LOCATION HENNIKER MA+NH NY

Established Series
ANA, PBW
04/2016

HENNIKER SERIES

The Henniker series consists of well drained soils that formed in a loamy mantle overlying sandy dense till or loamy dense till characterized by a sandy component on drumlins and glaciated uplands. They are moderately deep to a densic contact and very deep to bedrock. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the solum and moderately low or moderately high in the substratum. Slope ranges from 3 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 45 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, frigid Oxyaquic Dystrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Henniker sandy loam, on a north facing, convex 5 percent slope in a forested area at an elevation of about 1190 feet. (Colors are for moist soil.)

Oi--0 to 0.5 inches; fibric material, slightly decomposed plant material. (0 to 2 inches thick.)

Oe--0.5 to 1 inches; hemic material, moderately decomposed plant material. (0 to 4 inches thick.)

Ap--1 to 8 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine medium and few coarse roots; 5 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 10 inches thick.)

Bw1--8 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--15 to 24 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 7 to 36 inches.)

BC--24 to 29 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) cobbly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick.)

Cd1--29 to 39 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) loamy sand; massive; very firm; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and few coarse prominent very pale brown (10YR 7/4) masses of iron accumulation; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Cd2--39 to 45 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) loamy sand; massive; firm; few fine faint olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

Cd3--45 to 65 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) loamy sand; massive; firm; few fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation and few fine prominent light reddish gray (2.5YR 7/1) iron depletions; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, Massachusetts, Town of Warwick; about 150 feet east of Beech Hill Rd. from about 2000 feet south along the road from its intersection with Gale Rd. USGS Mt. Grace topographic quadrangle, latitude 42 degrees 39 minutes 20 seconds N. and longitude 72 degrees 18 minutes 28 seconds W., NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 18 to 36 inches. Depth to densic contact is 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments range from 5 to 35 percent throughout the soil. Rock fragments are dominantly granitic and gneissic gravel. Unless limed, reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid in the solum and strongly acid to moderately acid in the substratum.

The O horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fibric, hemic or sapric material. Oa horizons are up to 3 inches thick.

The Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. Some pedons have an A horizon that has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 to 4. Structure is granular or subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.

Some pedons have a thin discontinuous E horizon with hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loamy fine sand in the fine earth fraction.

Some pedons have a thin discontinuous Bhs or Bs horizon. Bhs horizons have hue of 7.5YR, value of 3 and chroma of 2 or 3. Bs horizons have hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 or 6. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy loam.

The upper part of the Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and chroma of 4 or 6.The lower part of the Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7 and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture in the upper part is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. The lower part is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure in the B horizon is subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.

The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand, in the fine earth fraction. It has subangular blocky structure or is massive. Consistence is friable or very friable. It is up to 12 inches thick.

Some pedons have a C horizon that has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and chroma of 2 to 8. Chroma of 2 is lithochromic and not reflective of reduced conditions. Texture is sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand in the fine earth fraction. It is up to 14 inches thick.

The Cd horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 6. Some pedons have hue of 10YR in the upper part. Chroma of 2 is lithochromic and not reflective of reduced conditions. Texture in the fine earth fraction is loamy fine sand or loamy sand, or it is fine sandy loam or sandy loam with at least 20 percent subhorizons or lenses of loamy fine sand or loamy sand. In some pedons the lenses are coarse, medium or fine sand. Sandy lenses are 1/8 inch to 3 inches thick and are friable to loose. Consistence is firm or very firm in at least 20 percent of subhorizons. Individual aggregates are friable or firm when removed. The horizon has weak or moderate, thin to thick plates, or it is massive.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. The Lanesboro, Shelburne and Stowe soils are in a closely related family. Throughout the Cd layers, Lanesboro soils have texture finer than fine sandy loam, Shelburne soils have texture finer than loamy fine sand and Stowe soils have texture finer than sandy loam.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Henniker soils are on drumlins and glaciated uplands. Slope ranges from 3 to 60 percent. The soils formed in till of Wisconsin age derived principally from granitic and gneissic rocks. Mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 50 inches. The frost-free period ranges from 90 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Becket, Metacomet, Montauk, Pillsbury, Peacham, Scituate, and Skerry soils. Becket and Skerry soils have a spodic horizon and generally occur on higher elevations. The moderately well drained Metacomet soils, somewhat poorly and poorly drained Pillsbury soils, and very poorly drained Peacham soils are in a drainage sequence with Henniker soils. Montauk and Scituate soils have a higher mean annual soil temperature and generally occur on lower elevations.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Estimated runoff potential is low on the gentle slopes and medium on the steeper slopes. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the solum and moderately low or moderately high in the substratum. Permeability is moderate in the solum and slow or moderately slow in the dense substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly forested. Principle species include sugar maple, red oak, white oak, yellow birch, paper birch, eastern white pine and eastern hemlock. Areas cleared of trees and stones are used primarily for hay and pasture and to a lesser extent, apple orchards and cultivated crops.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York; MLRA 144A, 144B and 143. The series is estimated to be of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fulton County, New York, 2007.

REMARKS: The Henniker series is proposed to recognize frigid Oxyaquic Dystrudepts formed in dense, sandy till. The concept of sandy till includes dense substrata that are sandy as well as those that are loamy and have 20 percent or more of the fabric of the till as sandy lenses or subhorizons. The Henniker series is the Inceptisol analogue to the Becket series and the frigid analogue to the Montauk series. This pedon was classified to the ninth edition of Keys to Taxonomy, 2003. Series concept was compiled from data collected as part of the soil surveys of Belknap and Merrimack Counties, NH and Franklin County, MA. Henniker is the name of a town in southern Merrimack County, NH.

Features and diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Oi, Oe and Ap horizons).
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 8 to 29 inches (Bw1, Bw2 and BC horizons).
3. Oxyaquic feature - perching effect of the Cd layers.
4. Densic contact - at 29 inches.
5. Densic materials - The zone from 29 to 65 inches (Cd1, Cd2 and Cd3 horizons).
6. Insufficient data to determine mineralogy class. Mixed mineralogy is assumed.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data for this pedon, NSSL, SMA-95-011-004.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.