LOCATION HONGA                   MD+DE VA

Established Series
SYD-RBT/Rev. MDJ
06/2024

HONGA SERIES

MLRA(S) where used: 133A, 149A, 153C, 153D

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, euic, mesic Terric Sulfihemists

TYPICAL PEDON: Honga peat, on a smooth 0 percent slope, in a submerged upland tidal marsh. (Colors are for a moist soil).

Oi--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) peat (fibric soil material); fiber content is three-fourths of the soil volume after rubbing; 30 percent, by weight mineral soil material; many fine, medium, and coarse live roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 28 centimeters (0 to 11 inches thick)

Oe--18 to 33 centimeters (7 to 13 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) mucky peat (hemic soil material); fiber content is one-half of the soil volume after rubbing; 30 percent, by weight mineral soil material; common fine and medium live roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (15 to 64 centimeters (15 to 64 centimeters (6 to 25 inches) thick)

Oa--33 to 56 centimeters (13 to 22 inches); black (10YR 2/1) muck (sapric soil material); fiber content is one-tenth of the soil volume after rubbing; 60 percent, by weight mineral soil material; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 33 centimeters (0 to 13 inches) thick)

Ag--56 to 61 centimeters (22 to 24 inches); black (5Y 2.5/1) silt loam; massive; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; n-value less than 0.7, material does not flow between the fingers when squeezed; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 13 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) thick))

Eg--61 to 91 centimeters (24 to 36 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam; massive; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; n-value less than 0.7, material does not flow between the fingers when squeezed; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) thick)

Btg1--91 to 122 centimeters (36 to 48 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) silty clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure; very firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium distinct olive (5Y 5/3) iron masses; n-value less than 0.7, material does not flow between the fingers when squeezed; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.

Btg2--122 to 165 centimeters (48 to 65 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam: moderate coarse prismatic structure; very firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and common medium prominent light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) iron masses; n-value less than 0.7, material does not flow between the fingers when squeezed; neutral; (Combined thickness of Btg horizon is 30 to 119 centimeters (12 to 47 inches))

TYPE LOCATION:
State: Maryland
County: Dorchester
USGS Topographical Quadrangle: Honga
Latitude: 38.251667 N
Longitude: 76.174167 W
Approximately 1.2 kilometers southeast of Hoopersville on middle Hooper Island; 152 meters south- southwest of old dirt lane, 9 meters west of main ditch in marsh

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the Underlying Material: Greater than 203 centimeters (80 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 203 centimeters (80 inches)
Depth to the Mineral Soil Material: 40 to 130 centimeters (16 to 51 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches), January to December
Rock Fragments: 0 to 5 percent, by volume throughout the profile, mostly rounded quartz gravels
Electrical Conductivity: Greater than 16 mmhos/cm in organic layers and 4 to more than 16 mmhos/cm in mineral layers
Soil Reaction: Slightly acid to neutral in the natural state and extremely acid to strongly acid upon drying
Sulfur Content: 0.75 percent to 3.0 percent in organic layers and 0.05 to 0.50 percent in mineral layers
Other Features: Mineral horizons have n-value less than 1.0, typically less than 0.7

Range of Individual Horizons:
Surface tier, 0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) (Oi or Oe horizon):
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 1 to 3
Texture--peat (fibric soil material) or mucky peat (hemic soil material)
Mineral Material Content: 20 to 70 percent, by weight

Subsurface tier, 30 to 90 centimeters (12 to 36 inches) (Oe or Oa horizon):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 5, chroma of 1 to 4, or is neutral with value of 1 to 4
Texture--mucky peat (hemic soil material) or muck (sapric soil material). Some pedons have thin layers of mineral soil material.
Mineral Material Content: 20 to 60 percent, by weight

Bottom tier, 90 to 130 centimeters (36 to 51 inches) (Oe or Oa horizon):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 or 2.5, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 2 to 3.
Texture--typically muck (sapric material) but includes mucky peat (hemic soil material). Some pedons have thin layers of mineral soil material.
Mineral Material Content: 20 to 75 percent, by weight

Ag horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 5, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam

Eg horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture--silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam

