LOCATION PONDICHERRY NH+VT
Established Series
Rev. JWH-SHG-ANA
04/2013
PONDICHERRY SERIES
The Pondicherry series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in organic accumulations that are underlain by stratified sand and gravel. They are in bogs and swamps on outwash plains, lake plains, and till uplands. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the organic horizons, and high to very high in the mineral substratum. Permeability is moderate or moderately rapid in the organic horizons, and rapid or very rapid in the mineral substratum. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 42 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 42 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, euic, frigid Terric Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Pondicherry muck in a level bog. (Colors are for wet soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa1--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) rubbed sapric materials (grass and fern origin); about 90 percent fibers, 10 percent rubbed; moderate medium granular structure; nonsticky; common fine and medium roots; strongly acid in H2O; clear smooth boundary.
Oa2--4 to 20 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) rubbed sapric material (mosses and leaf litter origin); about 80 percent fibers, 5 percent rubbed; moderate medium granular structure; nonsticky; few fine and medium roots; moderately acid in H2O; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Oa horizons is 16 to 51 inches thick)
Cg1--20 to 24 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) mucky loamy sand; massive; friable; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cg2--24 to 34 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) sand; massive; very friable; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 45 inches thick)
Cg3--34 to 65 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) gravelly sand; single grain; loose; 30 percent gravel; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Coos County, New Hampshire; Town of Whitefield, west of Whitefield Regional Airport; 350 feet north of the intersection of Hazen Road and the railroad tracks and 315 feet west of Hazen Road; Bethlehem USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude 44 degrees 22 minutes 11 seconds North, Longitude 71 degrees 33 minutes 50 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic soil layers ranges from 16 to 51 inches. The organic materials consist mainly of highly decomposed herbaceous materials. Slightly decomposed woody fragments comprise 0 to 15 percent by volume of the organic materials. Reaction in H2O ranges from strongly acid to neutral in the organic and mineral layers.
The surface tier has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. Structure is weak or moderate, fine to coarse granular, or it is massive. Consistence is nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic. It is dominantly sapric material with unrubbed fiber content of 10 to 95 percent and rubbed fiber content of 5 to 15 percent. Some pedons have thin hemic or fibric layers at or near the surface with chroma 3.
The subsurface tier and bottom tier, where present, have hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. Structure is weak, fine to coarse granular or subangular blocky, or it is massive. Consistence is nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic. It is sapric material with unrubbed fiber content of 10 to 95 percent and rubbed fiber content of 5 to 15 percent.
The Cg or C horizon is neutral or has hue of 10YR to 5BG, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 3. Some layers have hue of 7.5YR due to organic influence. Texture is coarse sand, sand, fine sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Mucky texture modifier is applicable in some layers. Rock fragments are mostly gravel and range from 0 to 40 percent. Structure is massive or single grain. Consistence is nonsticky and nonplastic.
COMPETING SERIES: There are the
Markey and
Tawas series in the same family. They are from outside Region R and have lower mean annual precipitation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pondicherry soils occur in bogs and swamps on outwash and lake plains and on glacial till uplands. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 50 inches and mean annual air temperature ranges from 37 to 47 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bemis,
Brayton,
Bucksport,
Burnham,
Cabot,
Charles,
Cornish,
Grange,
Lovewell,
Lyme,
Medomak,
Monarda,
Moosilauke, Naumberg,
Peacham,
Searsport,
Swanville,
Telos,
Westbury,
Wilmington, and
Wonsqueak soils. Bemis, Brayton, Burnham, Cabot, Charles, Cornish, Grange, Lovewell, Lyme, Medomak, Monarda, Moosilauke, Naumberg, Peacham, Searsport, Swanville, Telos, Westbury, and Wilmington soils are mineral soils in higher positions on the landscape. Bucksport and Wonsqueak soils are in similar landscape positions. Bucksport soils have organic deposits that are more than 51 inches thick. Wonsqueak soils have a loamy substratum.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the organic horizons and high to very high in the mineral substratum.
Permeability is moderate or moderately rapid in the organic horizons and rapid or very rapid in the mineral substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are primarily in native vegetation consisting of shrubs, reeds, and sedges, commonly with a tree canopy. The trees include tamarack, black spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch, speckled alder, and black ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; MLRA 143 and 144B. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Coos County, New Hampshire, 1999.
REMARKS: 1. These soils were formerly mapped as Markey or Chocorua soils. 2. The source of the name is the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge. 3. This series was classified using the 8th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.
4. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Organic materials feature - the zone from 0 to 20 inches (Oa horizons).
b. Terric feature - the zone from 20 to 65 inches (Cg horizons).
c. Euic feature - the pH is greater than 4.5 in .01 molar calcium chloride in some part of the organic materials (Oa2 horizon).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.