LOCATION CALVES                  CT

Established Series
BEF-CEP-DCP
10/2024

CALVES SERIES

MLRA(s)--144A, 145
Depth class--Very deep
Drainage Class--Very poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity--low to high
Parent material--Coarse-loamy estuarine deposits over loamy or sandy alluvium
Geomorphic location--Tidal marshes within Estuaries, Coastal Lowlands, and tidal Rivers
Slope range for series--0 to 1 percent
Mean annual air temperature--10 degrees C (50 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--1295 millimeters (51 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Histic Sulfaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Calves mucky peat on a linear, zero percent slope in a tidal marsh. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).

Oese--0 to 34 centimeters; dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) mucky peat; 50 percent fibers, 35 percent rubbed; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots throughout; 15 percent mineral soil material; slight sulfurous odor; slight reaction to 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; strongly acid (pH 5.4), extremely acid (pH 3.6) oxidized pH; gradual boundary. (20 to 40 centimeters thick.)

Cseg1--34 to 78 centimeters; dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) mucky silt loam; massive; slightly fluid, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, many medium, and common fine roots throughout; slight sulfurous odor; slight reaction to 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; 20 percent plant fibers; extremely acid (pH 4.2), extremely acid (pH 3.7) oxidized pH; clear boundary.

Cseg2--78 to 131 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) silt loam; massive; very fluid, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots throughout; moderate sulfurous odor; moderate reaction to 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; 15 percent plant fibers; extremely acid (pH 3.6), ultra acid (pH 3.0) oxidized pH; gradual boundary. (Combined thickness of Cseg horizons is 0 to 200 centimeters)

2Cseg3--131 to 147 centimeters; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) very fine sandy loam; massive; slightly fluid, nonsticky, nonplastic; slight sulfurous odor; slight reaction to 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; 3 percent plant fibers; ultra acid (pH 3.4), ultra acid (pH 3.2) oxidized pH; gradual boundary.

2Cseg4--147 to 200 centimeters; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) loamy very fine sand; massive; nonfluid, nonsticky, nonplastic; strong reaction to 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; 10 percent plant fibers; ultra acid (pH 3.2), ultra acid (pH 3.0) oxidized pH.

TYPE LOCATION: Middlesex County, Town of Old Saybrook, Connecticut; Ferry Point Marsh on the Connecticut River, about 2,310 feet Southeast of intersection of Ayers Point Road and Otter Cove Drive and approximately 1,310 feet north of the intersections of 4th Avenue and Sunset Avenue. USGS topographic quadrangle: Old Lyme, CT

Latitude--41.3261528
Longitude-- -72.3590667
Datum--WGS84
Coordinates source--from hand-held GPS

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock--Greater than 200 centimeters
Soil moisture--Saturated; Peraquic moisture regime
Reaction throughout--ultra acid to neutral (pH <3.5 to 7.3)
Oxidized reaction-ultra acid or slightly alkaline (pH <3.5 to 7.8)
Electrical conductivity (EC1:5 water), throughout-
Depth to hypersulfidic materials (incubated pH 4.0 or less)--0 to 50 centimeters
Wood fragments--0 to 5 percent, by volume
Coarse fragments--0 to 50 percent fine and medium gravels, by volume in individual horizons
Total Soil Organic Carbon Stock--10 to 64 kg m-2

Oa, Oase, Oe, Oese, Oi, or Oise horizon
Hue-2.5Y, 5Y, or 10YR
Value-2.5 to 4
Chroma-1 to 3
Texture-muck, mucky peat, or peat
Horizon Organic Carbon Density--23 to 46 kg m-3

Aseg or Asegb horizon (where present)
Hue--2.5Y, 5Y or N
Value-2.5 to 3
Chrome-0 to 1
Texture--mucky fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, mucky silt loam
Manner of failure/fluidity class--slightly fluid to moderately fluid
Horizon Organic Carbon Density--31 to 59 kg m-3

Cseg horizon
Hue--2.5Y, 5Y, 10Y, or N
Value-2.5 to 5
Chroma--0 to 3
Texture-silt loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, ; range includes through very fine sandy loam and their mucky analogs, some pedons contain thin sandy horizons.
Horizon Organic Carbon Density--8 to 54 kg m-3
Clay content-5 to 25 percent
Manner of failure / fluidity class--nonfluid to very fluid
Coarse fragments--0 to 50 percent fine and medium gravels, by volume

COMPETING SERIES:
There are no competing series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--Loamy estuarine deposits over loamy or sandy alluvium
Landscape--Estuaries, Coastal Lowlands, and Tidal Rivers
Landform--Tidal marshes
Slope--0 to 1 percent
Mean annual precipitation--1023 to 1320 millimeters (40 to 52 inches)
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 13 degrees C (39.2 to 55.4 degrees F)
Frost-free period--180 to 225 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Ipswich, Matunuck, Oyster River, Pawcatuck, Quinnipiac, and Westbrook soils.

Ipswich soils--formed in thick deposits hemic organic soil materials
Matunuck soils--formed in sandier materials and have not been mapped in Connecticut
Oyster River soils--have buried diagnostic O horizons 40 centimeters or more thick below mineral soil surface horizons
Pawcatuck soils--formed in hemic organic soil materials over sandy mineral soil materials
Quinnipiac soils--formed in loamy alluvium with no histic epipedon.
Westbrook soils--formed in hemic organic soil materials over loamy mineral soil materials

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--Very poorly drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--Low to High
Soil moisture regime-Peraquic
Flooded twice daily by tides in addition to periodic riverine flooding at times.

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses--Most areas are in salt marsh and provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish and wildfowl. Small, scattered areas are in saltgrass hay.
Vegetation--Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, and Salicornia spp. may occur on these soils.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area--These soils are located along Connecticut coast.
Land Resource Regions--R - Northeastern Forage and Forest Region
MLRA(s)--144A, 145
Extent--Small

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICE

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Middlesex County, Connecticut, 2024.

REMARKS:

Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include--
Peraquic feature--Zero or positive soil water potential at the soil surface.
Particle-size control section--The zone from 59 to 100 centimeters (Cseg1 and Cseg2 horizons).
Histic epipedon--The zone from 0 to 34 centimeters (Oese horizon).
Hemic soil materials--The zone from 0 to 34 centimeters (Oese horizon).
Hypersulfidic materials--The zone from 0 to 200 centimeters (Oese, Cseg, and 2Cseg horizons) have oxidized reactions with pH values less than 4 after 16 weeks.
N-value > 0.7--The zone from 34 to 147 centimeters (Aseg and Cseg horizons)
Lithologic Discontinuity--131 to 200 centimeters.
Taxonomic version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition (2022)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Type location taken from S2023CT007234 in Ferry Point Marsh Wildlife Area, Old Saybrook, CT. Additional support pedons used to develop this series include 2023CT009300 and 2023CT009311.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.