LOCATION QUINNIPIAC              CT

Established Series
CEP-BEF-DCP
10/2024

QUINNIPIAC SERIES

MLRA(s)--144A, 145
Depth class--Very deep
Drainage Class--Very poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity-low to high
Parent material--Loamy alluvium and/or estuarine deposits
Geomorphic location--Tidal marshes within Estuaries, Coastal Lowlands, and tidal Rivers
Slope range for series--0 to 1 percent
Mean annual air temperature--10 degrees C (50 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--1295 millimeters (51 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Typic Sulfaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Quinnipiac mucky silt loam on a linear, zero percent slope in a tidal marsh. Tidal range is 220 centimeters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).

Aseg--0 to 19 centimeters; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) mucky silt loam; massive; very fluid, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots throughout; strong sulfurous odor; very strongly acid (pH 4.9), extremely acid (pH 3.8) oxidized pH; clear boundary. (0 to 27 centimeters thick.)

Cseg1--19 to 49 centimeters; dark greenish gray (10Y 3/1) mucky silt loam; massive; very fluid, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common very fine, common fine, and few medium roots throughout; strong sulfurous odor; neutral (pH 7.2), slightly alkaline (pH 7.4) oxidized pH; clear boundary.

Cseg2--49 to 74 centimeters; dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) silt loam; massive; very fluid, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; 35 percent herbaceous plant fibers; strong sulfurous odor; extremely acid (pH 4.0), ultra acid (pH 3.2) oxidized pH; abrupt boundary.

Cseg3--74 to 95 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) very fine sandy loam; massive; very fluid, nonsticky, nonplastic; 35 percent herbaceous plant fibers; moderate sulfurous odor; extremely acid (pH 4.0), ultra acid (pH 3.3) oxidized pH; clear boundary.

Cseg4--95 to 140 centimeters; dark greenish gray (10Y 3/1) silty clay loam; massive; moderately fluid, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 8 percent herbaceous plant fibers; moderate sulfurous odor; extremely acid (pH 4.1), ultra acid (pH 3.2) oxidized pH; gradual boundary.

Cseg5--140 to 200 centimeters; dark greenish gray (10Y 4/1) silty clay loam; massive; moderately fluid, moderately sticky, nonplastic; 5 percent shell fragments; 5 percent herbaceous plant fibers; 1 centimeter band of coarse sand with 2 percent shell fragments at a depth of 186 centimeters; moderate sulfurous odor; ultra acid (pH 3.4), ultra acid (pH 3.2) oxidized pH; (Combined thickness of Cseg horizons is 123 to 200 centimeters thick.)

TYPE LOCATION: New Haven County, Connecticut; Tidal marsh at Sachem head, about 1,280 feet northwest of intersection of Trolley Rd. and Bayberry Lane and approximately 2,620 feet east of the road intersections of Corncrib Hill Road and Pump Lane.
USGS topographic quadrangle: Guilford, CT

Latitude--41.260067
Longitude-- -72.7031889
Datum--WGS84
Coordinates source--from hand-held GPS

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock--Greater than 200 centimeters
Soil moisture--Wet; Peraquic moisture regime
Reaction throughout--Ultra acid to neutral (pH <3.5 to 7.3)
Oxidized reaction--Ultra acid to slightly alkaline (pH <3.5 to 7.8)
Electrical conductivity (EC 1:5 water), throughout-more than 0.6 dS/m
Depth to hypersulfidic materials (incubated pH 4.0 or less)--0 to 50 centimeters
Shell fragments--0 to 5 percent, by volume
Coarse fragments--0 to 60 percent fine and medium gravels, by volume in individual horizons
Total Soil Organic Carbon Stock--50 to 60 kg m-2

Aseg or A/Cseg horizon
Hue-2.5Y, 5Y, 10Y, or 10YR
Value-2.5 or 3
Chroma-1 or 2
Texture--mucky silt loam, silt loam, loam, or sandy loam
Horizon Organic Carbon Density--17 to 24 kg m-3
Clay content-5 to 18 percent
Manner of failure / fluidity class--slightly fluid to very fluid

Cseg horizon
Hue--2.5Y, 5Y, 10Y, 10YR, or 5GY
Value--3 or 4
Chroma--1 to 2
Texture--silt loam; range includes silty clay through very fine sandy loam and their mucky analogs, some pedons contain thin sandy horizons.
Horizon Organic Carbon Density--16 to 34 kg m-3
Clay content-5 to 45 percent
Manner of failure / fluidity class--moderately fluid to very fluid
Shell fragments--0 to 5 percent, by volume
Coarse fragments--0 to 60 percent fine and medium gravels, by volume

COMPETING SERIES:
There are no competing series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--Loamy alluvium and/or estuarine deposits
Landscape--Estuaries, Coastal Lowlands, and Tidal Rivers
Landform--Tidal marshes
Slope--0 to 1 percent
Mean annual precipitation--1023 to 1320 millimeters (40 to 52 inches)
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 13 degrees C (39.2 to 55.4 degrees F)
Water salinity range--18 to 30 parts per thousand
Frost-free period--350 to 365 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Calves, Ipswich, Matunuck, Oyster River, Pawcatuck, and Westbrook soils.
Calves soils--have O horizons and histic epipedons
Ipswich soils--formed in thick deposits of hemic organic soil materials
Matunuck soils--have O horizons at the soil surface and histic epipedons
Oyster River soils--have buried diagnostic O horizons 40 centimeters or more thick below the mineral soil surface
Pawcatuck soils--formed in hemic organic soil materials over sandy mineral soil materials
Westbrook soils--formed in hemic organic soil materials over loamy mineral soil materials

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--Very poorly drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity-Low to High
Soil moisture regime--Peraquic

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses--Most areas are in salt marsh and provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish and wildfowl. Small, scattered areas are in saltgrass hay.
Native vegetation--Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, and Salicornia spp. may occur on these soils.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area--These soils are located along Connecticut coastline.
Regions--R - Northeastern Forage and Forest Region
MLRA(s)--144A, 145
Extent-Small

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICE

SERIES ESTABLISHED: New Haven County, Connecticut, 2024.

REMARKS:

Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include--
Peraquic feature--Zero or positive soil water potential at the soil surface.
Particle-size control section--The zone from 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 40 inches).
Ochric epipedon--The zone from 0 to 19 centimeters (Aseg horizon).
Hypersulfidic materials--The zone from 0 to 200 centimeters (Aseg and Cseg horizons) have oxidized reactions with pH values less than 4 after 16 weeks.
N-value > 0.7--The zone from 0 to 200 centimeters (Aseg and Cseg horizons)
Taxonomic version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition (2022)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Type location taken from 2023CT009297 in Sachem Head, CT.
Additional support pedons used to develop this series include 2023CT009300 and 2023CT009311.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.