LOCATION SECAUCUS NJ+NY

Established Series
Rev. DCP
01/2013

SECAUCUS SERIES

The Secaucus series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils with moderately low through moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils formed in a thick mantle
of human transported material consisting of a mixture of construction debris and other fill materials. These soils occur on anthropogenic landforms in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual temperature is 13 degrees Celsius and mean annual precipitation is about 1196 millimeters.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Oxyaquic Udorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Secaucus artifactual fine sandy loam in a recreational ball field on an area of human transported material with a 1 percent slope. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

^Au--0 to 15 cm; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) artifactual fine sandy loam, dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) dry; massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots throughout; 20 percent gravel sized brick fragments and 5 percent subrounded gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

^Cu1--15 to 43 cm; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very artifactual fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots throughout; 40 percent gravel sized concrete fragments and 5 percent gravel sized brick fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary.

^Cu2--43 to 90 cm; 50 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and 50 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely artifactual fine sandy loam, massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots, common medium and coarse roots throughout; 60 percent cobble sized concrete fragments, 5 percent gravel sized concrete fragments, 1 percent gravel sized plastic fragments, 5 percent subrounded gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0) gradual irregular boundary.

^Cu3--90 to 165 cm; variegated very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely artifactual fine sandy loam, massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 60 percent cobble sized concrete fragments, 5 percent gravel sized concrete fragments, 10 percent subangular boulders , 5 percent subrounded gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (Combined thickness of the ^Cu horizon is 170 to 196 cm.)

TYPE LOCATION: Hudson County, New Jersey; City of Secaucus, 1,200 feet northeast along Millridge Road from the intersection with Koelle Boulevard and 100 feet east of Millridge Road in Mill Creek Park, USGS Weehawken, NJ topographic quadrangle; Latitude 40 degrees, 48 minutes, 14.3 seconds N. and Longitude 74 degrees, 02 minutes, 39.8 seconds W. NAD 1983.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the human transported materials ranges from 100 to 200 cm or more. The content of coarse fragments averages more than 35 percent (by weight) throughout the particle size control section, of which more than 10 percent are anthropogenic artifacts. Soil textures typically include sandy loam to silt loam, although some pedons contain horizons with soil textures of loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, or coarse sand. Artifactual, very artifactual or extremely artifactual modifiers are common. Lithological discontinuities are common features in many pedons. Reaction classes range from extremely acid to moderately alkaline. Hue ranges from 5YR to 5Y throughout. The soil is typically saturated for a portion of the year with in a depth of 150 centimeters and may or may not have redoximorphic features.

The ^A, ^Au or ^ACu horizons have value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Structure is massive, subangular blocky or granular. Consistence is very friable or friable; some pedons are firm or very firm due to compaction.

The ^C or ^Cu, horizons have value of 2 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 8. Structure is typically massive; sandy subhorizons may be single grain. Consistence is friable to very firm. Sandy subhorizons may be loose.

Some pedons have a ^Cg or ^Cgu horizon below 100 centimeters with value of 4 and chroma of 1 or 2. Structure is massive and consistence is friable.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Secaucus soils are on nearly level to gently sloping artificially created landforms, often adjacent to areas of wetlands and waterbodies. These soils formed in human transported material consisting of construction debris intermingled and mixed with natural soil materials which was used to fill wet areas. The construction debris material commonly originates from the demolition of buildings and roads. The dominant coarse fragments in the construction debris are concrete, asphalt, bricks, coal ash, coal slag and steel with some natural rocks sparsely intermingled. The human transported natural soil material is dominantly from locally excavated upland materials such as alluvium, till, outwash, or coastal plain sediments. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1021 to 1325 millimeters. Mean annual temperature ranges from 8 to 17 degrees Celsius.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canarsie, Centralpark , Greatkills, Greenbelt, and Laguardia soils on nearby landscapes. Canarsie, Centralpark, and Greenbelt soils average less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section. Greatkills soils have refuse within the control section. Laguardia soils are found nearby on higher portions the artificial landscape.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to medium in forested and brushy areas; high to very high in areas of turf where compaction is a problem. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high in areas where the soil has not been compacted and moderately low in areas of compaction.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of these soils are used for recreation, wildlife habitat, or industrial and urban development. Common plants include turfgrass, mugwort, common reed, gray birch, popular, stag horn sumac, goldenrod, blackberry, Japanese knotweed. Recreational use is unlikely in areas where the surface is unsmoothed, or where the surface fragments have not been removed or covered.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur on modified landscapes in and near major urbanized areas of the Northeast. MLRAs 144A and 149B. The soils of this series are of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudson County, New Jersey; 2012.

REMARKS: Secaucus 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 Fluvents. 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 - 0 to 15 centimeters (^Au horizon).
2. Loamy-skeletal - rock fragments average (by volume) 35 percent or more in the particle size control section (25 to 100 centimeters).
3. Oxyaquic subgroup - saturation below 100 centimeters.
4. In coal slag horizons, the carbon content is from these materials and should not have a mucky modifier. Carbon contents are not related to organic material deposition.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Full characterization data on pedon 2010NJ017008. Pedon analyzed by the NSSL, Lincoln, NE, 2010. The typical pedon is no. 2010NJ017002. Support pedons used to develop this series include 2011NY085001, 2010NJ017013 and 2010NJ017014.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.