LOCATION ONCHIOTA NY
Established Series
TDT
12/2018
ONCHIOTA SERIES
The Onchiota series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in sandy deposits on lake plains and outwash plains. Saturated hydraulic conductivity ranges from moderately low to moderately high in the ortstein layer, and high to very high throughout the remainder of the pedon. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1016 millimeters and mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, isotic, frigid, shallow, ortstein Typic Durorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Onchiota fine sand - in an area dominated by blueberries and second-growth woodland, on a 2 percent slope. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
Oe -- 0 to 4 centimeters; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) moderately decomposed plant material; massive; very friable; many fine, medium, and very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt wavy boundary.
Oa -- 4 to 6 centimeters; black (5YR 2.5/1) highly decomposed plant material; massive; very friable; many fine, medium, and very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizon is 0 through 15 centimeters.)
E1 -- 6 to 21 centimeters; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; common fine and medium roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); gradual wavy boundary.
E2 -- 21 to 38 centimeters; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) fine sand; 10% percent fine and medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizon is 0 through 60 centimeters.)
Bhs -- 38 to 44 centimeters; black (5YR 2.5/1) fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 through 10 centimeters thick.)
Bhsm -- 44 to 47 centimeters; black (5YR 2.5/1) fine sand; massive; weakly cemented; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear irregular boundary. (0 through 50 centimeters thick.)
Bsm1 -- 47 to 60 centimeters; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) fine sand; 15 percent medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; massive; strongly cemented; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear irregular boundary.
Bsm2 -- 60 to 102 centimeters; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) fine sand; massive; weakly cemented; 30 percent coarse and medium faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bsm horizon is 0 through 63 centimeters.)
C -- 102 to 152 centimeters; 90 percent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) and 10 percent olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) sand; single grain; loose; 5 percent medium faint grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) areas of iron depletion and 10 percent medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid (pH 5.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, New York; about 1.6 miles south of State Route 86 at Camp Gabriels along a transmission corridor, then about 0.9 mile southeast in second growth wooded area; USGS Gabriels, NY SE quarterquad; Latitude 44 degrees, 29 minutes, 05.2 seconds north; Longitude 74 degrees, 10 minutes, 49.5 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 50 through 127 centimeters. Rock fragments, mainly gravel, range from 0 through 5 percent by volume above 100 centimeters, and 0 through 20 percent below. Depth to the ortstein material ranges from 12 through 50 centimeters from the mineral surface. Redoximorphic features occur within a depth of 90 centimeters.
The O horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It consists of slightly through highly decomposed plant material. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
Some pedons have A horizons up to 8 centimeters thick with hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction of the A horizon ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
Some pedons occur in areas of current or previous cultivation and contain an Ap horizon up to 20 cm thick with hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction of the Ap horizon ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid. The E horizon may be absent in areas previously cultivated or heavily pastured.
Some pedons have a very friable or friable Bh horizon with hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
Some pedons have a Bs horizon that may be above or below the cemented horizons. It has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 3 through 6. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid.
The Bhs or Bhsm horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid.
The Bsm horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 8. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, and value and chroma of 3 through 8. Texture is sand or fine sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through slightly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 6. Texture is mainly sand or fine sand, but some pedons have loamy sand through very fine sandy loam below 100 centimeters deep. It ranges from very strongly acid through slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: Currently, the
Paquin and
Wolf Pond (T) series are the only competing series. Paquin soils have a lower mean annual precipitation. Wolf Pond (T) soils lack redoximorphic features above 100 centimeters deep.
In closely related families is the
Wallace,
Voelker, and
Borgstrom series. The Wallace, Voelker and Borgstrom soils have a lower mean annual precipitation. Wallace soils lack redoximorphic features above 100 centimeters.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Onchiota soils are on lake plains and outwash plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 87 to 127 centimeters. Mean annual temperature ranges from 3 degrees to 7 degrees C. Mean annual frost-free days ranges from 70 to 160 days. Elevation ranges from 60 through 900 meters above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Wolf Pond (T),
Kushaqua (T),
Adams,
Colton,
Searsport,
Burnt Vly and
Monadnock soils. The well drained Wolf Pond (T) soils are on slightly higher landform positions. The somewhat poorly drained Kushaqua (T) and very poorly drained Searsport soils are in lower landscape positions and form a drainage sequence with the Onchiota (T) soils. Adams and Colton soils do not contain more than 50 percent ortstein and are on higher landscape positions. The organic Burnt Vly soils are in adjacent depressions and drainageways. The Monadnock soils formed in till and have less than 60 percent ortstein in any layer.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is negligible to low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity ranges from moderately low to moderately high in the ortstein layer, and high to very high throughout the remainder of the pedon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Onchiota soils are almost entirely in second growth woodland and support stands of balsam fir, eastern white pine, sugar maple, red pine, yellow birch and white birch.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. MLRA 143. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, NY, 2018.
REMARKS: The series is named after nearby Onchiota, a cross-roads in the Town of Franklin, Franklin County, NY.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Albic horizon - the zone from 6 to 38 centimeters (E horizon);
Spodic horizon - the zone from 38 to 102 centimeters (Bhs, Bhsm and Bsm horizons);
Durorthod feature - the zone from 44 to 102 cm cemented ortstein present in more than 90 percent of the exposed surface area of the spodic horizon (Bhsm, Bsm1, and Bsm2 horizons);
Shallow family - root limiting layer at 38 cm from the mineral surface (Bhsm).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.