LOCATION FOX CREEK               MD

Established Series
BMW/DCS/RBT
04/2021

FOX CREEK SERIES

MLRA(s): 149A
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Raleigh, North Carolina
Depth Class: Very deep
Drainage Class: Subaqueous (permanently submersed / continuously inundated)
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to very high
Parent Material: herbaceous organic materials over glauconitic fluviomarine deposits
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 57 degrees F. (14 degrees C)
Mean Annual Water Temperature: 57 degrees F. (14 degrees C)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic, mesic Sapric Sulfiwassists

TYPICAL PEDON: Fox Creek mucky loam on a southwest flowing submerged tidal marsh with less than 1 percent slope under 0.9 m of estuarine water. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).

Ase -- 0 to 23 cm; black (N 2.5/) mucky loam; massive; very fluid; neutral (pH 6.8), very strongly acid (pH 5.0) after 16 weeks; color reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, very slightly effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide, gradual boundary.

Oase1 -- 23 to 56 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) muck; nonfluid; neutral (pH 7.3), ultra acid (pH 3.3) after 16 weeks; 3% unrubbed fibers, 0% rubbed fibers; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, very slightly effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide, gradual boundary.

Oase2 -- 56 to 94 cm; black (10YR 2/1) muck; slightly fluid; neutral (pH 6.9), ultra acid (pH 2.4) after 16 weeks; 10% unrubbed fibers, 7% rubbed fibers; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, very slightly effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide, gradual boundary.

A'se -- 94 to 102 cm; black (2.5Y 2.5/1) mucky sand; massive; slightly fluid; neutral (pH 6.7), ultra acid (pH 2.3) after 16 weeks; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, violently effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide, clear boundary.

Cse -- 102 to 130 cm; very dark grayish green (5GY 3/2) sand; massive; nonfluid; neutral (pH 6.6), ultra acid (pH 3.3) after 16 weeks; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, slightly effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide, gradual boundary.

2Btseg -- 130 to 155 cm; dark grayish green (5GY 4/2) sandy clay; massive; moderately fluid; slightly acid (pH 6.5), very strongly acid (pH 4.7) after 16 weeks; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, strongly effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide; 17% dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) iron concentrations, gradual boundary.

2Btse -- 155 to 194 cm; very dark grayish green (5GY 3/2) sandy clay; massive; nonfluid; slightly acid (pH 6.5), very strongly acid (pH 4.8) after 16 weeks; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, slightly effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide; 3% dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) iron concentrations, abrupt boundary.

2BCse -- 194 to 209 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) sandy clay loam; massive; nonfluid; slightly acid (pH 6.4), strongly acid (pH 5.2) after 16 weeks; no reaction with 3% hydrogen peroxide, violently effervescent with 30% hydrogen peroxide.

TYPE LOCATION: Anne Arundel County, Maryland; easternmost end of Whitemarsh Creek and approximately 1,182 feet north of the intersection of Whitemarsh Cove Court and Carrs Wharf Road and approximately 1,191 feet west of Rt. 214, Central Avenue; latitude 38 degrees, 53 minutes, 48.12 seconds N. longitude 76 degrees, 31 minutes, 1.76 seconds W; WGS 1984; Major Land Resource Area 149A.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 200 centimeters
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Permanently submersed
Depth to Lithologic Discontinuity: Between 100 and 130 centimeters
Depth to hyper-sulfidic materials: less than 50 centimeters
Depth to hypo-sulfidic materials: less than 50 centimeters
Organic soil materials: 40 centimeters or greater and within 40 centimeters of the soil surface.
Manner of Failure / Fluidity Class: Nonfluid to moderately fluid throughout mineral horizons
Shell Fragments: 0 to 2 percent, by volume, throughout
Soil Reaction: Neutral to slightly acid; oxidized reaction: strongly acid to ultra acid
Salinity range is 7 to 15 (ppt).

RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
Ase horizons (if present):
Color- hue of 5Y, 5GY, or Neutral, value of 2.5 or 4, chroma of 0 or 1
Texture (fine earth fraction) - sand or loam (and their mucky equivalents)
Consistence- nonfluid or very fluid

Oase or Oese horizons:
Color- hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 5Y, value of 2, 2.5, 3, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture- muck or mucky peat

A'se or 2Ase horizon (if present):
Color- hue of 2.5Y, value of 2.5 or 3, chroma of 1
Texture (fine earth fraction) - sand, loamy sand, or fine sandy loam
Consistence- slightly fluid or moderately fluid

Cseg or 2Cseg horizon:
Color- hue of 5Y or 5GY, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture (fine earth fraction) - sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam
Consistence- nonfluid or slightly fluid

2Btseg or 2Btse horizon (if present):
Color- hue of 10Y or 5GY, value of 3 and 4, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture (fine earth fraction) - sandy clay, clay, or silty clay loam
Consistence- nonfluid to moderately fluid

The A, C, and B horizons are not always present in the upper 200 cm.

COMPETING SERIES:
Tumagan soils-found in more saline waters of coastal bays and lagoons within the Northern Tidewater Area. Does not have buried argillic horizons within 200 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Northern Coastal Plain estuaries
Landform: Permanently submerged tidal marshes and submerged wave-cut platforms
Parent Material: herbaceous organic materials over glauconitic fluviomarine deposits
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 50 to 59 degrees F. (10 to 15 degrees C.)
Mean Annual Water Temperature: 52 to 58 degrees F. (11 to 14 degrees C.)
Water Depth Range: 0 to 3.3 feet (0 to 1 meters)
Water Regime: Tidal, 0 to 1 foot (0 to 0.3 meters) tidal range
Water Salinity Range: 7 to 15 ppt

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Contees Wharf soils-occur in estuarine tidal stream landforms, have a fine-silty family class, and do not contain organic horizons within the upper 200 cm.
Muddy Creek soils- occur on estuarine tidal stream channels, have a fine-silty family class, and do not have organic horizons 40 centimeters thick within 40 centimeters of the soil surface
Sellman soils- occur on mainland cove and estuarine tidal stream channels, have a fine family class, and do not contain organic horizons within upper 200 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage Class: Subaqueous drainage
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to very high
Soil Moisture Regime: Peraquic
Soil is permanently submerged / continuously inundated with brackish water. The presence of hyper-sulfidic materials within 50 cm of the soil surface puts these soils at risk for potential acid sulfate soil formation if they are dredged and exposed to the air.

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Areas of this soil are used for recreational fishing and boating. These are nearshore areas that may be developed as marinas or with private docks.
Dominant Vegetation: Benthic fauna such as clams, blue crabs, and oysters are associated with this soil. Eelgrass (Zostera marina), sea lettuce (Ulva sp.), and horned pondweed (Zannichellia palustris) may occur on these soils.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain sub-estuaries of the western portion of the Chesapeake Bay. MLRA 149A. This series is of small extent.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 2018.

REMARKS: This subaqueous series is named for Fox Creek, which is a tributary to the Rhode River sub estuary of Chesapeake Bay. Areas of mapping were formerly included with water.

Diagnostic Horizons and other diagnostic soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon- the zone from 0 to 102 centimeters (Ase, Oase1, Oase2, A'se horizons)
Peraquic feature- the zone from 0 to 209 centimeters, which is permanently saturated
Sapric soil materials-the zone from 23 to 94 centimeters (Oase1 and Oase2 horizons)
Sulfidic materials-the zone from 23 to 130 centimeters, oxidized pH values less than 4.0 after 16 weeks.
Argillic horizon-the zone from 130 to 194 centimeters (2Btseg and 2Btse horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity-the zone from 130 to 209 centimeters (2Btseg, 2Btse, and 2BCse horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Data Map Unit ID: 800958
NASIS used site and Pedon ID: S2015MD003071

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.