LOCATION DUNELLEN NJEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Dunellen sandy loam-cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) sandy loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; common fine roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; 3 percent rounded gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
E--8 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 2 percent rounded gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
BE--14 to 20 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 3 percent rounded gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--20 to 32 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains and few faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent rounded gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
C--32 to 42 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; 10 percent rounded gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 30 inches thick)
2C--42 to 70 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) loamy sand; single grain; loose; 10 percent rounded gravel; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Somerset County, New Jersey; Franklin Township, 250 yards north of East Millstone Reformer Church, 100 yards east of Delaware and Raritan Canal; USGS Bound Brook quadrangle, latitude 40 degrees, 30 minutes, 17 seconds N., longitude 74 degrees, 34 minutes, 44 seconds W, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 25 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is typically greater than 10 feet. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent in the upper part of the solum and from 0 to 30 percent in the lower solum. Rock fragments in the C horizon range from 5 to 50 percent, but average less than 35 percent and occur mostly as thin lenses of gravel. Rock fragments are mostly rounded pebbles composed of red shale, sandstone or siltstone, and include basalt, granitic gneiss, quartzite and conglomerates. Evidence of illuviation is weakly expressed and includes either few or common, faint or distinct clay films on faces of peds or bridging between sand grains. Reaction of the soil ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid unless limed.
The Ap horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. Undisturbed pedons have an A horizon 1 to 4 inches thick with hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is sandy loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is weak thick platy or moderate to strong, fine to coarse granular.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons have a thin subhorizon of sandy clay loam. The structure is weak or moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky or granular.
The C and 2C horizons have hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture ranges from sandy loam to sand in the fine-earth fraction. The C horizons are commonly stratified.
COMPETING SERIES: The Brentsville, Germano, Lansdale and Rigley series are in the same family. The Brentsville, Germano, and Rigley soils are from outside LRR R and S. These soils do not have stratified materials in the series control sections; in addition, Brentsville and Germano soils are moderately deep over bedrock and Rigley soils have a solum thickness of more than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dunellen soils are on glacial outwash plains and stream terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 35 percent. They formed in stratified materials. The underlying bedrock is red, soft shale or siltstone. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 48 inches. The growing season ranges from 160 to 190 days. Mean annual temperature ranges from 50 to 55 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Closely associated soils on terraces are the Nixon and Ellington soils. Nixon soils are finer textured and Ellington soils are mottled in the B horizon. Other nearby soils are the Boonton, Haledon, Penn, and Rowland soils. Boonton and Haledon soils are on more sloping uplands capped with glacial till. Penn soils are 20 to 40 inches to shale bedrock. Rowland soils are moderately well to somewhat poorly drained soils on floodplains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Dunellen soils are well drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity ranges from moderately high or high in the solum and high or very high in the substratum. Runoff is negligible to high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Dunellen soils are principally used for community development. Most remaining areas are idle on the urban fringe and some areas are used for pasture, hay or general crops. Trees in wooded areas include red, white and black oak, hickory, red maple, and ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and northern New Jersey; MLRAs 144A, 148 and 149A. The series is of moderate extent - about 55,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bernardsville area, New Jersey, 1919.
REMARKS: Geographic coordinates location is an estimate based upon the original narrative description. Cation exchange activity class was determined from a review of similar soils.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 20 inches (Ap, E and BE horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 20 to 32 inches (Bt horizon).