LOCATION ESTHER NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, amorphic Aquandic Humicryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Esther fine sandy loam, very bouldery, on a moderately steep northwest facing slope, in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi-- 0 to 1 inch; very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) slightly decomposed (fibric) plant material; 95 percent unrubbed fiber, 60 percent rubbed fiber; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
Oe-- 1 to 4 inches; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moderately decomposed (hemic) plant material; 60 percent unrubbed fiber, 12 percent rubbed fiber; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine, and common medium roots; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary.
Oa-- 4 to 8 inches; black (N 2.5/0) highly decomposed (sapric) plant material; 10 percent unrubbed fiber, 1 percent rubbed fiber, 5 percent fine sand; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizons is 6 to 20 inches.)
E-- 8 to 10 inches; gray (5YR 5/1) fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 5 percent subrounded gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick.)
Bhs1-- 10 to 22 inches; dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) fine sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately smeary; common fine and medium roots; 10 percent subrounded gravel and 3 percent subrounded cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bhs2-- 22 to 28 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) gravelly fine sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately smeary; few fine roots; 15 percent subrounded gravel and 5 percent subrounded cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bhs horizons is 10 to 24 inches.)
BC-- 28 to 33 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly sandy loam; massive with medium and thick plate-like divisions; firm; few fine distinct gray (7.5YR 5/1) areas of iron depletions, and common fine and medium prominent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) soft masses of iron accumulation in the lower part; 20 percent subrounded gravels and 2 percent subrounded cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick.)
Cd-- 33 to 72 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) gravelly loamy sand; massive with medium and thick plate-like divisions; very firm and brittle; common medium and coarse prominent dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) soft masses of iron accumulation on some plate like division surfaces in upper part; 21 percent subrounded gravels and 1 percent subrounded cobbles; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Essex County, New York; Town of Wilmington; approximately 3,250 feet in elevation on a north-northwest aspect, about 11,000 feet up the Whiteface Mountain toll road from the toll booth, then 460 feet due west down slope; USGS Lake Placid 15 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 44 degrees, 23 minutes, 06 seconds N. and Longitude 73 degrees, 54 minutes, 09 seconds W., NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum and depth to densic materials ranges from 20 to 39 inches from the mineral surface. Rock fragment content ranges from 5 to 35 percent by volume in the mineral solum, and 5 to 50 percent in substratum. Stones and boulders cover from .01 to 15 percent of the surface. Reaction ranges from ultra acid to very strongly acid in the surface and subsurface horizons, and from extremely acid to strongly acid in the subsoil and substratum.
The O horizons have hue of 10R to 10YR or are neutral, with value and chroma of 3 or less. It is fibric, hemic, or sapric material. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium granular or subangular blocky structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The A horizon (where present), has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium granular structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The E horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak fine or medium granular or subangular blocky structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The Bhs horizons and Bh horizons (where present), have hue of 10R to 7.5YR, with value and chroma of 3 or less. The Bhs and Bh horizons are loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, and coarse sandy loam. Ortstein is present in less than 50 percent of some horizons. They have weak or moderate, fine, medium, or coarse granular or subangular blocky structure, and some pedons have weak platy structure. Consistence is very friable to firm. It is moderately or strongly smeary.
The Bs (where present) horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. They have weak or moderate, fine, medium, or coarse subangular blocky structure, and some pedons have weak platy structure. Consistence is very friable to firm.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It is massive with or without medium or thick plate-like divisions, or it has weak, medium or coarse subangular blocky structure. It is friable or firm.
The Cd horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is loamy sand, sand, loamy coarse sand, coarse sand, or coarse sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. It is massive with or without medium or thick plate like divisions. Consistence is firm or very firm and brittle.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hartnit, Isella, Partofshikof, Sitka, and Wallface series. The Harnit, Isella, Partofshikof, and Sitka series are formed at least in part from volcanic ash and are outside of Region R. The Wallface series is moderately deep to anorthositic gneiss bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Esther soils are on backslopes and footslopes of mountains and ridges at elevations greater than 3000 feet. Slope ranges from 3 to 35 percent. The soils formed in lodgement till. The mean annual temperature ranges from 30 to 43 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 45 to 80 inches. The frost-free season ranges from 80 to 110 days. Elevations range from 3000 to 5400 feet above mean sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Wallface, Santanoni, Skylight, Couchsachraga, and Ricker soils. Wallface soils occupy similar postitions on the landscape and are moderately deep to bedrock. Santanoni soils occupy steeper areas and are sandy-skeletal. Skylight and Couchsachraga soils are generally on higher and steeper areas of the landscape, are shallow and very shallow respectively, and are sandy. Ricker soils are thin organic soils over bedrock in convex positions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is medium or high. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic surface and mineral subsurface, moderately high or high in the mineral solum, and moderately low to moderately high in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Forest. Balsam fir, mountain paper birch, red spruce and American mountain ash grow throughout the elevation range. Yellow birch, mountain maple and striped maple commonly grow at the lower elevations.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountains of New York. MLRA 143. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Essex County, New York, 2007.
REMARKS: 1. This series was established to recognize Andic soil properties in tills of the cryic areas in the Adirondack High Peaks Region of New York. The series is named for one of the Adirondack High Peaks. Some pedons lacking E horizons will key out as Pachic or Typic Fulvicryands. These are similar soils in use and management to the Aquandic Humicryods concept.
Diagnostic horizons and feature recognized in this pedon are:
a. Albic horizon - the zone from 8 to 10 inches (E horizon).
b. Spodic horizon - the zone from 10 to 28 inches (Bhs horizons).
c. Humic feature - have more than 6 percent organic carbon throughout the upper 4 inches of the spodic horizon.
d. Andic feature - andic soil properties throughout horizons that have a total thickness of 10 inches or more within 30 inches either of the mineral soil surface or of the top of an organic layer with andic soil properties, whichever is shallower.
e. Densic contact - the zone from 33 to 72 inches (Cd horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL laboratory data is available for the following pedons: S93-NY-031-011, and S94-NY-031-005.