LOCATION KUSHAQUA NY
Established Series
TDT
12/2018
KUSHAQUA SERIES
The Kushaqua series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in sandy deposits on lake plains and outwash plains. Saturated hydraulic conductivity ranges from moderately low to moderately high in the ortstein layer, and high to very high throughout the remainder of the pedon. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1016 millimeters and mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, isotic, frigid, shallow, ortstein Typic Duraquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Kushaqua fine sand - in an area dominated by blueberries and second-growth woodland, on a 1 percent slope. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
Oe -- 0 to 3 centimeters; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) moderately decomposed plant material; massive; very friable; many very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt smooth boundary.
Oa -- 3 to 12 centimeters; black (5YR 2.5/1) highly decomposed plant material; weak medium and fine granular structure; very friable; common coarse and fine roots and many medium and very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizon is 0 through 18 centimeters thick.)
E1 -- 12 to 22 centimeters; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) fine sand; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots and many very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.2); clear wavy boundary.
E2 -- 22 to 30 centimeters; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) fine sand; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots and many very fine roots; 10 percent fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; 5 percent fine and medium faint light gray (5YR 7/1) stripping features very strongly acid (pH 4.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizon is 0 through 30 centimeters.)
Bh -- 30 to 35 centimeters; black (5YR 2.5/1) fine sand; massive; very friable; few fine roots and common very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 through 8 centimeters thick.)
Bhsm -- 35 to 46 centimeters; approximately 70 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) with 30 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) fine sand; massive; extremely firm, moderately cemented ranging to strongly cemented; few very fine roots; 1 percent fine prominent brown (10YR 5/3) areas of iron depletion; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear irregular boundary. (0 through 30 centimeters thick.)
BC -- 46 to 88 centimeters; approximately 50 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3) and 50 percent brown (7.5YR 4/4) sand; weak fine subangular blocky, but massive within the 7.5YR 4/4 part; very firm, weakly cemented within the 7.5YR 4/4 part; 5 percent medium and fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation and 5 percent medium faint light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) areas of iron depletion; few 1 to 2 mm thick dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) lenses; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 through 50 centimeters thick.)
C1 -- 88 to 104 centimeters; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) after brief exposure to air; stratified and single grain; loose; 1 percent medium and coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; black (10YR 2/1) lenses approximately 15 mm thick; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.
C2 -- 104 to 152 centimeters; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand; single grain; loose; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, New York; about 1.6 miles south of State Route 86 at Camp Gabriels along a transmission corridor, then about 0.9 mile southeast in second growth wooded area; USGS Gabriels, NY SE quarterquad; Latitude 44 degrees, 24 minutes, 04.6 seconds north; Longitude 74 degrees, 10 minutes, 47.9 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 50 through 115 centimeters. Rock fragments, mainly gravel, range from 0 through 5 percent by volume above 100 centimeters, and 0 through 20 percent below. Depth to the ortstein material ranges from 12 through 50 centimeters from the mineral surface. Redoximorphic features occur within a depth of 50 centimeters and may be masked by ortstein colors.
The O horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It consists of slightly through highly decomposed plant material. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
Some pedons have A horizons up to 3 inches thick with hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction of the A horizon ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
Some pedons are currently or were previously under cultivation and contain an Ap horizon up to 20 centimeters thick with hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction of the Ap horizon ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid. The E horizon may be absent in areas previously cultivated or heavily pastured.
The Bh horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
Some pedons have a very friable or friable Bs horizon with hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is extremely acid through strongly acid.
The Bhs or Bhsm horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid.
The Bsm horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 8. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is extremely acid through moderately acid.
Some pedons have a Bs horizon below the cemented horizons. It has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 4 through 6. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, and value and chroma of 3 through 8. Texture is sand or fine sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through slightly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y; value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is mainly sand or fine sand, but loamy sand through very fine sandy loam is in some pedons below 100 centimeters. It ranges from very strongly acid through slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family.
The
Finch,
Spot,
Mcivor, and
Whittemore soils are in a related family. These soils have a lower mean annual precipitation and are outside of Region R.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kushaqua soils are on lake plains and outwash plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 890 through 1270 centimeters. Mean annual temperature ranges from 3 degrees to 7 degrees C. Mean annual frost-free days ranges from 70 to 160 days. Elevation ranges from 60 through 900 meters above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Wolf Pond (T),
Onchiota (T),
Adams,
Colton,
Searsport,
Burnt Vly, and
Monadnock soils. The well drained Wolf Pond (T) and Onchiota (T) soils are on slightly higher landform positions and form a drainage sequence with the Kushaqua soils. The very poorly drained Searsport soils are on lower landscape positions. Adams and Colton soils do not contain more than 50 percent ortstein or redoximorphic features and are on higher landscape positions. The organic Burnt Vly soils are in adjacent depressions and drainageways. The Monadnock soils are formed in till and have a higher content of rock fragments.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is negligible to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity ranges from moderately low to moderately high in the ortstein layer, and high to very high throughout the remainder of the pedon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Kushaqua soils are almost entirely in second growth woodland and support stands of balsam fir, red spruce, eastern white pine, red maple, and yellow birch.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. MLRA 143. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, NY, 2018.
REMARKS: The series is named after nearby Lake Kushaqua, in the Town of Franklin, Franklin County, NY.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Albic horizon - the zone from 12 to 30 centimeters (E1 and E2 horizons);
Spodic horizon - the zone from 30 to 46 centimeters (Bh and Bhsm horizons);
Aquic soil moisture regime - redoximorphic features below 22 centimeters including stripping (E2 horizon) and iron accumulations and areas of depletion (E2, Bhsm, BC and C horizons);
Duraquods feature - the zone from 35 to 46 cm cemented ortstein present in more than 90 percent of the exposed surface area of the spodic horizon (Bhsm horizon);
Shallow family - root limiting layer 23 cm from the mineral soil surface (Bhsm).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.