LOCATION TAHAWUS NY
Established Series
GWS-SWF
03/2011
TAHAWUS SERIES
The Tahawus series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in till. They are in depressions on undulating till plains and on level to gently sloping areas on hills and ridges. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic layers, moderately high or high in the mineral solum, and high or very high in the substratum. Mean annual temperature is about 41 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Histic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Tahawus peat, on a 1 percent slope in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted.)
Oi -- 0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) broken face and rubbed peat (fibric material); 95 percent unrubbed fiber, 90 percent rubbed fiber; massive; very friable; many fine and few medium roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Oe -- 2 to 5 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) broken face and rubbed mucky peat (hemic material); 70 percent unrubbed fiber, 20 percent rubbed fiber; weak thin platy structure; very friable; many fine and few medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Oa -- 5 to 9 inches; black (5YR 2.5/1) broken face and rubbed muck (sapric material); 10 percent unrubbed fiber, less than 1 percent rubbed fiber; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizons is 8 to 16 inches.)
Bg -- 9 to 17 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many medium and coarse distinct brown (10YR 4/3) masses of iron accumulation; 12 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick.)
Cg1 -- 17 to 24 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) gravelly loamy sand; massive; friable; few fine roots; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; 30 percent rock fragments; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Cg2 -- 24 to 72 inches; gray (N 5/0) gravelly loamy sand; massive; friable; few medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; 25 percent rock fragments; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Essex County, New York; Town of Schroon, 2000 feet southwest (240 degree azimuth) of northwest corner of Big Pond, in depression between two small hills. USGS Schroon Lake, NY 15 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 43 degrees, 51 minutes, 24 seconds N., Longitude 73 degrees, 49 minutes, 46 seconds W., NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness including both the organic surface and mineral subsurface and subsoil ranges from 12 to 38 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Rock fragments, mainly stones, cobbles, and gravel, range from 0 to 35 percent by volume throughout the mineral soil. Redoximorphic features are within 20 inches of the mineral surface.
The O horizon is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is peat, mucky peat, or muck. Structure is weak granular, platy, subangular blocky, or the horizon is massive. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
Some pedons have an A horizon that is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak granular. Consistence is very friable. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through slightly acid. It is 0 to 6 inches thick.
Some pedons have an E horizon that is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture and reaction ranges are the same as the A horizon. Structure is weak subangular blocky or the horizon is massive. Consistence is friable or very friable. It is 0 to 4 inches thick.
The B horizon is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 3. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine earth fraction. Structure is weak subangular blocky or the horizon is massive. Consistence is friable or very friable. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through slightly acid.
Some pedons have a BC horizon with colors, structure, consistence and reaction similar to the B horizon. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, or sand. It is 0 to 15 inches thick.
The C horizon is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 4. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sand, loamy coarse sand, or coarse sand in the fine earth fraction. Some layers contain strata with coarser or finer material. Thin layers of sandy loam or finer textured materials are allowed below a depth of 40 inches from the mineral surface. The C horizon is massive or single grain. Consistence is very friable to firm. Reaction ranges from moderately acid through neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ausable,
Deerwood,
Leafriver, and
Searsport series. Ausable, Deerwood, and Leafriver soils are from outside of Region R. Ausable soils formed in alluvium. Deerwood soils formed in lacustrine or outwash deposits and have free carbonates. Leafriver soils formed in outwash deposits. Searsport soils formed in outwash deposits.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tahawus soils are in depressions or kettles on low lying, undulating ablation till plains or in depressions on level to gently sloping upland till plains, ridges and hills. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent, but are mainly less than 1 percent. These soils formed in sandy till derived mainly from anorthositic gneiss with lesser amounts of marble in some areas. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 50 inches, mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees, and the frost free period ranges from 90 to 130 days. Elevation ranges from 500 to 3000 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Adirondack,
Becket,
Burnt Vly,
Pleasant Lake,
Lyman,
Monadnock,
Skerry,
Sunapee, and
Tunbridge soils. The very poorly drained Burnt Vly and Pleasant Lake are organic soils that are in similar positions on the landscape as Tahawus soils. The somewhat poorly drained Adirondack and the moderately well drained Skerry and Sunapee soils are on slightly higher positions on the landscape, adjacent to Tahawus soils. The well drained Becket and Monadnock are deep soils on nearby uplands. The somewhat excessively drained Lyman and the well drained Tunbridge are shallow and moderately deep soils on nearby bedrock controlled uplands.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is negligible, high, or very high. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic layers, moderately high or high in the mineral solum, and high or very high in the substratum. The water table is within 12 inches of the surface from September to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these areas are forested and are used for wildlife habitat, recreation, and timber production. The native coniferous trees include northern white cedar, red spruce, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and eastern larch. Hardwoods include red maple, yellow birch, paper birch, and American beech.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Adirondack region of northern New York. MLRA 143. It is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Essex County, New York, 2007.
REMARKS: The series differentiae between Tahawus and Searsport are based mainly on till versus outwash. The consistence in the C horizon of Tahawus is friable or firm reflecting its till nature. Searsport is not defined for this property. Further work is needed to better explain the differentiae.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Histic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (Oi, Oe, and Oa horizons).
b. Cambic horizon - the zone from 9 to 17 inches (Bg horizon).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.