LOCATION FORESTHILLS NYTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Foresthills loam on a small pile of soil on a 5 percent forested slope. (Colors are for moist soil unless noted differently.)
A-- 0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine plus many medium and coarse roots; many medium and coarse pores; 5 percent gravel, 1 percent cobble and 1 percent stone-sized rock fragments; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick.)
Bw-- 2 to 15 inches; variegated 60 percent brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam, 25 percent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) loam, and 15 percent black (10YR 2/1) loam; common, medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) lithochromic mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine plus few medium and coarse roots; few very fine pores; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobble-sized rock fragments; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick.)
Ab-- 15 to 17 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine and fine plus few medium and coarse roots; few very fine pores; 1 percent gravel and 1 percent cobble-sized rock fragments; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick.)
BAb-- 17 to 28 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine pores; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobble-sized rock fragments; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick.)
Bwb-- 28 to 42 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine plus few fine roots; few very fine and fine pores; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobble-sized rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 26 inches thick.)
Cd-- 42 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) loam; massive with weak coarse plate-like divisions; firm; few fine roots; few very fine pores; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobble-sized rock fragments; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Richmond County, New York: From the intersection of Forest Hill Avenue and Platinum Avenue, 420 feet southwest following drainage, then 25 feet to the southeast within a wooded area; USGS Arthur Kill, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 40 degrees, 34 minutes, 28.85 seconds N. and Longitude 74 degrees, 9 minutes, 42.93 seconds W. (Rockwell GPS Receiver); NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the anthrotransported fill materials ranges from 10 to 39 inches. The anthrotransported fill may be any geologic deposit ranging from till, glacial outwash, alluvium, or coastal plains sediments usually from a very local source. Rock fragments range from 1 to 20 percent. Textures include sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
The A or Ap horizon in the transported material has hue of 10YR through 2.5YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 through 4. Consistence is very friable or friable. Pieces of B horizon material are commonly mixed in. Structure is granular or subangular blocky, but may be fine platy in reclaimed areas where the surface has been compacted. Reaction ranges from very strongly to slightly acid in unlimed areas and from slightly acid to slightly alkaline in areas that have been limed.
The Bw horizons in the anthrotransported material has hue of 10YR through 2.5YR, value of 2 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 8. Structure is subangular blocky, and fine roots are generally common to many. Consistence is very friable or friable. Pieces of other B or A horizons are commonly mixed in. Lithochromic and relict mottles are commonly inherited from the transported material. Reaction ranges from very strongly to slightly acid in unlimed areas and from slightly acid to slightly alkaline in areas that have been limed.
Some pedons have BC horizons are massive and may have plate-like divisions that inhibits roots from penetrating ped interiors, but allows roots to grow between the plates. Consistence is friable or firm. The other properties are similar to the Bw horizons above.
Some pedons have C horizons in the transported material that has hue of 10YR through 2.5YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 8. Structure is massive and may have plate-like divisions. Consistence is friable to firm. Reaction ranges from very strongly to neutral in unlimed areas and from slightly acid to slightly alkaline in areas that have been limed.
The buried A or Ap horizons have hue of 10YR through 2.5YR, value of 2, 3 or 4 and chroma of 1 through 4. Reaction ranges from very strongly to slightly acid, and structure is not platy. The other properties are similar to the A horizons above.
The buried Bw and BA horizons have hue of 7.5YR through 2.5YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 8. Structure is subangular blocky, and fine roots are generally common to many. Consistence is very friable or friable. There are many lithochromic mottles and highly weathered pieces of soft rock.
Some pedons have buried C horizons have hue of 5YR through 2.5YR, value of 4 through 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. There are many lithochromic mottles and highly weathered pieces of soft rock. It is massive and may have plate-like divisions. Consistence is friable.
