LOCATION AMPERSAND NY

Established Series
GWS
05/2018

AMPERSAND SERIES

The Ampersand series consists of somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in loamy till. They are moderately deep to dense till and very deep to bedrock. They are in shallow depressions and drainageways on backslopes and footslopes in mountainous areas. Slope ranges from 0 to 35 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1,175 mm, and mean annual temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Endoaquods

TYPICAL PEDON: Ampersand fine sandy loam on a 4 percent slope in a Mundalite-Ampersand complex, 0 to 15 percent slopes, very bouldery map unit at about 635 meters elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise indicated).

Oi -- 0 to 3 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) slightly decomposed plant material; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

Oa -- 3 to 9 cm, black (10YR 2/1) highly decomposed plant material; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizons is 0 to 20 cm.)

E -- 9 to 12 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and very fine roots; 5 percent gravels and 2 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 13 cm thick)

Bhs1 -- 12 to 18 cm; 60 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) and 40 percent black (5YR 2.5/1) fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, moderately smeary; common fine and very fine, and few medium and coarse roots; 5 percent gravels and 2 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

Bhs2 -- 18 to 28 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly smeary; few fine, very fine, and medium roots; 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bhs3 -- 28 to 43 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly smeary; few fine, very fine, and medium roots; 5 percent gravels and 2 percent cobbles; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation, and common fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/2) areas of iron depletion; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bhs horizons is 10 to 46 cm thick, and combined thickness of the spodic horizon is 30 to 60 cm.)

BC1 -- 43 to 53 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and very fine roots; 10 percent gravels and 3 percent cobbles; many fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation, and many medium distinct dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) areas of iron depletion; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

BC2 -- 53 to 79 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loamy sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; 15 percent gravels and 5 percent cobbles; many fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation, and many medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the BC horizons is 0 to 46 cm thick.)

Cd -- 79 to 183 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loamy sand; massive; very firm and brittle; 15 percent gravels and 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Herkimer County, New York, town of Ohio, about 1 mile west of the north end of North Lake along the shoulder of a ridge and a logging haul road. USGS Bisby Lakes, NY 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 43 degrees, 33 minutes, 31.3 seconds N. and Longitude 74 degrees, 55 minutes, 48.3 seconds W.; NAD 1983.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mineral solum thickness and depth to densic layer is typically 54 to 100 cm. Depth to bedrock is greater than 152 cm. Rock fragments range from 0 to 30 percent in the solum and from 5 to 50 percent in the substratum. Redoximorphic features consisting of Fe depletions or concentrations occur in the Spodic horizon within 46 cm of the mineral solum surface. At least 10 cm of the Bhs horizons contain 6 percent or more organic carbon by weight.

The O horizon ranges from slightly to highly decomposed plant material. It is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 0 through 6. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid in calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution. In some pedons the reaction ranges to ultra acid.

Some pedons have an A horizon that is neutral or has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 through 2. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.

The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.

The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value and chroma of 3 or less. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Consistence is friable or very friable, but up to 25 percent firm areas (ortstein) may be present. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.

The Bs horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons may have thin sub-horizons of loamy fine sand or loamy sand. Consistence is friable or very friable. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.

The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction. Consistence is friable or firm. Reaction is very strongly acid through moderately acid.

The Cd or Cdg horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or sandy loam. It is massive with or without plate-like divisions, and consistence is firm or very firm. Reaction is very strongly acid through moderately acid.

COMPETING SERIES: The Adirondack and Foxpaw series are in the same family. Adirondack soils have less than 6 percent organic carbon in the spodic horizon. Foxpaw soils have a friable till substratum.

Closely related series include the Kawbawgam and Wilmington. Kawbagam soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Wilmington soils are poorly drained.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ampersand soils are nearly level to moderately steep soils in slightly concave areas and shallow drainage ways on footslopes, toeslopes, and backslopes of glaciated mountainous areas. Slope ranges from 0 to 35 percent, but are dominantly 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in loamy till with a dense substratum. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1,015 to 1,525 mm, and mean annual temperature ranges from 2 to 6 degrees C. The frost-free season ranges from 90 to 120 days. Elevation ranges from 500 to 1,000 m above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Ampersand soils are commonly associated with the well drained Mundalite, Rawsonville, and Hogback soils, the well to excessively drained Knob Lock, and the poorly drained Wilmington soils. Mundalite soils are on higher topographic positions. Rawsonville, Hogback, and Knob Lock soils occupy adjacent bedrock controlled positions. Wilmington soils occupy lower topographic positions on the landscape.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is negligible, high, or very high. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high through very high in the layers above the substratum and moderately low or moderately high in the substratum. A perched water table is present at a depth of 15 to 46 cm from the mineral soil surface during the months of October through May.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested with balsam fir, red spruce, yellow birch, red maple, paper birch, mountain ash, and striped maple.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Adirondack Mountains of New York. MLRA 143. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Essex Co., New York, 2007.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are as follows:
Albic horizon - from 9 to 12 cm (E horizon).
Spodic horizon - from 12 to 43 cm (Bhs horizons).
Endoaquods great group - redoximorphic features in the albic or spodic horizons and within 50 cm of the mineral soil surface; evidence of a perched water table on the Cd horizon.
Redoximorphic Features - Fe depletions and Fe concentrations which are evidence of aquic conditions (Bhs3 and BC horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Engineering test data, and characterization data are available for Essex and Hamilton Counties, New York for pedons 87NY031005, 88NY041008, S04NY031001. Characterization data for Ampersand 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.