LOCATION BURNT VLY NY

Established Series
Rev. MHS
04/2013

BURNT VLY SERIES

The Burnt Vly series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in organic material derived mainly from woody plants, 16 to 51 inches thick overlying sandy mineral soil material. These soils are in depressions within outwash plains, bedrock controlled uplands, lake plains, moraines, and floodplains. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic material and the sandy mineral portion. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 42 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 44 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, dysic, frigid Terric Haplosaprists

TYPICAL PEDON: Burnt Vly mucky peat - on a slope of 0 percent in an undisturbed area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oi -- 0 to 1 inch; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) pressed peat; about 95 percent fibers, 75 percent rubbed; primarily sphagnum moss and forbs fibers; massive; very friable; common medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

Oe -- 1 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) broken face and rubbed mucky peat; about 75 percent fibers, 40 percent rubbed; primarily sphagnum and forbs fibers; massive; very friable; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

Oa1 -- 3 to 11 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face and rubbed muck; about 20 percent fibers, 5 percent rubbed; primarily woody fibers; weak medium granular structure; friable; few medium roots; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary.

Oa2 -- 11 to 26 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) broken face, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) rubbed muck; about 20 percent fibers, 2 percent rubbed; primarily woody fibers; massive; non-sticky; few fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Oa3 -- 26 to 30 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) broken face and rubbed muck; about 10 percent fibers, 2 percent rubbed; primarily woody fibers; 3 percent fine sand grains; massive; non-sticky; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

Cg -- 30 to 60 inches; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) loamy sand; massive; nonsticky; few medium faint gray (2.5Y 6/1) areas of iron depletion, few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Fulton County, New York, Town of Stratford; 175 feet north-west of a point 785 feet North along a DEC trail, from a trail head on NY Route 29A, 4100 feet east of intersection with East Shore Drive (Pleasant Lake). USGS Canada Lake, NY 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle. Latitude 43 degrees, 10 minutes, 52.3 seconds N., Longitude 74 degrees, 34 minutes, 38.2 seconds W., NAD 1983.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the mineral horizon ranges from 16 to 51 inches. In some pedons, the mineral layer is a single layer 12 inches or more thick with organic material above and below. The organic part of the control section has a pH of less than 4.5 in 0.01M calcium chloride. Woody fragments range from 0 to 30 percent.

The surface tier has hue of 2.5Y to 10YR, or is neutral, value of 2 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 6. Values normally increase several units when pressed. Fiber content ranges from 75 to 95 percent before rubbing and 30 to 90 after rubbing. In some pedons the surface tier is muck or mucky peat.

The subsurface tier has hue of 10YR to 5YR, or is neutral, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 3. The materials are dominantly muck (sapric material), but layers of peat (fibric material) totaling less than 5 inches in thickness and mucky peat (hemic material) totaling less than 10 inches are in some pedons. This horizon typically is massive with some pedons having a weak platy, blocky, or granular structure.

The C horizon is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 6. Colors listed on the gley chart are within the range. It is commonly sand, loamy sand, fine sand, very fine sand, loamy fine sand, gravelly loamy sand, gravelly sand, or very gravelly sand but the range includes coarse sand in some pedons. It ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid. Some pedons have thin strata of very fine and/or fine sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: The Dawson series is in the same family. Dawson soils formed in organic material derived from herbaceous plants.

Closely related series are the Adrian, Markey, and Tawas. All are euic. In addition, the Adrian soils are mesic. The Tawas soils have a stronger grade of structure and a higher bulk density.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Burnt Vly soils are in depressions within outwash plains, bedrock controlled uplands, lake plains, moraines, and floodplains. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. The uplands surrounding these soils are commonly acid sandy till. The mean annual precipitation ranges from about 30 to 50 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from about 38 to 45 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Pleasant Lake, Adirondack, Sabattis and Tughill soils. The Pleasant Lake soils are deep organic soils. The Adirondack soils are somewhat poorly drained, and the Sabattis and Tughill soils are very poorly drained, sandy mineral soils commonly near the edges of the Burnt Vly soils or as inclusions within the Burnt Vly soils where the organic deposit is less than 16 inches thick.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. The depth to the seasonal high water table ranges from 1 foot above the surface to 1 foot below the surface from September to June. The potential for surface runoff is negligible. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic material and the sandy mineral portion.

USE AND VEGETATION: Very little commercial use is made of these soils, because of the extreme acidity, shallowness of the organic deposit, and the high water table. Tree vegetation is sparse with black spruce and tamarack comprising the major species. Ground cover is composed of bog rosemary, cranberries, laurel, leatherleaf, sphagnum mosses, and blueberries.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Adirondack Mountains and Tug Hill Plateau of northern New York. MLRA 143. The soil is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fulton County, New York, 2007.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

1. Histic epipedon: Well decomposed (sapric) organic matter that ranges from a depth of 3 inches to 30 inches (Oa horizons).
2. Terric subgroup: Mineral horizon under the histic epipedon (C horizon).
3. Dysic reaction class: Reaction of less than 4.5 in 0.01M CaCl2 throughout the organic material.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.