LOCATION SHIRLEY METentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Typic Endoaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Shirely channery very fine sandy loam on a 4 percent south-facing slope in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oa--0 to 3 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) sapric material; weak fine granular structure; friable; many very fine and fine, and common medium and coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
E--3 to 8 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) channery very fine sandy loam; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; 15 percent channers and 10 percent flagstones; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bs1--8 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very channery fine sandy loam; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine, common fine and medium and few coarse roots; 20 percent channers and 15 percent flagstones; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--12 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very channery sandy loam; weak very fine and fine granular structure; very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/8) masses of iron accumulation and few fine distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) iron depletions; 20 percent channers, 15 percent flagstones and 10 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs3--18 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots; few medium weakly cemented areas; few medium distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/4) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) masses or iron accumulation; 20 percent channerys, 15 percent flagstones and 10 percent stones; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizon ranges from 8 to 28 inches.)
C--25 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) very channery sandy loam; massive; very friable; few very fine roots; common coarse distinct pale olive (5Y 6/3) and common medium distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) masses of iron accumulation; 20 percent channers, 15 percent flagstones and 10 percent stones; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Somerset County, Maine; Spencer Township (T3 R5); north of Spencer Stream and Parker Pond, about 0.9 mile west of Lost Pond and on the south side of a logging road; USGS King and Bartlett Lake topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 21 minutes N. and long. 70 degrees 18 minutes 25 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 20 to 28 inches. Rock fragment content in individual horizons of the particle-size control section ranges from 10 to 55 percent, but the weighted average is more than 35 percent by volume. The rock fragment content of the upper 10 inches of the soil ranges from 5 to 50 percent. Rock fragments are mostly channers but also include cobbles, flagstones, gravel and stones. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the solum and from very strongly acid to moderately acid in the substratum.
The Oa or Oe horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR, value of 2 and chroma of 1 or 2. It has weak or moderate very fine or fine granular structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 6 and chroma of 2. It is silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak very fine or fine granular structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The Bh or Bhs horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium granular structure. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The upper part of the Bs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. The lower part of the Bs horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak very fine to medium granular structure. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 and chroma of 3 or 4. It is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has weak fine granular structure or it is massive. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction. It is single-grain or massive. Consistence is loose to friable.
COMPETING SERIES: The Shirley series is currently the only member of this family. The Croghan, Danforth, Dixfield, Skerry, Sunapee and Waumbek series are in related families. Croghan and Waumbek soils have more sand in the particle-size control section. Danforth soils lack redox features in the spodic horizon. Dixfield, Skerry and Sunapee soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shirley soils are on till plains and on toeslopes of ridges. Slope ranges from 3 to 15 percent. The soils formed in glacial till derived from slate and fine-grained metasandstone and with lesser amounts of granite, gneiss or schist. The climate is humid and cool temperate. The mean annual temperature ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 46 inches. The frost-free season ranges from 80 to 130 days. Elevation ranges from 300 to 2500 feet above mean sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chesuncook, Danforth, Elliottsville, Monarda, Monson, Telos and Thorndike soils. Chesuncook, Telos and Monarda soils are on smoother landscapes and have dense basal till substratums. Danforth soils are in higher positions on the landscape and are better drained. Elliottsville and Winnecook soils are moderately deep to bedrock and Monson and Thorndike soils are shallow to bedrick, these soils are in higher positions on the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained and somewhat poorly drained. Permeability is moderate in the solum and moderately rapid or rapid in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Forest. Common tree species include balsam fir, red spruce, yellow birch, red maple, cedar and paper birch.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern and central Maine. (MLRA's 143, 144B 146) The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES PROPOSED: Somerset County, Maine 1982, Somerset County Area and Parts of Franklin and Oxford Counties, Maine Soil Survey. The source of the name is the Town of Shirley, Maine.
REMARKS: 1. This revision reflects a change in classification from loamy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Aquic Haplorthods to loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Typic Endoaquods to conform with Keys to Soil Taxonomy, seventh edith, 1996. 2. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - 0 to 8 inches (Oa and E horizons)
b. Albic horizon - 3 to 8 inches (E horizon)
c. Spodic horizon - 8 to 18 inches (Bs1 and Bs2 horizons)
d. Aquod feature - redox features within 20 inches of the mineral soil surface in the spodic horizon (Bs2 horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: The Soil Interpretation Record number for the Shirley series is ME0060.