LOCATION MUNSON VT+NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty over clayey, mixed, active, nonacid, mesic Aeric Epiaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Munson silt loam - hayfield (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches, brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; many roots; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 11 inches, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many roots; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and common fine distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bw2--11 to 15 inches, olive (5Y 5/3) silt loam; weak thin and medium platy structure parting to weak very fine granular; friable; common roots; common fine faint olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulation, common fine faint olive gray (5Y 5/2) iron depletions; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
2Bgl--15 to 19 inches, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium angular blocky; firm, sticky, plastic; common roots; common fine distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and common fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
3Bg2--19 to 24 inches, greenish gray (5G 6/1), dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) silty clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
3C1--24 to 38 inches, layers of olive (5Y 4/3) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silty clay; varves separate into thin and medium plates; firm, very sticky, very plastic; few roots; common fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 5/1) iron depletions; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
3C2--38 to 60 inches, layers of olive (5Y 5/3) greenish gray (5G 5/1) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay; varves separate into thin and medium plates; firm, very sticky, very plastic; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Chittenden County, Vermont, Town of Essex, 2 miles northeast of Essex Center, Vermont 60 feet east of Vermont Highway 128; approximate latitude 44 degrees 31 minutes 55 seconds North, longitude 73 degrees 1 minute 50 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 14 to 30 inches. Depth to bedrock, sandy, loamy, or skeletal material exceeds 60 inches. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 2 percent throughout the soil. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Structure is weak or moderate, very fine to medium granular. Consistence is friable or very friable. Some pedons have an A horizon with colors, texture, structure and consistence similar to the Ap horizon.
The B horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is silt loam or very fine sandy loam in the upper part and silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay texture in the lower part. Structure is weak or moderate, very fine to medium granular, or subangular blocky or platy in the upper part and weak, fine, medium prismatic, or moderate or strong, very fine to coarse blocky in the lower part. Consistence is friable or firm in the upper part and firm or very firm, sticky or very sticky, and plastic or very plastic in the lower part.
The C horizon is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 5G, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 4. Texture is silty clay loam, clay or silty clay. Structure is weak or moderate, medium or coarse prismatic parting to moderate or strong, fine to coarse angular or subangular blocky, or they have varves that part to thin or medium plates. Consistence is firm or very firm, sticky or very sticky, and plastic or very plastic.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in the same family. Binghamville, Buxton, Panton, Raynham, Scantic, Swanton and Whately are similar soils in related families. Binghamville and Raynham soils have a coarse-silty particle-size control section. Buxton and Scantic soils have a fine particle-size control section. Panton soils have an argillic horizon and a very fine particle-size control section. Swanton and Whately soils have coarse-loamy particle-size in the upper part of the control section and Whately soils have a frigid temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Munson soils are level to moderately steep soils on lake or marine plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in silty over clayey lacustrine or marine sediments. The climate is humid continental with cool summers and cold winters. The mean annual air temperature ranges 45 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and mean annual participation is 30 to 48 inches. The frost-free season ranges from 130 to 195 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Belgrade, Binghamville, Biddeford, Birdsall, Buxton, Covington, Eldridge, Elmwood, Enosburg, Panton, Raynham, Scantic, Suffield and Swanton soils. The well drained Suffield, moderately well drained Buxton, poorly drained Scantic, and very poorly drained Biddeford soils are members of a drainage sequence with Munson soils. Belgrade, Binghamville, Panton, and Raynham are in similar positions on the landscape and Birdsall and Covington soils are in lower positions on the landscape. Belgrade, Binghamville, Birdsall and Raynham soils have coarse-silty particle-size control sections. Covington and Panton soils have very fine particle-size control sections. Eldridge, Elmwood, Enosburg and Swanton soils are on outwash landforms. Eldridge and Enosburg soils have sandy over loamy particle-size control sections. Elmwood and Swanton soils have a coarse-loamy over clayey particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is slow to rapid. Permeability is moderate or moderately slow in the surface and upper part of the subsoil and slow to very slow in the lower part. There is a perched water table at a depth of 0.5 to 2.0 feet, from November through May in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas have been cleared and are used for growing corn, hay or pasture. The important tree species in forested areas are sugar maple, eastern white pine and white and red spruce. Other species of lesser extent are hemlock, red maple, red oak, elm, gray birch, and balsam fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: New Hampshire, New York and Vermont (MLRAs 142, 143, 144A, and 144B). The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chittenden County, Vermont, 1968.
REMARKS: 1. This series has been classified to the 6th edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy with this revision. The former classification was coarse-silty over clayey, mixed, nonacid, mesic Aeric Haplaquepts. 2. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (A horizon).
b. Cambic horizon - the zone from 8 to 24 inches (Bw and Bg horizons).
c. Epiaquepts feature - a horizons at a depth less than 20 inches (50 cm) that have matrix chroma of 2 or less and redoximorphic features (Bw1 horizon).
d. Aeric feature - horizon within the upper 30 inches (75 cm) that has chroma greater than 2 (Bw2 horizon).