LOCATION ADAMS NY+MA ME NH VT
Established Series
Rev. JDV-ANL-BWH
06/2019
ADAMS SERIES
The Adams series consists of very deep, excessively and somewhat excessively drained soils formed in glacial-fluvial or glacio-lacustrine sand. They are on outwash plains, deltas, lake plains, moraines, terraces, and eskers. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high. Slope ranges from 0 through 70 percent. Mean annual temperature is 6 degrees C. and mean annual precipitation is 970 millimeters.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, isotic, frigid Typic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Adams loamy fine sand, on a 1 percent slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi -- 0 to 1 cm; very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2); slightly decomposed plant material; massive; very friable; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.2), 1:2 calcium chloride; abrupt smooth boundary.
Oa -- 1 to 3 cm; black (10YR 2/1); highly decomposed plant material; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizons is 0 to 15 cm thick.)
E -- 3 to 10 cm; 60 percent reddish gray (5YR 5/2) and 40 percent gray (7.5YR 6/1); loamy fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine, many fine and few medium and coarse roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick.)
Bh -- 10 to 17 cm; very dusky red (2.5YR 2.5/2); loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.2); abrupt wavy boundary.
Bhs -- 17 to 34 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3); loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots throughout; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bs -- 34 to 43 cm; 60 percent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) and 40 percent brown (7.5YR 4/4); loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few very fine and common fine and medium roots throughout; 1 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bh, Bhs and Bs horizons is 10 to 60 cm)
BC -- 43 to 61 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine, fine and medium roots throughout; 2 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 60 cm thick.)
C1 -- 61 to 88 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; single grain; loose; few very fine roots throughout; 2 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
C2 -- 88 to 145 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand; single grain; loose; few very fine roots throughout; 4 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary.
C3 -- 145 to 190 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; single grain; loose; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, New York; East end of Auctor Road; USGS Crystal Dale, NY topographic quadrangle, Latitude 43 degrees, 51 minutes, 49.97 seconds N., and Longitude 75 degrees, 15 minutes, 59.8 seconds W.; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 40 through 90 centimeters. Depth to bedrock is more than 183 centimeters. Rock fragments, mostly gravel, range from 0 through 10 percent above a depth of 51 centimeters and, from 0 through 20 percent below 51 centimeters. Some pedons have contrasting very gravelly deposits below a depth of 100 centimeters. The sand fraction is dominantly medium and fine. Adams soils are dry for less than 20 consecutive days following the summer solstice and moist within 91 centimeters of the soil surface during the month of August in normal years.
The O horizon, where present, is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 0 through 3. It is fibric, hemic or sapric material.
Some pedons have an A or Ap horizon that has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 5, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. Structure is weak or moderate fine or medium granular or it is single-grain. Consistence is friable or very friable. Unless limed, reaction is extremely acid through moderately acid.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. In some pedons texture is loamy very fine sand or fine sandy loam. Structure is granular or weak subangular blocky in some pedons, but most pedons are single-grain. Consistence is friable through loose. Reaction is extremely acid through moderately acid.
The Bhs or Bh horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. Structure is weak or moderate fine or medium granular or weak subangular blocky, or the horizon is single-grained or massive. Consistence is very friable or friable. Massive, cemented bodies, 1 to 20 centimeters across, range from 0 through 30 percent of the exposed surface area of the horizon. Reaction is extremely acid through moderately acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 3 through 8. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is weak granular or subangular blocky, or the horizon is single-grain or massive. Consistence is very friable or loose. Massive, cemented bodies range from 0 through 30 percent of the exposed surface area of the Bs horizon. Reaction is very strongly acid through moderately acid.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 6. The texture is fine sand to coarse sand in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons have texture of loamy sand or loamy fine sand. Consistence is very friable or loose. Cemented bodies range up to 20 percent of the exposed surface area in some pedons. Reaction is very strongly acid through moderately acid.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture is fine sand to coarse sand in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons have strata of loamy fine sand in the lower part. Reaction is very strongly acid through slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cusino,
Duxbury,
Fishcreek (T),
Kalkaska,
Liminga,
Pence, and
Stutts series. All except Duxbury and Fishcreek occur outside region 12. Duxbury soils have a thicker loamy mantle and higher rock fragment content in the substratum. The Cusino, Kalkaska, and Liminga soils have dry soil moisture status within 91 centimeters of the soil surface in the month of August. The Duxbury, Pence, and Stutts soils have combined content of silt plus clay greater than 15 percent in the A, E, Bhs, and Bs horizons. Fishcreek (T) soils are formed in sandy glaciofluvial or glaciolacustrine deposits derived from predominantly sedimentary source material.
The
Sheddenbrook series is in a related family. Sheddenbrook soils have bedrock within a depth of 100 centimeters and have redoximorphic features within a depth of 75 centimeters from the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Adams soils are on nearly level to very steep sand plains, kames, moraines, benches, eskers, deltas, and terraces. Slope ranges from 0 through 70 percent. These soils formed in sandy glaciofluvial or glaciolacustrine deposits from predominantly crystalline rock or meta-sandstone. Mean annual temperature ranges from 3 to 8 degrees C., mean annual precipitation ranges from 760 to 1270 millimeters, and mean annual frost-free period ranges from 70 to 160 days. Elevation ranges from 80 to 915 meters above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Allagash,
Becket,
Berkshire,
Colton,
Croghan,
Duxbury,
Hermon, and
Naumburg soils. Allagash, Colton, and Duxbury soils are on similar landscapes. Allagash and Duxbury soils are loamy in the upper part. Colton soils have an average rock fragment content of at least 35 percent between depths of 25 and 100 centimeters. Becket, Berkshire, and Hermon soils are on surrounding uplands in till deposits. The moderately well drained Croghan soils and somewhat poorly drained and poorly drained Naumburg soils are on low lying areas of sand plains and terraces.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is very slow to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high in the mineral surface layer and upper part of the subsoil and very high in the lower part of the subsoil and substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Extensive areas are idle and support aspen, birch, and pine seedlings or sweet fern, spirea, and brambles. Uncleared areas support maple, beech, spruce, and pine. Farmed areas are used mainly for hay or pasture with limited acreages of corn and small grain.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New York and New England; MLRAs 142, 143, and 144B. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, New York, 1911.
REMARKS: 1. Adams soils are no longer maintained in MLRA's 93 and 94B. Series have been proposed which better represent the previously correlated phases of the Adams series in these MLRA'S when these areas are updated.
2. Adams soils will not be recognized in MLRA 144A because of soil temperature when these areas are updated.
3. Adams soils are made up of mainly parent material from metamorphic and igneous sources and will be replaced in MLRA 141 by Fishcreek and other series that are derived from parent material of mostly sedimentary rock.
4. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the typical pedon are:
a.) Albic horizon - from 3 to 10 cm (E horizon).
b.) Spodic horizon - from 10 to 43 cm (Bh, Bhs, and Bs horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.