The buried Cd horizons, where present, have hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. There are many lithochromic mottles and highly weathered pieces of soft rock. It is massive and may have plate-like divisions. Consistence is firm or very firm. This layer is dense and root-limiting, but does not occur within 40 inches of the soil surface.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Ashe, Brookfield, Buladean, Cardigan, Charlton, Chestnut, Delaware, Dutchess, Edneyville, Flatbush (T), Gallimore, Greenbelt (T), Hazel, Lordstown, Newport, Riverhead, Sharpcrest (T), Soco, St. Albans, Stecoah, Steinsburg, and Yalesville. Ashe, Cardigan, Lordstown, Steinsburg and Yalesville are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Brookfield and Hazel soils have many mica flakes and are dominated by micaceous schist rock fragments. Buladean soils have coarse rock fragments which are dominated by felsic crystalline rocks. Charlton soils have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y in the lower part of the Bw horizon. Chestnut soils have weathered granite and gneiss within 40 inches of the soil surface. Delaware, Gallimore, Soco, and Stecoah soils are do not have anthrotranported materials in the series control section. Dutchess soils have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y in the upper part of the Bw horizon. Edneyville soils are underlain by saprolite derived from granite and gneiss. Flatbush (T) soils have an anthrotransported material that is an atypical soil material (fly ash). Greenbelt (T) soils have a human transported mantle of 40 inches or thicker. Newport soils have a Cd layer. Riverhead soils have stratified sand within a depth of 40 inches. Sharpcrest (T) soils do not have an OSD on file to compete. St. Albans soils have rock fragments comprised of slate and shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Foresthills soils are on nearly level to steeply sloping artificially created or modified landforms in thinly filled areas. These soils formed in transported soil material, with a natural subsoil that is either a buried pedon or shows evidence of being a truncated soil. The cap of transported soil material is relatively clean of refuse, with less than 10 percent pieces of plastic, glass, bricks, concrete, and metal. The transported soil material is dominantly from locally excavated upland materials such as alluvium and weathered till, glacial outwash, or coastal plains sediments. Rock fragments are derived from sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Slope ranges from 0 to 50 percent. Higher slopes occur when the soil is formed in unleveled mounds and where fill is used to create golf greens and tees. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 50 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 48 to 56 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Greenbelt (T), Canarsie (T), Centralpark (T), and Greatkills (T) soils. Greenbelt (T) soils have more than 40 inches of transported material. Canarsie (T) soils have dense till within the control section. Centralpark (T) soils average more than 35 percent rock fragments in the 10 to 40 inches control section. Greatkills (T) soils have garbage in the control section. Associated natural soils are Wethersfield, Ludlow, Cheshire, and Maplecrest with less than 12 inches of fill on the surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to medium on vegetated slopes less than 8 percent, and high to very high on vegetated slopes 8 percent and greater. The potential for surface runoff is one class higher where the soil is unvegetated or the surface is poorly protected from erosion. Permeability is moderate in areas where the soil cap has not been compacted, but is moderately slow where it has been compacted.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are generally covered with common weeds, raspberry, and mugwort if deposited in sunny locations; by turfgrass if part of a recreation area, and understory plants if deposited in a shady location. Trees quickly spread lateral roots into the fill material if deposited nearby. The reed density decreases and the mugwort increases in areas with compacted surface layers. The more compacted areas support sparse populations of various grasses, annuals, and perennials that invade disturbed areas. The looser dumps are quickly covered with early succession hardwood seedlings from nearby sources. Reclamation is difficult in smoothed, compacted areas or where common reed density is high. Recreational use is unlikely in park areas where the surface is unsmoothed or where the surface stones and boulders have not been cleared.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur on modified landscapes in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. MLRA 144A and 149B. The soils of this series are small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES PROPOSED: Richmond County, New York; 1995.
REMARKS: (1) Lithochromic mottles have inherited their colors from rocks. (2) Complete characterization data collected as pedon S95NY085-045.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon -the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A and Bw horizon).
b. A buried soil occurs starting at the Ab horizon.
c. The classification of this series is provisional until new Taxonomic classifications are developed for Anthropogenic soils.