LOCATION MIDDLEBROOK NY
Established Series
Rev. MWH-WEH-STS
04/2013
MIDDLEBROOK SERIES
The Middlebrook series consist of moderately deep, moderately well drained soils formed in till derived from sandstone, siltstone, and shale. They are nearly level to strongly sloping soils on bedrock controlled uplands. Bedrock is at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature is 44 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is 43 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, frigid Aquic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Middlebrook channery silt loam on a 6 percent slope in a hayfield. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap -- 0 to 6 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3), pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, channery silt loam; moderate medium and fine granular structure; friable; many fine and few medium roots; 15 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary (4 to 12 inches thick).
Bw1 -- 6 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) channery silt loam; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; very friable; many fine roots; few fine tubular and many fine vesicular pores; 25 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2 -- 12 to 17 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) channery silt loam; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; friable; common fine roots; common fine tubular and many fine vesicular pores; 30 percent rock fragments; few fine faint light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) masses of iron accumulations and distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) areas iron depletions; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons 9 to 28 inches).
CB --17 to 35 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) very channery loam; very weak subangular blocky structures; firm; common medium tubular and few medium vesicular pores; 35 percent rock fragments; many medium distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) areas of iron depletions with prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulations surrounding some of the depletions; moderately acid (0 to 18 inches thick).
2R --35 inches; light brownish gray sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Delaware County, New York; Town of Davenport, 500 feet west of Diddish Hill Rd., 0.5 miles north of VanDuesen Road. USGS Davenport, NY topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees, 28 minutes, 55 seconds N. and longitude 74 degrees, 48 minutes, 10 seconds W. NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 15 to 35 inches, and depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments range from 10 to 40 percent by volume in the mineral solum and from 25 to 50 percent in the C horizon. Weighted average of the rock fragment content is less than 35 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid throughout, unless influenced by lime.
The A and Ap horizons have hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 through 4. Dry color value is 6 or more. Texture is sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate granular. Consistence is friable or very friable. Where present, the A horizon is up to 4 inches thick. Thin O and E horizons are present in some pedons in undisturbed areas.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 6 with faint, distinct or prominent redoximorphic features in the lower part. The B horizons are sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak to moderate subangular blocky or granular. Consistence is friable or very friable. A BC horizon is present in some pedons and replaces the C horizon.
The CB horizons have hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is sandy loam to loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak or very weak subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or firm.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is sandy loam to loam in the fine earth fraction. It is massive or has plate-like divisions. Consistence is friable or firm. Some pedons have a Cd horizon below a depth of 2 feet that is very firm. Other pedons have a 2Cr horizon just above the bedrock.
The 2R horizon is dominantly massive sandstone, but layers of shale or siltstone are often interbedded.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ashfield,
Beechwood,
Gilmanton (T), and
Metacomet series. Ashland soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock and have rock fragments dominated by dark schist. Beechwood soils have a coarser textured substratum and deeper sola. Gilmanton and Metacomet soils have bedrock deeper than 60 inches and fragments mainly from granite and gneiss.
The Chautaugua,
Ischua,
Ludlow,
Mongaup,
Montesa,
Pittstown,
Pompton,
Rainbow,
Sutton,
Wapping,
Watchaug,
Wilbraham, and
Woodbridge series are in related families. The Chautaugua, Ludlow, Montesa, Pittstown, Pompton, Rainbow, Sutton, Wapping, Watchaug, Wilbraham, and Woodbridge soils have a mesic temperature regime. The Ischua soils have a fine-loamy particle size control section. Mongaup soils are better drained and lack redoximorphic features within a depth of 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Middlebrook soils are nearly level to strongly sloping soils on bedrock controlled uplands, dominantly occurring on broad hilltops and in saddle positions. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. These soils formed in till derived from sandstone, siltstone, and shale. The till forms a mantle 20 to 40 inches thick over the sandstone, siltstone, and shale bedrock from which it is derived. Mean annual temperature ranges from 43 to 45 degrees F.; mean annual precipitation ranges from 37 to 46 inches; and the mean frost-free season ranges from 100 to 130 days. The elevation ranges from 1750 to 2500 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Gretor,
Halcott, competing
Mongaup, and
Torull soils in bedrock controlled uplands, and the
Lewbath and
Willdin soils on lower landscapes. The somewhat poorly drained Gretor and well drained Mongaup soils are nearby drainage associates. The Halcott and Torull soils are both less than 20 inches deep to bedrock, with Halcott a well drained soil and Torull a poorly drained soil. The well drained Lewbath soils and the moderately well drained Willdin soils are in adjacent areas where the soil mantle is deeper.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is very low to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the upper part of the mineral solum and moderately low to high in the lower part of the solum and substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used dominantly for hay or pasture. Many areas are forested. Native trees include sugar maple, red maple, beech, black cherry, ash, birch, and hemlock.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Catskill Mountain area of east central New York, the southern tier of New York and possibly northeastern Pennsylvania. MLRA 140. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delaware County, New York, 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
1. Ochric Epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches (the Ap horizon).
2. Cambic Horizon - the zone from 6 to 17 inches (Bw horizons).
3. Aquic Subgroup - indicated by the presence of low chroma redoximorphic features within 24 inches of the soil surface (CB horizon).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.