LOCATION MONARDA ME+NH NY
Established Series
Rev. KJL-LRF-NB
09/2014
MONARDA SERIES
The Monarda series consists of poorly drained soils formed in dense till on lower slopes or in slight depressions on till plains. They are very deep to bedrock and shallow to dense till. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the subsurface and upper part of the subsoil and low to moderately high in the lower part of the subsoil and in the substratum. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 4 degrees C and mean annual precipitation is about 940 mm at the type location.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, acid, frigid, shallow Aeric Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Monarda silt loam on a 2 percent north-facing slope in a very stony forested area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oe--0 to 8 cm; black (5YR 2/1) mucky peat (hemic material); weak medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
Eg--8 to 15 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; 5 percent gravel; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)
Bg1--15 to 28 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; many medium faint pale olive (5Y 6/3) masses of iron accumulation; 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bg2--28 to 41 cm; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; firm, few fine and medium roots; many medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; 10 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bg horizon is 5 to 41 cm)
BC--41 to 51 cm; olive (5Y 5/4) silt loam; massive; firm; few fine roots; many medium faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation and common fine distinct gray (5Y 6/1) iron depletions; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)
Cd--51 to 165 cm; olive (5Y 4/3) gravelly silt loam; strong very coarse prisms; firm, olive gray (5Y 5/2) faces of prisms which are separated from interiors of prisms by a thin layer of brown (7.5YR 4/4); common fine distinct gray (5Y 6/1) iron depletions and common medium faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; 15 percent gravel; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Somerset County, Maine, Brassua Township (T2R2); 7.5 miles north on the Demo Road from Maine Routes 6 and 15 to a gravel pit on the east side of the road, through the pit and 2.5 miles east-southeast on a logging road, the site is 200 feet west of the road; USGS Brassua Lake West topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 40 minutes 30 seconds N. and long. 69 degrees 55 minutes 35 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mineral solum ranges from 30 to 50 cm. Depth to bedrock is more than 152 cm. The weighted average of clay in the particle-size control section is 10 to 18 percent. Rock fragment content ranges from 5 to 70 percent in the Eg and A horizons, where present, and are mainly pebble and cobble size. Throughout the remainder of the mineral soil profile, rock fragments are mainly pebble size, the weighted average ranging from 5 to 35 percent. Some pedons have channers. Stones and boulders cover 0 to 35 percent of the surface.
The Oe horizon, and Oa horizon, where present, have hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. They have weak or moderate, very fine to medium granular structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The A and Ap horizons, where present, have hues of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 to 3. They are silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. They have weak to strong, fine or medium granular structure and are very friable or friable. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid unless limed.
The Eg horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak thin or medium platy, weak fine subangular blocky, weak very fine or fine granular or weak very coarse prismatic structure or the horizon is massive. Consistence is very friable to firm. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid.
The B horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak or moderate, thin to very thick platy structure or very fine to medium subangular blocky, or weak very fine to medium granular or weak coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium platy. Consistence is friable or firm, nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid.
The BC horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak or moderate, medium to very thick platy structure, or weak or moderate subangular blocky, or weak to strong, coarse or very coarse prismatic parting to weak or moderate, medium to very thick platy or it is massive. Consistence is firm or very firm, nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic. Some pedons have an E' horizon that has characteristics similar to those of the BC horizon. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Cd layer has hue of 2.5Y, 5Y, or 5GY, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak or moderate, thin to very thick plates or weak to strong, coarse or very coarse prisms that may part to plates, all of which is interpreted as inherited from the parent material, or the horizon is massive. Consistence is firm or very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic or plastic. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in the same family
Pillsbury soils are in a related family. They have less than 10 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monarda soils are on lower slopes or in slight depressions on till plains. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in dense glacial till derived mainly from slate, metasandstone, phyllite and shale with small amounts of granite, fine grained quartzite and sandstone. The climate is humid and cool temperate. The mean annual temperature ranges from 3 to 7 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 864 to 1168 mm. The frost-free season ranges from 80 to 130 days. Elevation ranges from 36 to 762 m above mean sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bangor,
Burnham,
Chesuncook,
Dixmont,
Elliottsville,
Howland,
Monson,
Penquis,
Plaisted,
Telos,
Thorndike and
Winnecook soils. The Bangor, Chesuncook, Dixmont, Howland, Plaisted, and Telos soils are better drained and are in higher positions on the landscape. Burnham soils are wetter soils in depressions. Elliottsville, Monson, Penquis, Thorndike and Winnecook soils are better drained, shallower to bedrock and are in higher positions on the landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the subsurface and upper part of the subsoil and low to moderately high in the lower part of the subsoil and in the substratum.Permeability is moderate to moderately rapid in the subsurface, moderate to moderately slow in the upper part of the subsoil and slow or very slow in the lower part of the subsoil and in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly forest. Common tree species include red spruce, balsam fir, black spruce, northern white cedar, red maple, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, and paper birch. A few areas are in hay or pastures.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Maine, New Hampshire, and New York. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Penobscot County, Maine, 1947.
REMARKS: Mineral solum thickness range narrowed to insure single family placement (rev. 2/2007). It is recognized that historically the series concept included deeper members. Family changed from coarse-loamy to loamy and great group from Epiaquepts to Endoaquepts with revision, 1/2005. The Monarda soils are borderline between acid and nonacid with the majority of pedons tested being acid. The current classification reflects this.
Note the series Typical Pedon needs evaluation as it is not shallow. See historical notes.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 15 cm (Oe and Eg horizons).
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 15 to 51 cm (Bg1, Bg2 and BC horizons).
3. Aquic conditions - redoximorphic features 8 cm below the mineral surface.
4 Endosaturation - classification defaults to Endoaquepts as the densic contact is not applicable to diagnostic horizons and properties.
5 Aeric feature - chroma of 4 in the BC horizon
6 Densic contact - Cd layer at a depth of 51 cm.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Source of data used in establishing taxonomic class and range in characteristics are Technical Bulletin 94, Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, unpublished data, Maine Agricultural Experiment Station and NRCS Characterization Data.
Soil Interpretation Record numbers for the Monarda series are: Monarda, ME0011; Monarda, rubbly, ME0136; and Monarda, stony, ME0012.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.