LOCATION CHICHESTER MA+NH
Established Series
ANA-PBW
10/2016
CHICHESTER SERIES
The Chichester series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in a loamy mantle overlying sandy till on glaciated hills, valley sides and till plains. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the solum and high or very high in the substratum. Slope ranges from 3 through 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 115 cm, and mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C (43 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Chichester fine sandy loam, on a 5 percent northwest facing slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oe--0 to 3 cm (0 to 1 inches); black (10YR 2/1) moderately decomposed organic material. (0 to 7 cm thick)
A--3 to 8 cm (1 to 3 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine, fine and medium roots; 3 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)
Ap--8 to 18 cm (3 to 7 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine, fine and medium, and few coarse roots; 3 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)
Bw1--18 to 26 cm (7 to 10.5 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--26 to 50 cm (10.5 to 20 inches); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) fine sandy loam; massive; friable; few fine, medium and coarse roots; 10 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 23 to 79 cm)
C1--50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 inches); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loamy coarse sand; massive; friable; 10 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
C2--70 to 88 cm (28 to 35 inches); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) sand; single grain; loose; 5 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
C3--88 to 113 cm (35 to 45 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) stony sand; single grain; loose; 10 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of upper C horizons is 18 to 84 cm)
C4--113 to 165 cm (45 to 65 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) gravelly sand; single grain; loose; 15 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, Massachusetts, Town of Wendell, about 300 feet south of Montague Road from about 440 feet southeast along Montague Road from its intersection with Carlton Road. USGS Millers Falls quadrangle latitude 42 degrees, 32 minutes and 22 seconds N., and longitude 72 degrees, 27 minutes and 0 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 36 to 84 cm. Rock fragments range from 3 to 35 percent in the solum and from 5 to 65 percent in the substratum. Rock fragments are dominantly granite and gneiss gravel and cobbles. Unless limed, reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the solum and very strongly acid to moderately acid in the substratum.
The 0 horizon, where present, consists of fibric, hemic or sapric material. It has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3 and chroma of 1 through 3.
The A horizon where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 through 3. The Ap horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or very fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate fine or medium granular, or weak fine subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.
Some pedons have a thin E horizon (5 cm thick or less) that has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak fine granular or weak medium subangular blocky. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, and value and chroma of 3 through 6. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Structure is weak medium or fine subangular blocky and some pedons have horizons that are massive. Consistence is friable or very friable.
Some pedons have a BC horizon that has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 through 6. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak medium subangular blocky or the horizon is massive. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, sand or coarse sand. The horizon is massive or single grain. Some pedons have sub-layers with weak medium plates. Consistence is very friable, friable or loose.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Abenecki,
Monadnock and
Canton soils are in closely related families. Abenecki soils formed in alluvial deposits underlain by water deposited sands and gravel. Canton soils have a higher mean annual temperature. Monadnock soils have a spodic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chichester soils are gently sloping to very steep soils on glaciated upland plains, hills, ridges, footslopes and valley walls. Slope ranges from 3 to 50 percent. The soils formed in a loamy mantle underlain by sandy supraglacial till of Wisconsin age derived mainly from granitic, and gneissic rocks but includes schist, quartzite and amphibolite. The till typically contains stones and/or boulders. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 4 through 7 degress C. (40 through 45 degrees F.), and mean annual precipitation ranges from 100 to 125 cm. The frost-free period ranges from 90 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Becket,
Henniker,
Metacomet,
Millsite,
Pillsbury,
Peacham,
Skerry and
Woodstock soils. Becket and Skerry soils have spodic horizons, formed in dense till and are at higher latitudes and elevations. Henniker and the moderately well drained Metacomet soils formed in dense till on nearby landscapes. The poorly drained Pillsbury and very poorly drained Peacham soils are along drainageways and depressions in the landscape. Millsite and Woodstock soils, moderately deep and shallow to bedrock respectively, are on nearby bedrock controlled landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the solum and high or very high in the substratum. Runoff ranges from medium to rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are forested. Principle species include red maple, sugar maple, white oak, red oak, yellow birch, paper birch, American Beech, eastern white pine and eastern hemlock. Areas cleared of trees and stones are used primarily for crops, hay and pasture. Small areas are used for residential development.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Massachusetts and New Hampshire; MLRA 144B and at higher elevations in MLRA 144A. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, Massachusetts, 2012.
REMARKS: 1. The Chichester series was proposed to recognize frigid Typic Dystrudepts formed in a loamy mantle overlying sandy, friable till. The spodosol analogue is the Monadnock series. The mesic analogue is the Canton series.
2. The series name originates from a town in southern New Hampshire, just east of Concord. The town was named to honor Thomas Pelham Holles, Duke of Newcastle and Earl of Chichester, England, an influential politician during the 18th century who was immersed in the interactions between England and the American colonies.
3. The source of reaction documented for the type location is NSSL characterization; pH in water.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 18 cm (Oe, A and Ap horizons). After mixing the upper 18 cm of mineral material, dry color is light brownish gray (10YR 6/2).
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 18 to 50 inches (Bw1, Bw2 horizons).
3. Contrasting particle size: upper part; coarse-loamy 25 to 50 cm, lower part; sandy or sandy skeletal: 50 to 100 cm
ADDITIONAL DATA: Type location was sampled for characterization, National Soil Survey Laboratory, Pedon ID 00MA-011-002.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.