LOCATION MATTAMUSKEET NCInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, dysic, thermic Terric Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Mattamuskeet muck - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oap-- 0-6 inches, black (N 2/ , broken face and rubbed) sapric material; about 10 percent fibers, less than 1 percent rubbed; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium fibrous roots; common medium and coarse hard, subangular blocky fragments of organic material on the surface; few fine and medium fragments of charcoal and wood; common coated and clean sand grains; about 25 percent mineral content; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Oa2-- 6-14 inches, dusky red (2.5YR 3/2, broken face and rubbed) sapric material; about 25 percent fiber, less than 1 percent rubbed; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; sapric material is paste-like or greasy feeling (colloidal) when wet; common coarse roots, logs, and fragments of wood; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Oa3-- 14-18 inches, very dusky red (2.5YR 2/2, broken face and rubbed) sapric material; about 25 percent fibers, less than 1 percent rubbed; massive; friable; sticky; sapric material is paste-like or greasy feeling (colloidal); common coarse roots, logs, and fragments of wood; few coated and clean sand grains; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Oa4-- 18-22 inches, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2, broken face and rubbed) sapric material; about 20 percent fibers, less than 1 percent rubbed; massive; friable; sticky; sapric material is paste-like or greasy feeling (colloidal); common coarse roots, logs, and fragments of wood; few coated and clean sand grains; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
2Abg-- 22-27 inches, very dark gray (5YR 3/1) and dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) sand; massive; very friable; about 15 percent sapric material; about 5 percent fibers, less than 1 percent rubbed; common fine and medium roots; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2C1g-- 27-48 inches, dark brown (10YR 4/3) sand with few pockets of very dark gray (10YR 3/2) loamy sand; massive; very friable; common fine and medium roots; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. 2
C2g-- 48-54 inches, dark brown (10YR 4/3) sand; single grained; loose; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
3C3g-- 54-61 inches, dark gray (5Y 4/1) sandy loam and pockets of dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) sandy clay loam massive; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
4C4g-- 61-72 inches, dark brown (10YR 4/3) sand; single grained; loose; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Hyde County, North Carolina; approximately 3 miles south of Pungo Lake, 1.7 mile north of SR 1300, 0.6 mile west of Hyde Park Canal and SR 1338. (100 feet south of Baker Canal at approximate location of Dolman site 8).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic materials ranges from 16 to 51 inches. The organic soil material is extremely acid except where the surface has been limed. The underlying mineral horizons are extremely through strongly acid. Logs, stumps, and fragments of wood occupy 5 to 35 percent of the volume of the organic layers. Content of charcoal ranges from none to common. Flakes of mica are few to common in the mineral layers of some pedons. The surface layers are black (N 2/ ; 5YR 2/1; 10YR 2/1) or very dark brown (10YR 2/2). The lower tiers are centered on dark reddish brown (2.5YR 2/4; 5 YR 2/2, 3/2), dusky red (2.5YR 3/2), or very dusky red (2.5YR 2/2), and range to very dark brown (10YR 2/2), very dark gray (5YR 3/1), and black (5YR 2/1; 10YR 2/1). Fiber content ranges from 20 percent to 45 percent unrubbed and is less than 10 percent after rubbing. Ten (10) inches or more of the subsurface tier is in hue of 5YR or 2.5YR. The organic material of this layer is paste-like, has greasy feel (colloidal), and is massive under natural wet conditions. Upon aeration, as with drainage, the organic material develops a weak subangular blocky structure. Air drying causes shrinkage and development of hard subangular blocky fragments that dry irreversibly. The underlying mineral layers are stratified loamy sand, fine sand, or sand in the upper portion and may be loamy in the lower part. The IIAb horizon is not present in some pedons. Mineral horizons are variable in color and range from very dark brown through brownish yellow.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Allemands, Belhaven, Dare, Delcomb, Dorovan, Lafitte, Maurepas, Okeechobee, Pamlico, Ponzer, Pungo, Terra Ceia, and Tomoka. Allemands soils are euic and are underlain by clayey sediments. Belhaven, Delcomb, Ponzer, and Tomoka soils have organic layers underlain by loamy textured mineral horizons at less than 51 inches. Dare, Dorovan, Lafitte, Maurepas, and Pungo soils have more than 51 inches of organic materials over mineral horizons. In addition, Lafitte and Maurepas soils are euic. Pamlico soils have no colloidal layer and all organic layers are in hues of 10YR and 7.5YR. Terra Ceia and Okeechobee are euic and have temperature regimes that are hyperthermic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mattamuskeet soils are on nearly level to level areas of the Lower Coastal Plains. The soils formed under very poorly drained or saturated conditions from the remains of swampy vegetation dominated by tupelo, cypress, Atlantic white-cedar and related nonwoody, fiberous hydrophytic plants over sandy marine and fluvial sediments. Elevation near the type location is 11.5 feet above mean sea level. The mean precipitation is about 51 inches near the type location. The growing season is about 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Belhaven, Dare, Dorovan, Pamlico, Ponzer, and Pungo series, these are the Ballahack, Barclay, Cape Fear, Hyde, Pasquotank, Portsmouth, Wasda, and Weeksville series. All of these are mineral soils. Ballahack, Cape Fear, Hyde, Portsmouth, and Weeksville soils have umbric epipedons, and Wasda soils have histic epipedons. Barclay and Pasquotank soils have better drainage and are located on the high parts of the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability. Except in drained areas, Mattamuskeet soils are saturated at or near the surface throughout most of the year.
USE AND VEGETATION: Much of the acreage is undeveloped and supports plant communities that reflect past history of treatment. Some areas are vegetated with scattered pond pine (Pinus serotina) and a dense undergrowth of both large and small gall berry (Ilex spp.) and huckleberry (Gaylvssacia spp.), greenbrier (Smilex spp.), wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), scattered red maple (Acer rubrum), red bay (Persea borbonia), sweet bay (Magnolia virginia), and reeds (Arundinaria tecta). Areas with a history of severe burning usually have a smaller population of these species and contain large amounts of broomsedge (Andropogon spp.) and other grasses. These soils also support mixed hardwood forests dominated by water and swamp tupelo (Nyssa spp.), southern bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyodies (L.) B.S.P.), and other hydrophytic species. Developed areas are used primarily for growing corn, soybeans, small grain, and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lower Coastal Plain of North Carolina and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent. Series Proposed: Hyde County, North Carolina; 1967. The name is taken from Lake Mattamuskeet in Hyde County.
REMARKS: Mattamuskeet series would have formerly been classified as Bog soils.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Dolman, J. D. and S. W. Buol. A Study of Organic Soils in the Tidewater Region of North Carolina (Site 8). North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Technical Bulletin No. 181. December, 1967. Also, Dolman, J. D. and S. W. Buol. Organic Soils on the Lower Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings. Vol. 32 No. 2. pp. 414-18. 1968.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES PROPOSED: Hyde County, North Carolina