LOCATION LONGMARSH MDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, active, acid, mesic Fluvaquentic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Longmarsh mucky loam, on a zero percent slope, on a wooded floodplain. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi--0 to 0.5 inches; slightly decomposed leaves and twigs.
Oe--0.5 to 1 inches; moderately decomposed organic materials. (combined thickness of O horizons is 0 to 3 inches)
A1--1 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine through coarse roots throughout; few fine discontinuous tubular pores; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--7 to 19 inches; very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1) mucky sandy loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky, and slightly plastic; many very fine through coarse roots throughout; few fine discontinuous tubular pores; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of A horizons is 10 to 30 inches)
Cg1--19 to 34 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam; massive; firm, nonsticky, slightly plastic; common coarse distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) organic stains around old roots; common very fine and fine roots throughout; a layer of dark gray (10YR 4/1) loamy sand is between 22 and 24 inches; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Cg2--34 to 54 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loamy sand; massive; loose; 2 percent fine mixed gravel; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Cg3--54 to 66 inches; stratified: 60 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and 40 percent grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loamy sand; massive; loose; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Queen Anne's County, Maryland; Approximately one mile southeast of the town of Hope, approximately 600 feet southwest of the Devers Branch Rd. bridge over the German Branch. USGS Price topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 0 minute 51 seconds N latitude, and 75 degrees 56 minutes 50 seconds W longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The umbric epipedon ranges from 10 to 22 inches in thickness. Organic matter content in the A horizon ranges from 5 to 18 percent. In the substratum organic matter is variable and ranges from 1 to 10 percent. Coarse fragments of mixed rounded gravel range from 0 to 15 percent in the A horizon and 0 to 35 percent in the substratum.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is mucky sandy loam, mucky loam, sandy loam or loam, and may range to include sand, loamy sand, silt loam, and fine sandy loam.
The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 3 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 2. It is commonly loamy sand, fine sandy loam, or coarse sand, but may include sand, loamy coarse sand, or sandy loam, and their gravelly analogues. Iron accumulations and depletions, when present, have hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. These horizons are present in a reduced environment despite the high chroma. It is clay loam, loamy sand, or sand. Zones of iron depletion and concentration may be present.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soil series in the coarse-loamy, siliceous, mesic, acid family of Fluvaquentic Humaquepts. Soils in closely related families are the Corsica, Indiantown, Johnston, Kentuck, Mullica, and Nikwasi series. Indiantown, Johnston, and Nikwasi soils have an umbric epipedon that is greater than 24 inches thick. Johnston is also thermic. Mullica soils do not have an irregular decrease in organic carbon. Nikwasi soils have strongly contrasting particle-size classes in the control section, mixed mineralogy, and are nonacid. Corsica and Kentuck soils have an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Longmarsh soils are nearly level soils on flood plains of the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. They formed in loamy alluvium overlying sandy and gravelly sediments. Mean annual temperature is 55 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is 43 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Indiantown, Zekiah, Chicone, and Puckum soils on floodplains; the Elkton, Fallsington, Kentuck, Mullica, Othello, and Hurlock soils on slightly higher flats; and Hammonton, Ingleside, and Downer soils on sideslopes adjacent to the floodplains. Chicone soils have organic materials in the substratum; Puckum soils have sapric materials greater than 51 inches thick; Indiantown soils have an umbric epipedon greater than 24 inches thick; Zekiah soils lack an umbric epipedon. Elkton, Fallsington, Othello and Hurlock soils are poorly drained; and Kentuck soils are very poorly drained. In addition, Kentuck soils have an argillic horizon and finer textures in the particle-size control section. Mullica soils lack an irregular decrease in organic carbon. Ingleside and Downer soils are well drained; Hammonton soils are moderately well drained;
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Runoff is very slow, and permeability is moderately rapid in the surface, and moderate to moderately rapid in the substratum. A seasonal high water table ranging from 6 inches above the soil surface to 10 inches below the soil surface is present from January to December. These soils are flooded briefly during storm events.
USE AND VEGETATION: Longmarsh soils are mainly wetland wildlife habitat. Most areas are along active streams. Native vegetation includes red maple (Acer rubrum), water oak (Quercus nigra), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica var. subintegerrima), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), river birch (Betula nigra), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), and American holly (Ilex opaca) in the canopy and sub-canopy; and spice bush (Lindera benzoin), American elder (Sambucus canadensis), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), northern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), Virginia bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus), stout wood reedgrass (Cinna arundinacea), spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens canadensis), water parsnip (Sium suave), clearweed (Pilea pumilla), tear-thumb (Polygonum sagittatum), greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia), and riverbank grape (Vitis riparea) in the understory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Flood plains of the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Queen Anne's County, Maryland, 1995.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly included in the Johnston soil series and in the Mixed Alluvial miscellaneous area.
Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are an umbric epipedon; an irregular decrease of organic carbon with depth; and aquic conditions between 16 and 20 inches depth, and dominant matrix color, directly below the umbric epipedon, with a chroma of 1 or less, or if iron concentrations are present, a chroma of 2 or less.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NONE
SERIES INTERPRETATION RECORD(s): MD0184
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation MD0184 LONGMARSH 0- 2 52- 58 190-210 42- 48 0- 125SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness MD0184 FRE +.5-1.0 APPARENT - >99 ---
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- MD0184 0-19 MK-SL MK-L 0- 0 75-100 8-15 10- 30 MD0184 0-19 SL L 0- 0 75-100 8-15 3- 15 MD0184 19-34 SL LS FSL 0- 0 45-100 5-15 2- 10 MD0184 34-66 SR GR-LS COS 0- 0 45-100 0- 8 1- 5
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll MD0184 0-19 3.5- 5.5 10-18 0- 2 0.6- 2.0 LOW MD0184 0-19 3.5- 5.5 0.-5. 0- 2 0.6- 2.0 LOW MD0184 19-34 3.5- 5.5 1.-8. 0- 2 2.0- 6.0 LOW MD0184 34-66 3.5- 5.5 0.-1. 0- 2 6.0- 20 LOW