LOCATION HOGBACK VT+NY

Established Series
Rev. SHG-RFL-CAW
05/2013

HOGBACK SERIES

The Hogback series consists of shallow, well drained soils on glaciated uplands. They formed in loamy till. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high throughout the mineral soil. Slope ranges from 3 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, isotic, frigid Lithic Haplohumods

TYPICAL PEDON: Hogback gravelly fine sandy loam, on a 40 percent northeast facing slope in a very rocky wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil.)

Oi -- 0 to 1 inches; slightly decomposed plant material.

Oe -- 1 to 3 inches; very dark gray (5YR 3/1) moderately decomposed plant material; massive; very friable; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; 5 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

Oa -- 3 to 4 inches; black (5YR 2.5/1) highly decomposed plant material; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; 5 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizon is 0 to 6 inches)

E -- 4 to 8 inches; gray (5YR 5/1) gravelly fine sandy loam; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 15 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

Bhs1 -- 8 to 9 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) very fine sandy loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and common medium roots; 10 percent rock fragments; moderately smeary; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

Bhs2 -- 9 to 19 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very fine sandy loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; 10 percent rock fragments; moderately smeary; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bhs horizons is 4 to 18 inches.)

R -- 19 inches; schist bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Orleans County, Vermont; Town of Jay; 735 feet south of State Route 105 on Long Trail, 20 feet east of trail; Jay Peak topographic quadrangle; 44 degrees 59 minutes 13 seconds N. and 72 degrees 30 minutes 10 seconds W., NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to bedrock range from 10 to 20 inches. Reaction typically ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid throughout the soil, but some pedons are moderately acid just above the bedrock. Rock fragments are mostly gravel, channers or cobbles and range from 5 to 34 percent throughout the mineral soil. The spodic horizon is 4 to 18 inches thick.

The O horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR or it is neutral, value of 2, 2.5, or 3, and chroma of 1. It ranges from slightly decomposed to highly decomposed plant material.

The A horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2, 2.5, or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction. It is 0 to 7 inches thick.

The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, with value and chroma of 3 or less. Some pedons have Bh horizons that have hue of 2.5YR to 10YR or are neutral and have value and chroma of 2.5 or less. Some pedons have a Bs horizon with hue of 5YR to 10YR, with value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. The B horizon is coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction. B horizons range from non-smeary to moderately smeary.

Some pedons have a BC horizon that has hue of 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4.

Bedrock is slightly weathered schist, gneiss, phyllite, granite, or anorthosite.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

The Creasey(T), Lyman and Rawsonville soils are in related families. Creasey and Lyman soils are Orthods. Rawsonville soils are moderately deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hogback soils are on glaciated uplands. They are on summits, shoulders and backslopes of mountains, ridges and hills. Slope ranges from 3 to 70 percent. The soils formed in loamy till of Wisconsin age. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 60 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from about 60 to 120 days. Elevation is typically between 1,500 and 3000 feet, but in places ranges as low as 380 feet above mean sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the very deep Houghtonville and the moderately deep Rawsonville soils which are in similar positions on the landscape as Hogback soils.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Potential surface runoff is very high. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high throughout the mineral soil.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are wooded. The common trees are American beech, yellow birch, paper birch, sugar maple, red maple, balsam fir, white pine, red spruce, and white spruce. A few areas have been cleared and are used for hay or pasture.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 143 and 144B in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and New York. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Windham County, Vermont, 1984.

REMARKS: 1. The Classification and location of the typical pedon are changed with this revision. The former classification was Loamy, isotic, frigid Lithic Haplorthods. Recent laboratory data from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York shows that some pedons mapped as Hogback (and some mapped as Lyman) meet the requirements of the Humods suborder.

2. These soils were originally recognized as having some "thixotropic-like" properties, i.e., smeariness, high organic carbon content, high effective clay percentage, high K value, and fragile nature (easily damaged by use) but have been classified as Orthods based on available laboratory data.

3. The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (O and E horizons).
b. Spodic horizon - the zone from 8 to 19 inches (Bhs horizon).
c. Lithic feature - bedrock at 15 inches from the mineral soil surface.

ADDITIONAL DATA: The spodic horizon of this pedon was sampled to determine carbon content for taxonomic placement. The data is available from the National

Soil Survey Laboratory, sample number S99VT-019-013.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.