LOCATION LEWBATH NY
Established Series
Rev. ERS-WEH
07/2015
LEWBATH SERIES
The Lewbath series consists of very deep, well drained soils on uplands at high elevations. They formed in till derived from brownish or gray colored sandstone, siltstone, and shale. A dense fragipan is present starting at a depth of 51 to 97 cm (20 to 38 in) below the soil surface. Slopes range from 3 to 55 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C (45 degrees F) and mean annual precipitation is about 1120 mm (44 in).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, frigid Typic Fragiudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Lewbath channery silt loam on a 5 percent slope in a hayfield. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); brown (10YR 4/3) channery silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; many very fine and fine roots; 20 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm [4 to 12 in] thick)
Bw--20 to 41 cm (8 to 16 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and common medium and coarse roots; 10 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 69 cm [3 to 27 in] thick)
BE--41 to 53 cm (16 to 21 in); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) channery silt loam; moderate thin platy structure parting to moderate very fine subangular blocky; firm; common fine and few medium roots; 30 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm [0 to 12 in] thick)
Bx1--53 to 84 cm (21 to 33 in); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) very channery silt loam; strong, very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; prisms are 30 to 61 cm (12 to 24 in) across; gray (5Y 6/1) faces of prisms and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) borders, streaks are 5mm to 20 mm (1/4 to 3/4 in) wide; very firm and brittle; few fine and medium vesicular and few fine tubular pores; thick clay films are in 50 percent of the pores; few fine roots along faces of prisms; 35 percent rock fragments, including 5 percent larger than 75 mm (3 in) in diameter; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bx2--84 to 132 cm (33 to 52 in); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) very channery loam; strong very coarse prismatic structure, massive within prisms; prisms are 38 to 76 cm (15 to 30 in) across; gray (5Y 6/1) faces of prisms and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) borders, streaks are 5 to 25 mm (1/4 to 1 in) wide; very firm and brittle; few fine and medium vesicular and few fine tubular pores; few fine roots along faces of prisms; 45 percent rock fragments, including 10 percent larger than 75 mm (3 in) in diameter; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) redoximorphic accumulations and few fine faint light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) redoximorphic depletions; moderately acid; gradual irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bx horizons is 41 to 127 cm [16 to 50 in])
Cd--132 to 183 cm (52 to 72 in); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) very flaggy loam; massive; firm; few fine and medium vesicular pores; 55 percent rock fragments, including 25 percent larger than 75 mm (3 in) in diameter; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Otsego County, New York, Town of Worcester, 1,400 ft south of the intersection of Hollenbeck Road and Smith Road, and 250 ft east of Hollenbeck Road. Elevation 2010 ft. USGS Charlotteville, NY topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees, 34 minutes, 41.3 seconds N. and longitude 74 degrees, 41 minutes, 56.5 seconds W. NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 102 to 191 cm (40 to 75 in) or more. Depth to bedrock is greater than 152 cm (60 in). Depth to the top of the fragipan ranges from 51 to 97 cm (20 to 38 in). Rock fragments, dominantly channers and flagstones, range from 5 to 35 percent by volume above the fragipan; from 15 to 50 percent in the fragipan; and from 15 to 60 percent in the substratum. The fine-earth fraction of the Bx and C horizons have over 50 percent silt plus very fine sand. Reaction, in unlimed areas, ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid in the solum and from very strongly acid through slightly acid in the substratum.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam or loam. Structure is weak or moderate granular or subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.
Undisturbed areas have thin dark A horizons and some have thin E horizons. Thin BA horizons may be present in some places. Some undisturbed pedons have a thin O horizon.
Some pedons have an E horizon with hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam. Structure is granular, platy, or subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 through 8. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam. Structure is weak or moderate subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The BE horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. The texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam. Structure is weak or moderate platy or subangular blocky. Consistence is firm or friable.
An E or E' horizon is present above the Bx horizon in some pedons. The horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam. Redoximorphic features may be present below a depth of 71 cm (28 in) in the BE or E horizons.
The Bx horizons have hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam or loam. Structure is coarse or very coarse prismatic with platy, blocky, or massive interiors. Consistence is firm or very firm. Redoximorphic features may be present below a depth of 71 cm (28 in) in the Bx horizons.
The Cd or C horizon, if present, has color and texture similar to the Bx horizon. The horizon is massive or has plate-like divisions.
COMPETING SERIES:
Lewbeach and
Willowemoc soils are in the same family. Lewbeach soils have hues of 2.5YR or 5YR in the Bx horizons. Willowemoc soils have redoximorphic features present between a depth of 30 to 61 cm (12 to 24 in).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lewbath soils are on uplands of glaciated dissected plateaus and till plains and mainly occur on convex hilltops and hillsides. Slopes range from 3 to 55 percent. The soils developed in firm till derived from sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Annual air temperature ranges from 4 to 9 degrees C (39 to 48 degrees F). Annual precipitation ranges from 825 to 1790 mm (32 to 70 in) and the frost free days range from 110 to 155 days. Elevation ranges from 425 to 1100 m (1394 to 3608 ft) above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Lewbath soils are the well-drained member of a drainage sequence which includes the moderately well drained
Willdin soils, the somewhat poorly drained
Ontusia soils, and the poorly drained
Norchip soil. Moderately deep, well drained
Mongaup soils, and shallow, somewhat excessively drained and well drained
Hawksnest soils are closely associated on nearby landforms where the soil mantle is thinner over bedrock.
Valois soils are on adjacent lower valley sides where the glacial till is less dense.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the mineral soil above the fragipan and low or moderately low in and below the fragipan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used for growing corn for silage, small grains, hay, and pasture. A significant acreage has reverted to woodland or brush. Native vegetation is sugar maple, beech, northern red oak, black cherry, and white ash. Brushy areas often contain blueberry, spirea, Hawthorne (thorn apple), and poplar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Higher elevations of MLRA 140. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otsego County, New York, 1989.
REMARKS: This series is the frigid equivalent of the Bath series, and the brown colored equivalent of the Lewbeach series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 20 cm (8 in) (Ap horizon).
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 20 to 53 cm (8 to 21 in) (Bw and BE horizons).
3. Fragipan - the zone from 53 to 132 cm (21 to 52 in) (Bx1 and Bx2 horizons).
4. CEC activity class of semiactive based on lab data from one pedon (S85NY077-02) which is the typical pedon.
5. Udic soil moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Cornell University Soil Characterization Lab data is available for this pedon (S85NY077-02) from Otsego County, NY.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.