LOCATION CHOCORUA NH+MA ME NY VTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, dysic, frigid Terric Haplohemists
TYPICAL PEDON: Chocorua mucky peat -- on a nearly level bog. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
0e1--0 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2), broken face and rubbed hemic materials; about 50 percent fibers, 25 percent rubbed; fine granular structure; nonsticky; 2 to 5 percent woody fragments; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
0e2--8 to 16 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2), broken face and rubbed hemic material; about 70 percent fibers, 30 percent rubbed; fine platy structure; nonsticky; 5 percent woody fragments; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
0e3--16 to 34 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2), broken face and rubbed hemic material; about 75 percent fibers, 35 percent rubbed; massive; nonsticky; 10 to 15 percent woody fragments; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Cg1--34 to 42 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) gravelly sand; single grain; loose; 25 percent gravel; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cg2--42 to 65 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sand; single grain; loose; 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Carroll County, New Hampshire; Town of Eaton, about 450 feet northwest of junction of Rt. 153 and Potter Road. USGS -- Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire; 15 minute quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 55 minutes 39 seconds N, and long. 71 degrees 04 minutes 50 seconds W, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic soil layers ranges from 16 to 51 inches. The organic materials are composed of herbaceous and woody materials. Slightly decomposed woody fragments comprise 0 to 15 percent by volume of the organic materials. Thin layers of live sphagnum moss up to 4 inches in thickness commonly occur on the surface. The 0i and 0e layers are neutral or have hue of 2.5YR to 10YR with value and chroma of 0 to 4. The value and/or chroma may increase 1 or 2 units when exposed to air. Reaction of the organic layers is extremely acid.
The surface tier, exclusive of loose surface litter or moss, is comprised of hemic or fibric material with an unrubbed fiber content that ranges from 40 to 80 percent of the organic volume. Rubbed fiber content ranges from 15 to 60 percent. It has weak or moderate, fine to coarse granular structure, or is massive. Consistence is nonsticky or slightly sticky.
The unrubbed fiber content of the subsurface tier ranges from 35 to 75 percent and the rubbed fiber from 15 to 35 percent. The subsurface tier is dominantly massive or has platy structure. The consistence is nonsticky or slightly sticky.
The organic bottom tier, where present, has the same range as the subsurface tier.
The Cg horizon is neutral or has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 4. Textures include coarse sand, sand, fine sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, and loamy fine sand in the fine-earth fraction. Rock fragments are mostly gravel and range from 0 to 40 percent. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid. The consistence of wet soil is nonsticky and nonplastic.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family. The Cathro, Dawson, Greenwood, Ossipee, Tacoosh and Togus soils are similar soils in related families. All of these soils except Togus are from outside of Region R. Togus soils are dominated by fibric material and are less acid. Cathro and Dawson soils are dominated by sapric materials; in addition, Cathro soils are less acid. The thickness of organic materials of Greenwood soils exceeds 51 inches. Ossipee soils have a finer textured mineral substratum. Tacoosh soils are less acid.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTINGS: Chocorua soils occur in depressional areas within outwash and lake plains and on glacial till uplands. The average range in size of these soil areas is from about 5 acres to 75 acres. Slopes are less than 2 percent. The climate is humid and cool temperate. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 50 inches and mean annual air temperature ranges from 37 to 47 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adams, Au Gres, Colton, Naumburg, and Searsport soils. These are all mineral soils which commonly occur near the edges of bogs adjacent to Chocorua soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Permeability is moderate or moderately rapid in the organic portion and rapid or very rapid in the mineral substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are primarily in native vegetation consisting of shrubs, reeds, and sedges, commonly with a tree canopy. The trees include tamarack, black spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch, speckled alder, and black ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Maine, New Hampshire, and New York (MLRAs 143, 144A, and 144B). The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carroll County, New Hampshire, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: 1. Organic materials feature - the zone from 0 to 34 inches (Oe horizon). 2. Terric feature - the zone from 34 to 65 inches (Cg horizon). 3. Dysic feature - the pH is less than 4.5 in 0.01 molar calcium chloride in all parts of the organic materials (Oe horizon).