LOCATION BARNSTABLE         MA 
Established Series
Rev. PCF-WHT-DAS
06/2010

BARNSTABLE SERIES


The Barnstable series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in loamy till over loose, sandy outwash. They are on nearly level through moderately steep soils on moraines. Slope ranges from 0 through 35 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the mineral solum and high or very high in the substratum. Mean annual precipitation is about 43 inches (1092 millimeters) and mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F (9 degrees C).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Typic Dystrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Barnstable sandy loam in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soils)

Oe-- 0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 centimeters); hemic material composed of partially and well decomposed pine needles, leaves and twigs.

E-- 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters); dark gray (10YR 4/1) sandy loam; massive; very friable; common fine and very fine roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches (0 to 13 centimeters) thick.)

Bs-- 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters); brown (7.5YR 4/2) sandy loam; massive; friable; common fine and medium roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches (0 to 13 centimeters) thick.)

Bw1-- 4 to 11 inches (10 to 28 centimeters); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; massive; friable; common fine and medium roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 20 inches (13 to 51 centimeters) thick.)

Bw2-- 11 to 24 inches (28 to 61 centimeters); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; few fine and medium roots; 5 percent gravel very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches (0 to 51 centimeters) thick.)

2C-- 24 to 65 inches (61 to 165 centimeters); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) coarse sand; single grain; loose; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Barnstable County, Massachusetts; Town of Sandwich, about 3000 feet west of the intersection of Rt. 6 and Water Street (Interchange 2), and about 600 feet south in woods and just south of unnamed dirt road. USGS Pocasset, MA quadrangle; Latitude 41 degrees, 44 minutes 22 seconds, N., Longitude 70 degrees, 30 minutes, 17 seconds W., NAD 1927.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum ranges from 18 through 25 inches (46 through 69 centimeters )and corresponds closely to the depth to outwash. Rock fragment content consists of 5 through 20 percent gravel and 0 through 10 percent cobbles in the solum. Stones and boulders are 0 through 20 percent in the surface and 0 through 10 percent in the subsoil. Gravel content is 0 through 30 percent, cobbles 0 through 10 percent and stones 0 through 10 percent in the substratum. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid.

Most pedons have an O horizon.

The A horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam.

The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand.

The upper part of the B horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or coarse sandy loam. The lower part of the B horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 6. Texture in the lower part of the B is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy sand or loamy coarse sand.

The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7 and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture is loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, sand or coarse sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Agawam, Branford, Haven, and Narragansett series. Agawam soils formed in sandy, water deposited materials. Branford soils have hue of 5YR or redder throughout the B and C horizons. Haven soils are formed in loamy over sandy and gravelly outwash. Narragansett soils are formed in coarse-loamy deposits over sandy till.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Barnstable soils are nearly level to steep soils on moraines. Slope ranges from 0 to 35 percent. The soils formed in loamy till over loose, sandy, or reworked outwash. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 through 50 inches (889 through 1270 millimeters) and mean annual air temperature is 45 through 50 degrees F (7 through 10 degrees C). Mean frost-free season is about 145 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canton, Carver, Eastchop, Merrimac, Plymouth, Sudbury, Hinckley and Nantucket soils. Canton soils have substrata of sandy till. Carver, Eastchop, and Plymouth soils are sandy throughout. Hinckley soils are sandy-skeletal. Merrimac soils do not have a contrasting particle-size class. Nantucket soils are loamy throughout and have dense till substrata.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the mineral solum and high or very high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly forested with poor quality scarlet, black and white oaks and pitch pine. Essentially none is used for crops or pasture. Some areas are in urban uses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Barnstable and Plymouth Counties, Massachusetts. MLRA 149B. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1984.

REMARKS: This revision reflects changes to the range in characteristics as well as general updating to metric units.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1) Ochric epipedon - the zone from the mineral soil surface to a depth of 3 inches (8 centimeters)(E horizon).
2) Cambic horizon - the zone from 3 to 24 inches (8 to 61 centimeters) (Bs, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons).
3) Contrasting particle-size class - both the coarse-loamy part and the sandy part of the particle-size control section are greater than 5 inches (12.5 cm) thick and the transition zone between the two parts is less than 5 inches (12.5 cm) thick.
4) Particle-size control section - the zone from 13 to 40 inches (33 to 100 centimeters) (Bw1, Bw2, and 2C horizons).
5) Lithologic discontinuity - at a depth of 24 inches (61 centimeters).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.