LOCATION LONDONDERRY VT+NH NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, acid Lithic Cryorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Londonderry silt loam, on an 18 percent east-facing slope in a very stony map unit.
Oi--0 to 2 inches; fibric material comprised of slightly decomposed needles, leaves and twigs. (0 to 8 inches thick)
A--2 to 4 inches; black (N 2/0) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many roots; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
E--4 to 7 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
R--7 inches; mica schist bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Windham County, Vermont; town of Windham, 600 feet east of the Londonderry town line and 300 feet southeast of the summit of Glebe Mountain. Approximate latitude 43 degrees 11 minutes 15 seconds N., and longitude 72 degrees 45 minutes 35 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to bedrock range from 2 to 10 inches. Reaction of the solum ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid. Rock fragments are mostly pebbles and cobbles and range from 0 to 20 percent.
The O horizon ranges from slightly to highly decomposed plant material.
The A horizon is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Some pedons have a thin C horizon.
Bedrock is slightly weathered schist, gneiss, or phyllite.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. The Glebe and Saddleback series are in related families. Glebe soils are moderately deep. Saddleback soils have spodic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Londonderry soils are on gently sloping to very steep mountain side slopes, mountain tops, mountain ridges, and hill tops. Slope ranges from 3 to 80 percent. The soils formed in loamy till of Wisconsin age. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 80 inches, and the mean annual air temperature ranges from 30 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from 30 to 90 days. The growing degree days during this period ranges from 1,600 to 1,800. Elevation is typically greater than 2,000 to 2,500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Glebe, Ricker, and Stratton soils which are in similar positions on the landscape as the Londonderry soils, and the Hogback, Houghtonville, and Rawsonville soils which also are in similar positions on the landscape as the Londonderry soils but at slightly lower elevations. The moderately deep Glebe and shallow Stratton soils have well expressed spodic horizons. The Ricker soils are shallow organic soils. The shallow Hogback, very deep Houghtonville, and moderately deep Rawsonville soils have well expressed spodic horizons and have a frigid temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. These soils are saturated during periods of rainfall or snow melt but water moves laterally across the bedrock and does not become stagnant. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of the areas are forested. The common trees are balsam fir, white spruce, and red spruce. Northern hardwoods occur in some areas. Ground cover in small open areas is moss, ferns, or blueberries.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York; MLRA 143 and 144B. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lamoille County, Vermont, 1979.
REMARKS: The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 2 to 7 inches (A and E horizons).
b. Lithic feature - bedrock at 5 inches from the mineral soil surface.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL lab data is available for S80VT 23-6 (1) and S80VT-23-7 (1).