LOCATION MUSKELLUNGE NY

Established Series
Rev. LMcD-JWW-WEH-GWS
01/2016

MUSKELLUNGE SERIES

The Muskellunge series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in fine sediments deposited in marine and lacustrine environments. They are nearly level to strongly sloping soils on marine and lacustrine plains and in basins on uplands. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 7 degrees C. and mean annual precipitation is 1000 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, frigid Aeric Epiaqualfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Muskellunge silty clay loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes, in a cornfield. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).

Ap--0 to 23 cm; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), dry; weak coarse and medium angular blocky structure, parting to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine roots; slightly alkaline (limed); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

BE--23 to 41 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay; moderate very fine angular blocky structure; firm; common very fine roots; many fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of oxidized iron; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick.)

Bt1--41 to 58 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay; strong fine angular blocky structure; firm; common thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; common very fine roots; ped faces are grayish brown (10YR 5/2); common fine and medium faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of oxidized iron; neutral; clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--58 to 97 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay; strong medium and fine angular blocky structure; firm; common moderately thick discountinuous clay flims on faces of peds and pore linings; few very fine roots; ped faces are gray (10YR 5/1); few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and many fine and medium faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of oxidized iron; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of B horizons is 23 to 76 cm)

Cg1--97 to 114 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay; massive structure parts to weak thin platy structure; firm; few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2), moist, masses of reduced iron, and many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron, and many gray (10YR 5/1), moist, masses of reduced iron on plate surfaces; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick.)

Cg2--114 to 183 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay; massive structure; very firm; common medium and coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; gray (5Y 5/1) on faces of common vertical desiccation cracks; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Clinton County, New York; Town of Beekmantown, about 2,200 feet east of Moffitt Road and 1,100 feet south of Pardy Road (at the dead end portion) in a cornfield. USGS Beekmantown, NY topographic quadrangle; latitude 44 degrees, 45 minutes, 30 seconds N. and longitude 73 degrees, 26 minutes, 7 seconds W. NAD 1927.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness ranges from 51 to 102 cm. Depth to carbonates ranges from 51 to 178 cm. Gravel ranges from 0 to 5 percent in the solum and 0 to 10 percent in the substratum. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutral in the A horizon, strongly acid to slightly alkaline in the subsoil, and neutral to moderately alkaline in the substratum. Some pedons have carbonates below a depth of 178 cm.

The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture of the fine earth fraction is silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay.

The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 3. Redoximorphic features are present. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay.

Some pedons have a BE horizon with colors similar to that of the Bt and E horizons. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay.

The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR toto 2.5Y, value of 4 toto 6, and chroma of 2 toto 4. Redoximorphic features are present. Texture of the fine earth-fraction is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay with a range of 35 to 60 percent clay. Structure is weak to strong prismatic, or it is or parts to subangular or angular blocky.

The C or Cg horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay, or silt loam, and it is commonly varved in the lower part with silt and very fine sand. Some pedons have vertical desiccation cracks.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
The Matoon and Rhinebeck series are similar soils in related families. Matoon soils are less than 40 inches to a lithic contact. Rhinebeck soils have illitic mineralogy and a mesic temperature regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Muskellunge soils are on marine or lacustrine plains or are in upland basins. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. They formed in marine or glaciolacustrine deposits high in clay. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 4 to 9 degrees C; and mean annual precipitation ranges from 790 to 1490 mm; The frost-free period ranges from 100 to 160 days. The elevation ranges from 30 to 340 meters above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adjidaumo, Dalbo, Guff, Heuvelton, Insula, Matoon, Millsite, Quetico, and Ruse soils. The moderately well drained Heuvelton and the poorly and very poorly drained Adjidaumo soils are in a drainage sequence with Muskellunge soils. Matoon and the poorly drained Guff soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Dalbo soils are similar to the Muskellunge soils but are better drained. Insula, Millsite, Quetico, and Ruse soils are on bedrock controlled, glacial till landscapes. Millsite soils are moderately deep and are well drained and somewhat excessively drained. Insula and Ruse soils are shallow. Insula soils are well drained and Ruse soils are somewhat excessively drained.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is very high or high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low or moderately high in the surface, subsurface, and subsoil horizons, and low or moderately low in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most cleared areas are used to grow hay, small grain and corn in support of dairy farming. Some areas are reverting to brush. Forestry species are red maple, sugar maple, black cherry, white pine, white ash and hemlock.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: St. Lawrence Valley of New York, and the Champlain Plain of New York and possibly Vermont. MLRA 142. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, New York, 1983.

REMARKS: Classification changed from Ochraqualfs to Epiaqualfs and CEC activity class assigned to conform to the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, seventh edition, 1996.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this profile:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 41 cm (Ap and BE horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 41 to 97 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
3. Aquic conditions - the zone from 41 to 183 cm.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.