LOCATION PHIPPSBURG ME
Established Series
Rev. NRB-MGD-CIB
09/2018
PHIPPSBURG SERIES
The Phippsburg series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in herbaceous organic deposits over sandy mineral deposits. They are in tidal marshes subject to inundation by salt water twice daily. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic layers and very high in the underlying mineral sediments. Mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation is 1900 mm.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Histic Sulfaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Phippsburg mucky peat in a salt grass tidal marsh, undrained. (Colors are for moist soil unless noted otherwise.)
Oe--0 to 28 cm; dark brown (10YR 3/3) mucky peat (hemic materials); 60 percent fiber, 50 percent rubbed; dense mat of roots, stems, and leaves; massive; many very fine, fine, and common medium roots; very friable; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)
Ase--28 to 46 cm; dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) mucky sandy loam; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)
Cseg--46 to 165 cm; gray (5Y 5/1) sand; single grained; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sagadahoc County, Maine; Town of Georgetown; 1.25 miles southwest of the entrance gate to Reid State Park to a large parking lot at the end of the Seguinland Road, and approximately 250 feet southwest of the lower parking lot into the adjacent tidal marsh; USGS Boothbay Harbor topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 46 minutes 43.9 seconds N., and longitude 69 degrees 44 minutes 13.8 seconds W., WGS 84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic deposits ranges from 20 to 40 cm. The soil ranges from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in its natural condition and ultra-acid to neutral once oxidized. The electrical conductivity (EC) ranges from 0.0 to 4.0 dS/m in a 1:5 soil to water mixture by volume. Salt content ranges from about 5,000 to 35,000 ppm. Some pedons may contain sea shells.
The O horizon is neutral or has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is typically comprised of hemic and sapric materials, but some pedons have fibric materials. Fiber content ranges from 25 through 90 percent, rubbed fiber content ranges from 10 to 65 percent. Organic matter content ranges from 20 to 90 percent.
The A horizon has a hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Textures range from silt loam to sand and their mucky modifiers. Herbaceous fibers are common in most pedons.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y to 5G, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture ranges from sandy clay loam to sand. Shell fragments and herbaceous fibers are common.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in the same family.
Matunuck soils are in a related family with similar fine earth texture class but occur in areas with a mesic soil temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Phippsburg soils are level and occur in tidal marshes along the coast of Maine. They are subject to tidal flooding twice daily except in areas protected by dikes, tide gates, or other restrictions. Phippsburg soils formed in thick sandy deposits beneath organic material. Mean annual temperature ranges from 5 to 9 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 1600 to 2200 mm.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Fort Knox,
Gouldsboro,
Todds Point,
Pemaquid,
Petit Manan, and
Damariscotta soils in nearby tidal marsh areas. Fort Knox soils have organic materials 40 to 130 cm thick and are underlain by loamy mineral materials. Gouldsboro soils are fine-silty mineral soils with a thin to absent organic cap less than 20 cm thick. Todds Point soils have organic materials greater than 130 cm thick and seldom have any mineral within 165 cm. Pemaquid soils have organic materials 40 to 130 cm thick and are underlain by sandy mineral materials. Petit Manan soils have organic materials 40 to 130 cm thick and are underlain by fine-silty mineral materials. Damariscotta soils are sandy mineral soils with a thin to absent organic cap less than 20 cm thick.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. Runoff is negligible or ponded. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic surface horizon and very high in the underlying sands.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in salt marsh and provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish, and wildfowl. Small scattered areas are used for saltgrass hay. The most common grasses are salt meadowgrass, salt water grass, and spike grass. Other vegetation includes blackgrass, sea lavender, saltwort, seaside goldenrod, aster, and purple gerardi. In areas where the 1:5 soil to water EC by volume is below 1.5 dS/m, vegetation consists principally of tall reeds and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal areas and along tidally influenced rivers of Maine; MLRA 144B. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sagadahoc County, Maine, 2018.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
1. Histic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 30 cm (Oe, Oa horizons).
2. Sandy particle-size class - the control section is from 53 to 128 cm (Cseg horizon).
3. Sulfaquents feature - sulfidic materials are within (50 cm of the mineral soil surface).
4. Reaction (pH value) is more than 4.5 throughout the control section.
ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon is entered as 2017ME023003 in the National Soils Information System.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.