LOCATION CLAVERACK NY
Established Series
Rev. JWW-WEH-GWS
05/2011
CLAVERACK SERIES
The Claverack series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in sandy deposits that overlie clayey lacustrine sediments. They are nearly level to sloping soils in shallow deltas on lake plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature is 48 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is 40 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over clayey, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Aquic Udorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Claverack loamy fine sand, on a 4 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted.)
Ap -- 0 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; very weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick.)
Bw1 -- 8 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loamy fine sand very weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots; few fine faint yellowish red (5YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2 -- 13 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand; very weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose; common fine roots; few fine and medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) and faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) soft masses of iron accumulation; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 10 to 20 inches.)
BC -- 22 to 32 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy fine sand; single grain grading to weak thick platy structure which parts to very weak medium subangular blocks; friable; few fine roots; few fine and yellowish red (5YR 5/6) to red (2.5YR 5/6) iron concretions, decreasing in size and number with depth; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick.)
2C -- 32 to 72 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay; moderately thick plate-like divisions with horizontal faces along depositional varves; plate faces coated with light gray (5YR 7/1) silt; very firm, sticky; common white lime modules; few fine and medium pores lined with thin discontinuous clay films; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation, and common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) areas of iron depletion; moderately alkaline, strongly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Seneca County, New York; Town of Waterloo, 500 feet south of Hecker Road and, 1,000 feet east of Brewer Road. USGS Geneva North, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 42 degrees, 54 minutes, 34 seconds N. and Longitude 76 degrees, 54 minutes, 11 seconds W., NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to the underlying fine-textured material ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The soil contains few or no rock fragments. Soil reaction ranges from strongly acid through neutral in the solum and from neutral through moderately alkaline in the substratum.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, 6 to 8 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand or sand. Structure is weak, very fine through medium, granular.
The B horizon has hue of 5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 6 and few to common high chroma mottles. In places the lower part of the B horizon has gray or grayish brown mottles below a depth of 18 inches. Texture ranges from loamy fine sand to sand. Small areas of uncoated sand grains have colors with chroma of 2 and value of 6 or 7. It is structureless or has weak, very fine through medium, subangular blocky structure.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture ranges from silty clay loam to clay. Some pedons have subhorizons up to 5 inches thick that are silt or silt loam. The horizon is massive or has weak or moderate, medium or thick plate-like divisions as
depositional varves. Free carbonates are usually present.
COMPETING SERIES:
Cosad is the only known member of the same family. Cosad soils are wetter analogues of Claverack and have distinct mottles, including some with chroma of 2 or less in the B horizon above 18 inches.
The
Deerfield,
Elmwood,
Elnora and
Galen series are similar soils in related families. Deerfield, Elnora and Galen soils lack the contrasting finer textured 2C horizon within a depth of 40 inches. In addition, Galen soils have an argillic horizon in the form of lamellae. Elmwood soils have contrasting fine
textured C horizons similar to Claverack but have a coarse-loamy over sandy particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Claverack series occupies nearly level to sloping landscapes on deltas or in similar sandy deposits associated with glacial lake sediments. The sand, which overlies finer textured sediments, is dominated by quartz and has been derived primarily from non-calcareous sandstone or granite. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The climate is humid and cool-temperate. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 50 inches; mean annual temperature ranges from 45 degrees to 52 degrees F.; and the frost-free season ranges from 120 to 180 days. The elevation of these soils ranges from 95 to 600 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Claverack soils are in a drainage sequence with the somewhat poorly drained
Cosad and poorly drained to very poorly drained
Cheektowaga soils. Other associates are the
Arkport,
Colonie,
Lamson,
Minoa, and
Stafford. All of these soils lack the clayey substrata; in addition Arkport and Colonie soils occupy better drained parts of the landscapes, and Lamson, Minoa and Stafford soils occupy wetter parts of the landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the mineral surface layer and subsoil is high to very high and moderately high to low in the clayey substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for growing small fruits, tree fruits, vegetable crops, corn and hay. Native vegetation was northern hardwoods.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Erie and Ontario Plains and Mohawk, Champlain and Hudson Valleys of New York and possibly Vermont; MLRA's 101, 142, 144A. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Columbia County, New York, 1923.
REMARKS: In some places, where the sandy mantle is of minimal thickness, cambic horizons have developed in the upper part of the clayey material. Such pedons classify as sandy over clayey, mixed, mesic Arenic Eutrudepts and have been correlated as taxadjuncts of the Claverack series. It is known that some soils included with Claverack in mapping have fine-silty rather than clayey substrata.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 8 inches (Ap horizon).
2. Aquic subgroup - saturated with water within 60 inches of the surface for one month or more as evidenced by low chroma mottles below 32 inches (2C horizon).
3. Superactive CEC class - S85NY031-02 (Claverack lfs from '85 DOT sampling Essex Co. NY)
4. Non-cambic pedogenic horizon - the zone from 8 to 22 inches (Bw horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.