LOCATION FERNLAKE NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, isotic, frigid Entic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Fernlake cobbly loamy sand, on a 5 percent slope in a stony wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi-- 0 to 1 inch; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) partially decomposed plant material; very friable; many fine and medium roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A-- 1 to 2 inch; black (5YR 2.5/1) cobbly loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick.)
E-- 2 to 3 inches; 50% reddish gray (5YR 5/2) and 50% brown (7.5YR 5/2) cobbly loamy sand; weak very fine and fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; patchy faint clay films on sand and gravel; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt broken boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick.)
Bs1-- 3 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) cobbly loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; continuous faint iron stains on sand and gravel; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bs2-- 5 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) cobbly loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; very friable; many fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; continuous faint iron stains on sand and gravel; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs3-- 11 to 17 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) cobbly loamy sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; very friable; common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and very fine tubular pores; continuous faint iron stains on sand and gravel; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizon is 2 to 16 inches thick.)
BC1-- 17 to 21 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) cobbly loamy sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; patchy faint iron stains on sand and gravel; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
BC2-- 21 to 33 inches; mixed 70% grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and 30% brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly loamy sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; friable; few fine and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; patchy faint iron stains on sand and gravel; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the BC horizon is 3 to 28 inches.)
C-- 33 to 72 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy sand; massive; friable; few fine and few medium roots in cracks; many very fine interstitial and few fine interstitial and tubular pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Clinton County, New York; 0.5 miles northeast on Fern Lake Road from County Route 15 (Guide Board Road); USGS Au Sable Forks, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 44 degrees, 28 minutes, 22 seconds N. and Longitude 73 degrees, 43 minutes, 8 seconds W. NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 15 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Rock fragments range from 5 to 30 percent in the solum and from 10 to 40 percent in the substratum. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the solum, very strongly acid to moderately acid in the BC horizon, and strongly acid to slightly acid in the substratum.
Some pedons have thin Oe and/or Oa horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture of the fine earth fraction is dominantly loamy sand, but includes loamy fine sand and sandy loam. Structure is weak granular. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture of the fine earth fraction is dominantly loamy sand, but includes loamy fine sand and fine sand. Structure is weak granular or the horizon is single grain. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture of the fine earth fraction is dominantly loamy sand, however thin subhorizons of loamy fine sand or sandy loam are in some pedons. Structure is weak, fine to coarse granular or subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture of the fine earth fraction is dominantly loamy sand, but also includes loamy fine sand, sand, or fine sand. Structure is weak, fine or medium subangular blocky, or the horizon is single grain.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of the fine earth fraction is dominantly loamy sand, but also includes loamy fine sand, sand, or fine sand. Some pedons have thin subhorizons of sandy loam below 40 inches. The horizon is massive or single grain. Some pedons have thin layers below 40 inches (being less than 20 inches total thickness), of weak platy structure. Consistence is friable to loose, and may be firm in place.
COMPETING SERIES: The Missisquoi series is the only other member of this family. Missisquoi soils are dominantly coarse sand in the substratum.
The Deerton, Duel, East Lake, Hartwick, Ishpeming, Karlin, Kiva, Pence, Rousseau, Rubicon, Sayner, and Vilas soils are in a similar family. These soils are all from outside of Region R, and all have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fernlake soils are on till uplands. Slope ranges from 3 to 60 percent. They are usually on undulating plains and on sideslopes of low hills and ridges. The parent material is glacial drift derived from sandstone and granitic rock. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 50 inches, mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and the mean frost free season ranges from 90 to 140 days. Elevation ranges from 500 to 2000 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adams, Adirondack, Monadnock, Colton, Hermon, and Sunapee soils. Adams and Colton soils are on lower positions on valley sides and terraces. Adams soils have better expressed spodic horizons and generally have fewer rock fragments in the upper solum. Colton soils average greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section. Monadnock and Hermon soils are on similar landscapes, but Monadnock soils have less sand and Hermon soils have more rock fragments. The somewhat poorly drained Adirondack soils and the moderately well drained Sunapee soils are on adjacent concave areas and drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is very low to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high in the mineral soil.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in forest. Common trees are sugar maple, American beech, eastern white pine, and paper birch.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Adirondack mountain region of New York; MLRA 142 and 143. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clinton County, New York, 1994.
REMARKS: 1. Mineralogy changed from mixed to isotic based on data from similar soils. 2. Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
a. Albic horizon - the zone from 2 to 3 inches (E horizon).
b. Spodic horizon - the zone from 3 to 17 inches (Bs1, Bs2 and Bs3 horizons.)
c. Sandy particle-size class - loamy sand textures throughout the particle-size control section (10 to 40 inches).
Soil Interpretation Records: NY0451, NY0452