LOCATION JAMAICA                 NY+NJ

Established Series
LAH-RBT-JTI
02/2017

JAMAICA SERIES


The Jamaica series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils. The soil formed in a thick mantle of sandy dredge spoils. The sandy dredge material is thicker than 100 cm and occurs on human-altered landscapes in and near urbanized areas of the Northeast. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high in the surface and very high in the subsoil and substratum. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation is about 1196 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Dredgic, mixed, mesic Typic Psammaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Jamaica sand, on gently sloping topography with Bayberry, Multiflora rose, Poison Ivy, and Phragmites. (Colors are moist soils unless otherwise stated.)

^A--0 to 8 cm; black (10YR 2/1) sand; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; strongly acid, abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters thick)

^Cg1--8 to 28 cm; gray (2.5Y 6/1) sand; massive; friable; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

^Cg2--28 to 68 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand; massive; friable; few fine roots; common coarse prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation: slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

^Cg3--68 to 165 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) fine sand; massive; friable; many fine distinct brown (10YR 5/3) masses of iron accumulation; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, New York; Floyd Bennett Field, from Flatbush Avenue and Floyd Bennett Field road entrance intersection 1625 feet east on main road, then make the first left turn and go northwest 6,000 feet toward the last runway. Then travel northeast about 2,000 feet on the last runway. Then make a right turn toward an open area and go about 250 feet; USGS Coney Island, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 40 degrees, 35 minutes, 59.02 seconds N. and Longitude 73 degrees, 53 minutes, 20.00 seconds W., WGS 84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 25 to 50 cm. The thickness of the sandy dredge materials range from 100 to 200 cm. Soil texture ranges from fine sand to coarser. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral. Coarse fragments are generally absent. Some pedons contain shell fragments.

The ^A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is defined by moderate fine granular structure. Consistence is very friable.

The ^C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Structure is massive or single grain. Consistence is very friable. Some pedons have common horizontal bands 1 cm thick, with a high proportion of dark minerals.

COMPETING SERIES: Barren soils are in the same family. Barren soils have a lower seasonal high water table and are considered somewhat poorly drained.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jamaica soils are on nearly level areas to gently sloping artificially-created or human-altered landforms. These soils formed in sandy dredge spoils from dredging activities along coastal waterways and rivers, in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. The dredge material contains few, if any, human artifacts. Coarse fragments are less than 20 percent. Shell fragments may be present. Slope ranges are commonly 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual temperature range 8 to 17 degrees C and mean annual precipitation ranges from 1020 to 1325 mm.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barren, Bigapple, Breeze, Fortress, Hooksan, Ipswich, Matunuck, Pawcatuck, Sandyhook and Verrazano soils. The excessively to well drain Bigapple, moderately well drained Fortress, and somewhat poorly drained Barren soils are associated in a drainage sequence. Breeze soils average more than 10 percent (by volume) human artifacts throughout. Hooksan soils formed in sandy eolian deposits. Ipswich, Matunuck and Pawcatuck soils formed in organic soil materials and are subject to tidal flooding. Sandyhook soils formed in sandy marine deposits and are subject to tidal flooding. Verrazano soils have a contrasting particle size class within 100 cm of the soil surface.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high in the surface and very high in the subsoil and substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of these soils are used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Urban development is unlikely due to high water tables and ponding. Native vegetation consists of poison ivy, bayberry, Multiflora rose, ferns, Phragmites, bitter sweet, mugwort, and dogwood.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur on human-altered landscapes in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast; MLRAs 144A, 149A, and 149B. The soils of this series are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, New York, 2014. Series proposed Kings County, New York, 1998.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 centimeters (^A horizon).
2. Psammaquents - the zone from 25 to 100 cm is fine sand or sand and averages less than 35 percent rock fragments (^Cg1, ^Cg2, and part of ^Cg3 horizon).
3. Aquic conditions - the zone from 8 to 165 cm (^Cg1, ^Cg2, and ^Cg3 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Full characterization data for sample no. S1999NY047001. Pedon analyzed by the NSSL, Lincoln, NE, 1999. Characterization data for Jamaica and similar soils is available through the National Cooperative Soil Survey Soil Characterization Database: http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.