LOCATION NORTH MEADOW NY
Established Series
RKS-JTI
01/2014
NORTH MEADOW SERIES
The North Meadow series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in a thin loamy mantle of human transported material over till. They occur on anthropogenic landscapes in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C and mean annual precipitation is about 1196 mm.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: North Meadow fine sandy loam in a nearly level (1 percent slope) wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil unless noted differently.)
Oi-- 0 to 3 cm; black (10YR 2/1) slightly decomposed plant material; common fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 3 cm thick.)
^A-- 3 to 6 cm; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky and weak medium granular structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 40 cm thick.)
^Bw1-- 6 to 20 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and few medium roots; few patchy prominent black manganese coatings on ped faces; very few patchy faint dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) clay films on rock fragments; 2 percent cobbles and 7 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary.
^Bw2-- 20 to 51 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) gravelly fine sandy loam; moderate coarse platy and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine and few medium roots; few patchy prominent black manganese coatings on ped faces; very few patchy faint dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) clay films on rock fragments; 5 percent stones, 6 percent cobbles and 12 percent gravel; common (5 percent) medium prominent brown (7.5YR 4/3) iron depletions; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.
^Bw3-- 51 to 61 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; moderate coarse platy and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; very few fine and few medium roots; few patchy prominent black manganese coatings on ped faces; very few patchy faint dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) clay films on rock fragments; 5 percent cobbles and 7 percent gravel; many (25 percent) medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/3) iron depletions and common (10 percent) fine yellowish red (5YR 4/6) iron concentrations; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.
^Bw4-- 61 to 72 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; very few fine roots; few patchy prominent black manganese coatings on ped faces; very few patchy faint dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) clay films on rock fragments; 2 percent cobbles and 7 percent gravel; many (20 percent) medium distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/3) iron depletions, common (10 percent) fine yellowish red (5YR 4/6) iron concentrations, common medium prominent brown (7.5YR 5/2) iron depletions; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 22 to 66 cm.)
2Ab-- 72 to 74 cm; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and common medium roots; common (10 percent) fine prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) iron concentrations; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear broken boundary. (2 to 35 cm thick.)
2Bgb1-- 74 to 94 cm; 75 percent gray (10YR 5/1) and 15 percent light gray (10YR 7/1) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common (10 percent) fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) iron concentrations; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 53 cm thick.)
2Bgb2-- 94 to 127 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many (20 percent) medium and coarse prominent gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions, common (10 percent) medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/1) iron depletions, and common (10 percent) medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron concentrations; strongly acid (pH 5.2). (Combined thickness of the 2Bgb horizons is 20 to 53 centimeters.)
TYPE LOCATION: Staten Island, New York; wooded site in Arden Woods Park, approximately 770 feet Northeast along footpath from trailhead off Arden Avenue (900 feet Southeast of intersection between Arthur Kill Road and Arden Ave, on Northeast side of road); USGS Arthur Kill, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 40 degrees 33 minutes, 29.8 seconds N. and Longitude 74 degrees, 11 minutes, 36.4 seconds W.; NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the human transported material ranges from 25 to 100 cm. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 35 percent, with a weighted average of less than 10 percent human artifacts in the control section. Textures are commonly sandy loam, loam or silt loam, but may include thin horizons of loamy sand or sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid in the human transported mantle, and very strongly acid to neutral beneath.
Some pedons in wooded areas have O horizons.
The ^A horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. Structure is granular or subangular blocky and consistence is very friable or friable, although compacted areas may be platy and/or firm.
The ^Bw horizons have hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 8. Structure is commonly subangular blocky but can be platy, granular, or the material is massive; consistence is friable or firm.
Some pedons have ^BC horizons that have properties similar to the ^Bw horizons.
Some pedons have ^C horizons with hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 8. The material is generally massive, but may have plate-like divisions. Consistence is friable or firm.
Some pedons have Ab horizons with hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Structure is granular, subangular blocky, platy, or the material is massive. Consistence is friable or firm.
Some pedons have 2BAb, 2Bwb or 2Bgb horizons with hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Redoximorphic features are found within 60 centimeters of the mineral soil surface. Structure is granular, subangular blocky, platy, or the material is massive. Consistence is friable or firm.
Some pedons have 2C horizons with hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 6. The material is generally massive or single grain, and the consistence is friable or firm.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Chautauqua,
Pittstown,
Pompton,
Rainbow,
Sutton,
Wapping,
Wilbraham, and
Woodbridge series. They all have less than 25 cm of human transported material at the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nearly level urban areas where a relatively thin cap of human transported materials has been placed over an intact or truncated wet till soils. The cap is relatively free of human artifacts, with a weighted average of less than 10 percent in the control section. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature ranges from 8 to 17 degrees C. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1021 to 1325 mm.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Associated anthropogenic soils include
Greenbelt,
Centralpark, both of which have more than 100 cm of human transported materials at the surface.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are generally used for active and passive recreation, and are covered by turfgrass with ornamental trees and shrubs. Sweetgum and red maple are common trees in wooded areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur on anthropogenic landscapes in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeastern United States. MLRAs 144A and 149B. The soils of this series are small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Richmond County, New York, 2014. Series propsoed Richmond County, New York, 2011. The name refers to an area of Central Park in Manhattan (New York County) where the soil was initially encountered.
REMARKS: North Meadow soils often exhibit an irregular decrease in organic carbon with depth however this is a result of anthropogenic filling (deposition) not alluvial deposition; excluding them from the concept of Fluvaquentic Dystrudepts. Proposed revisions to soil taxonomy in ICOMANTH Circular Letter 7 developed for anthropogenic soils will help to clarify this difference.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 cm (O and A horizons).
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 72 cm (Bw horizons).
3. Aquic subgroup low chroma depletions starting at 61 cm - 58 cm from the mineral soil surface (Bw3 horizon).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.