Btg horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 3 to 6
Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam
Redoximorphic Features--iron depletions in shades of olive or gray and iron masses in shades of red, brown, yellow, or olive

BCg or Cg horizon (if they occur):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 3 to 6
Texture--clay loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand
Redoximorphic Features--iron depletions in shades of olive or gray and iron masses in shades of red, brown, yellow, or olive

COMPETING SERIES:
Mispillion soils--do not have an underlying argillic horizon and have n-value of more than 0.7 in the mineral soil layers, on similar landforms
Westbrook soils--do not have an underlying argillic horizon and have n-value of less than 0.7 in the mineral soil layers, on similar landforms

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Coastal Plain
Landform: Submerged upland marshes
Elevation: 0 to 0.3 meters (0 to 1 foot)
Slope: 0 to 1 percent
Parent Material: Organic herbaceous material over fluviomarine sediments that have low n-value
Depth Class: Very deep
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 12 to 14 degrees Centigrade (54 to 58 degrees F.)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1067 to 1219 millimeters (42 to 48 inches)
Frost Free Period: 180 to 210 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bestpitch soils--formed in fine-textured mineral deposits, do not have an underlying argillic horizon, and have typically have n-value of more than 0.7 in the mineral soil layers, on similar landforms
Elkton soils--poorly drained mineral soils with a fine-silty particle-size control section that has 27 to 35 percent clay, on higher landforms
Othello soils poorly drained mineral soils with a fine-silty particle-size control section that has 18 to 27 percent clay, on higher landforms
Sunken soils--very poorly drained mineral soils with a fine-silty particle-size control section that have 0.05 to 0.50 percent sulfur and an electrical conductivity of 2 to 8 mmhos/cm, on slightly higher landforms
Tangier soils-very poorly drained soil with a fine-silty particle-size class, do not have organic materials greater than 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick, on similar landforms
Transquaking soils--have organic layers more than 130 centimeters (51 inches) thick, on similar landforms

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage Class (Agricultural): Very poorly drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very shallow (< than 25 centimeters (10 inches)) and permanent (present continuously)
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible to low (Negligible in the organic materials and low in the underlying mineral materials)
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: High to very high in the organic deposits and moderately low to moderately high in the mineral material
Permeability Class (obsolete): Moderately rapid to rapid in the organic deposits and moderately slow to slow in the mineral material
Flooding Frequency and Duration: Very frequent and very brief
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly as wetland wildlife habitat. Dominant vegetation is black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens), saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), marsh-elder (Iva frutescens), and groundsel-tree (Baccharis halimifolia).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Coastal Plain of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia
Extent: Moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICE

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dorchester County, Maryland, 1992

REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the tidal marsh miscellaneous area. They are flooded by tidal waters and become extremely acidic when drained.
Diagnostic horizons and other diagnostic soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Fibric material--the zone from 0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches) has a fiber content after rubbing that is three-fourths or more of the soil volume (Oi horizon)
Hemic material--the zone from 18 to 33 centimeters (7 to 13 inches) has a fiber content after rubbing that is between one-sixth and three-fourths of the soil volume (Oe horizon)
Sapric material--the zone from 33 to 56 centimeters (13 to 22 inches) has a fiber content after rubbing that is less than one-sixth of the soil volume (Oa horizon)
Sulfidic materials--more than 0.75 percent sulfur, with less than three times as much carbonate (CaCO3 equivalent) as sulfur, within a depth of 40 inches
High n-value--the zone from 56 to 165 centimeters (22 to 65 inches) has an n-value less than 0.7, the material does not flow easily between the fingers
Argillic horizon--the zone from 91 to 165 centimeters (36 to 65 inches) (Btg horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data for the typical pedon is available from NSSL, Pedon number S86MD-019-008(1-7). Refer to publication "Tidal Marsh Soils of Maryland", Darmody, R.G. and Foss, J.E., Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Publication MP 930, October 1978.
Typical Data Map Unit: 481743
Typical User Pedon ID: 08MD019001_Honga

Previous Revision: 11/2002, JEB-WDC/Rev. JAK
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.