LOCATION SQUAMSCOTT NHEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Epiaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Squamscott fine sandy loam - on a nearly level area in woodland. The surface is covered by a one inch layer of loose needles, leaves, and twigs.(Colors are for moist soil.)
0e--0 to 2 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) hemic material; 35 percent fibers, rubbed; many very fine and fine roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
0a--2 to 3 inches; black (5YR 2/1) sapric material; 10 percent fibers, rubbed; many fine and common medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 0 horizon is 0 to 5 inches.)
A--3 to 4 inches; black (5YR 2/1) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Eg--4 to 6 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam; weak medium platy structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; common coarse distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and many medium distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bhs--6 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable, weakly smeary; common fine and medium roots; weak random cementation; many fine faint black (5YR 2/1) iron depletions; strongly acid; abrupt broken boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bs1--8 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common very fine, fine and medium roots; weak random cementation; common medium prominent olive (5Y 4/4) and few coarse distinct brown (10YR 5/3) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--10 to 14 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots; common coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) and common medium prominent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs3--14 to 21 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) fine sand; weak medium platy structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) bands of loamy fine sand; few medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation and many coarse prominent light gray (5Y 7/2) iron depletions; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizon is 4 to 20 inches).
2C1--21 to 38 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) silt loam; massive; firm; few fine vesicular pores; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) and many medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
2C2--38 to 67 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; moderate fine angular blocky structure; firm; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) stains on faces of peds; common medium prominent gray (5Y 5/1) iron depletions in the upper part; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Rockingham County, New Hampshire; Town of Brentwood, 1200 feet at 185 degrees from the intersection of NH Route 101 and North Road; latitude 43 degrees 00 minutes 49 seconds North, longitude 71 degrees, 01 minutes, 57 seconds West, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 14 to 27 inches. The clay content in the contrasting 2C horizon ranges from 22 to 35 percent. The soil ranges from extremely acid through neutral, with acidity generally decreasing with depth. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent throughout the soil. Structure is granular or subangular blocky in the solum. The 2C horizon is massive or has angular blocky geologic structure.
The 0 horizon is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 3.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam. Some pedons have an Ap horizon that ranges from 4 to 10 inches thick.
The Eg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy very fine sand.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or fine sand.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or fine sand.
Some pedons have a C horizon above the 2C horizon that has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy sand.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam, but many pedons have thin lenses or bands of loamy fine sand, loamy very fine sand, loamy sand, sand, or silty clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in the same family. The Avoca, Coveytown, Enosburg, Rapson, Shaker, and Swanton series in related families. Avoca and Rapson soils are from outside of Region R. They both have free carbonates in the 2C horizons. Coveytown, Enosburg, Shaker, and Swanton soils do not have spodic horizons. In addition, Coveytown and Swanton soils have frigid temperature regimes.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Squamscott soils are in low-lying, concave positions on marine or lacustrine plains or terraces. They formed in marine or glaciolacustrine deposits. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent, but is predominantly less than 3 percent.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boxford, Eldridge, Maybid, Pipestone, Raynham, Saugatuck, Scitico, and Whately soils. Pipestone and Saugatuck soils are sandy throughout and Scitico and Raynham soils are loamy throughout. These soils are on similar landscape position. Eldridge and Boxford soils are moderately well drained and are on adjacent, higher landscape positions. Maybid and Whately soils are very poorly drained and are in lower landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Permeability is rapid above the lithologic discontinuity and moderately slow below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in woodland. Principle trees are white pine and red maple. Some areas that are drained are in cropland.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: New Hampshire and New York (MLRA 144A). The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, 1986.
REMARKS: This series has been classified to the 6th edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy with this revision. The former classification was sandy over loamy, mixed, mesic Entic Haplaquods.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 2 to 4 inches (A horizon).
2. Albic horizon - the zone from 4 to 6 inches (E horizon).
3. Spodic horizons - the zone from 6 to 10 inches (Bhs and Bs1 horizons).
4. Strongly contrasting particle-size classes - loamy sand and fine sand textures from 12 to 21 inches and silt loam textures from 21 to 40 inches.