of glacial beach ridges. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. The soils developed in sand and gravel that is dominated by sandstone, with variable but minor amounts of limestone, granite, and shale. Mean annual temperature ranges from 7 to 11 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 609 to 1143 mm. The frost-free season is 120 to 210 days. The elevation ranges from 75 to 215 meters above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Elnora,
Junius,
Otisville and
Stafford soils, and the
Alton,
Arkport,
Claverack,
Collamer,
Colonie,
Madrid,
Ontario,
Sodus and
Wareham soils. Alton, Arkport and Colonie soils are well drained associates on gravelly and sandy ridges and knolls. Claverack and Collamer soils are in nearby glacio-lacustrine deposits. Madrid, Sodus, Ontario and their wetter associates are on nearby glacial till plains. Wareham soils are poorly drained associates in depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well to somewhat poorly drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high. Runoff is slow or very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cleared and used for production of vegetables and fruit crops. Some areas are reverting to the northern hardwoods, such as red maple, which is the climax cover.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Erie and Ontario Lake Plains, and Mohawk and Hudson Valleys of New York, and the west-central lower peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Oswego County, New York, 1950.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 25cm (Ap horizon).
2. Aquic subgroup - as evidenced by low chroma mottles within a depth of 40 inches (C2 horizon).
A phase with a surface layer of human transported materials has been correlated. This layer is less than 50 cm thick and of variable textures.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory characterization data for Altmar and similar soils is available through the National Cooperative Soil Survey Soil Characterization Database: http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.