LOCATION IPSWICH                 MA+CT NH NJ NY RI

Established Series
Rev. DGG-WHT-MT-BEF
01/2025

IPSWICH SERIES

MLRA(s)--144A, 145, 149B
Depth class--Very deep
Drainage class--Very poorly drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--Moderately high to high
Parent Material--Herbaceous organic materials
Geomorphic location--Tidal marshes within estuaries, coastal lowlands, and tidal rivers
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Mean annual air temperature--9 degrees C (48 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--1143 millimeters (45 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic, mesic Typic Sulfihemists

TYPICAL PEDON: Ipswich mucky peat in a salt grass tidal marsh at sea level, undrained. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).

Oese1--0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) mucky peat; 80 percent fiber, 45 percent rubbed; H5 Von Post humification; dense mat of roots, stems, and leaves; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; fibers herbaceous; approximately 40 percent mineral material of mostly silt and very fine sand; very strongly acid (pH 5.0), extremely acid (pH 3.5) oxidized pH; abrupt smooth boundary. (30 to 56 cm thick)

Oese2--46 to 107 centimeters (18 to 42 inches); very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) mucky peat; 70 percent fibers, 25 percent rubbed; H6 Von Post humification; massive; very friable; approximately 45 percent mineral material of mostly silt and very fine sand; moderately acid (pH 5.6), strongly acid (pH 5.3) oxidized pH; abrupt wavy boundary. (61 to 91 cm thick)

Oase--107 to 200 centimeters (42 to 62 inches); very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) muck; 20 percent fibers, 10 percent rubbed; H9 Von Post humification; massive; very friable; approximately 50 percent mineral material of silt and very fine sand; moderately acid (pH 5.9), strongly acid (pH 5.2) oxidized pH.

TYPE LOCATION: Essex County, Massachusetts; Town of Newbury, approximately 2.06 kilometers east of the intersection of Cottage Road and High Road, and 2.32 kilometers southeast of the intersection of High Road and Pine Island Road in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Latitude--42.7648333
Longitude-- -70.8212722
Datum--WGS84
Coordinate source--Unknown

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock--Greater than 200 centimeters
Thickness of organic deposits--Greater than 130 centimeters
Soil Moisture--Wet; peraquic moisture regime
Reaction throughout--Strongly acid to slightly alkaline (pH 5.1 to 7.8)
Oxidized reaction--Ultra acid to moderately acid (pH <3.5 to 6.0)
Total Soil Organic Carbon Stock 0 to 100 centimeters--31 to 65 kg m-2
Total Soil Organic Carbon Stock 0 to 200 centimeters--48 to 74 kg m-2
Electrical conductivity (EC 1:5 water), throughout--0.0 to 4.5 dS/m
Salt content throughout--5,000 to 35,000 parts per million
Mineral Content--5 to 80 percent
Depth to hypersulfidic materials (oxidized pH 4.0 or less)--0 to 100 centimeters

The Surface Tier
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value--2 to 5
Chroma--0 to 3
Rubber fiber content--20 to 75 percent
Von Post humification scale--H3 to H7
Organic carbon density--38 to 62 kg m-3

The Subsurface Tier
Hue--5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value--2 to 5
Chroma--0 to 3
Unrubbed fiber content--20 to 85 percent
Rubbed fiber content--20 to 40 percent; layers up to 12 inches thick have 10 to 60 percent rubber fibers
Von Post humification scale--H4 to H7
Organic carbon density--37 to 72 kg m-3

The Bottom Tier
Hue--5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value--2 to 4
Chroma--0 to 3
Ubrubbed fiber content--10 to 70 percent
Rubbed fiber content--less than 40 percent
Von Post humification scale--H4 to H9
Organic carbon density--21 to 26 kg m-3

COMPETING SERIES:
Transquaking soils-are underlain by loamy and/or clayey mineral material below a depth of 130 centimetersand are in areas with mean annual temperature greater than 11 degrees C (MLRA 153D - Northern Tidewater Area).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material--Herbaceous organic materials
Landscape--Estuaries, coastal lowlands, and tidal rivers
Landform--Tidal marshes
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Mean Annual Precipitation--1067 to 1219 millimeters (42 to 48 inches)
Mean Annual Air Temperature--8 to 11 degrees C (46 to 52 degrees F)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Black Hall, Calves, Hammonasset, Oyster River, Pawcatuck, Quinnipiac, and Westbrook soils.
Barn Island soils--formed in sapric organic soil materials over loamy mineral materials with organic horizon thicknesses from 41 to 130 centimeters.
Calves soils--formed in loamy estuarine deposits overlying loamy or sandy alluvium; includes a histic epipedon.
Hammonasset soils--formed in thick deposits of sapric dominated organic soil materials.
Oyster River soils--formed in loamy estuarine deposits with 40 centimeters or more of buried organic soil materials.
Pawcatuck soils--formed in hemic organic soil materials over sandy mineral soil materials starting between 41 and 130 centimeters.
Quinnipiac soils--formed in loamy alluvium or estuarine deposits with no histic epipedon.
Westbrook soils--formed in hemic organic soil materials over loamy mineral soil materials starting at a depth between 41 and 130 centimeters.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--Very poorly drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--Moderately high to very high
Soil moisture regime--Peraquic
Flooding frequency--the soils are subject to tidal flooding twice daily except in areas protected by dikes and tide gates.

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses--Most areas are in salt marsh and provide food or habitat for fish, shellfish, and wildfowl.
Vegetation--The most common grasses are marsh hay cordgrass, smooth cordgrass, and seashore saltgrass. Other vegetation includes sea lavender, glasswort, seaside goldenrod, and sea-blite.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area--Coastal areas and tidal zones in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
Land Resource Region(s)--R - Northeastern Forage and Forest Region; S - Northern Atlantic Slope Diversified Farming Region
MLRA(s)--144A, 145, and 149B.
Extent--Moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Special Projects Office

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Essex County, Massachusetts, 1977.

REMARKS:
These soils were formerly mapped as tidal marsh.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include--
Hemic material--the zone from 0 to 107 centimeters has rubbed fiber content between 16 and 40 percent (Oese1 and Oese2 horizons).
Sapric material--the zone from 107 to 200 centimeters has a rubbed fiber content less than 16 percent (Oase horizon).
Sulfihemists great group--sulfidic materials within a depth of 100 centimeters. New pedons should include incubation pH measurements and or odor to determine if horizons should receive a 'se' subordinate distinction due to sulfate content.
Reaction (pH value)--more than 4.5 throughout the control section.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
OSD type location pedon: 1977MA009014.
Additional support pedons used to develop this series include S2001NY081103, S2008CT011001, S2008MA023001, S2016MA001001, S2016MA009001, S2023CT001206, S2023CT001242, S2023CT001243.

Partial characterization data from Tidal Marshes of Connecticut and Rhode Island, Hill, D. E. and Shearin, A. E., Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 709, Feb. 1970.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.