LOCATION TANGIER                 MD

Established Series
SYD/Rev. ATD/DCS
02/2025

TANGIER SERIES

MLRA(s)--153D
Depth Class--Very deep
Drainage Class--Very poorly drained
Flooding--Very frequent, very brief (twice daily by tides)
Parent Material--Silty eolian deposits over loamy or sandy fluviomarine deposits
Geomorphic Location--Submerged upland tidal marshes
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--0 to 1 meter
Mean Annual Air Temperature--13 degrees C (55 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation--1154 millimeters (45 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Endoaqualfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Tangier mucky peat, 0 percent slope in a tidal marsh at an elevation of 0.6 meters (2 feet). (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oese--0 to 10 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) mucky peat; fiber content 33 percent by volume after rubbing; von Post value H5; moderate sulfurous odor; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); EC 16.7 dS/m; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 centimeters thick)

Aseg--10 to 13 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; nonsticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and common medium roots throughout; slightly fluid; few medium faint gray (2.5Y 5/1) organic coatings; moderate sulfurous odor; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); EC 10.8 dS/m; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 centimeters thick)

Eseg--13 to 18 centimeters; gray (2.5Y 5/1) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots throughout; slightly fluid; moderate sulfurous odor; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); EC 10.6 dS/m; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 centimeters thick)

Btg1--18 to 30 centimeters; gray (2.5Y 5/1) silt loam; massive; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and many very fine roots throughout; moderately fluid; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); EC 12.1 dS/m; clear wavy boundary.

Btg2--30 to 58 centimeters; gray (N 5/) silt loam; massive; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots, few medium roots, and few fine roots throughout; common medium and coarse prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) irregular masses of oxidized iron throughout; moderately fluid; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); EC 12.8 dS/m; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness range of the Btg horizons is 25 to 91 centimeters)

2BCg1--58 to 86 centimeters; bluish gray (10B 6/1) fine sandy loam; massive; very friable; slightly sticky, nonplastic; common medium and few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) irregular masses of oxidized iron throughout; woody organic material (tree trunks) 8 to 13 centimeters in diameter visible at 58 centimeters from the surface in a 0.5 meter diameter area of the pit face; moderately fluid; neutral (pH 7.0); EC 11.6 dS/m; gradual wavy boundary.

2BCg2--86 to 142 centimeters; gray (5Y 6/1) fine sandy loam; massive; very friable; slightly sticky, nonplastic; common medium and few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) irregular masses of oxidized iron throughout; moderately fluid; slightly acid (pH 6.5); EC 13.6 dS/m; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness range of the 2BCg horizon is 33 to 97 centimeters)

2Cg--142 to 165 centimeters; light gray (N 7/) loamy fine sand; single grain; loose; nonsticky, nonplastic; common medium prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) irregular masses of oxidized iron throughout; slightly fluid; slightly acid (pH 6.3); EC 14.0 dS/m; clear smooth boundary.

2C--165 to 200 centimeters; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) sand; single grain; loose; nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) irregular masses of oxidized iron throughout; 2 percent quartz fragments and 2 percent shell fragments; slightly fluid; slightly acid (pH 6.3); EC 16.6 dS/m.

TYPE LOCATION:
Somerset County, Maryland; approximately 7.2 kilometers east of the town of Deal Island in the Deal Island State Wildlife Management Area and south of Deal Island Road (Route 363) approximately 1.9 kilometers south on dirt road from gravel road at locked gate, west of Broad Creek. USGS Topographic Quadrangle--Monie, Maryland

Latitude--38.1619453
Longitude-- -75.8666687
Datum--WGS84
Coordinate source--unknown

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock--Greater than 200 centimeters
Depth to top of the argillic--18 to 61 centimeters
Depth to base of the argillic--58 to 123 centimeters
Reaction--Slightly acid to moderately alkaline (pH 6.1 to 8.4)
Fragments--None above the 2C horizon; 0 to 20 percent, by volume, quartz and shell fragments in the 2C horizon
Electrical conductivity--10 to 16 dS/m in the mineral horizons to greater than 16 dS/m in the organic zone
Organic carbon stock 0 to 100 centimeters--10 to 19 kg m-2
Organic carbon stock 0 to 200 centimeters--14 to 23 kg m-2

Oese horizon (where present):
Hue--7.5YR to 5Y or neutral
Value--1 to 3
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--mucky peat
Von Post--H4 to H6
Organic carbon density--24 to 122 kg m-3

Aseg horizon
Hue--7.5YR to 5Y or neutral
Value--2 to 4
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--loam or silt loam
Organic carbon density--4 to 61 kg m-3

Eseg horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam or silt loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow, or brown and/or iron depletions in shades of olive or gray
Organic carbon density--4 to 21 kg m-3

Btg or Btgse horizon (where present)
Hue--10YR to 5Y or neutral
Value--4 to 7
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow, or brown and/or iron depletions in shades of olive or gray
Organic carbon density--1 to 14 kg m-3

2Btg or 2Btgse horizon (where present)
Hue--10YR to 5Y or neutral
Value--4 to 7
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow, or brown and/or iron depletions in shades of olive or gray
Organic carbon density--1 to 14 kg m-3

2BCg / 2BCseg or 2CBg / 2CBseg horizon
Hue--10YR to 10B
Value--4 to 7
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow, or brown and/or iron depletions in shades of olive or gray
Organic carbon density-0.5 to 14 kg m-3

2C and 2Cg
Hue--10YR to 10Y or neutral
Value--4 to 7
Chroma--0 to 3
Texture--coarse sand, sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or sandy loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow, or brown and/or iron depletions in shades of olive or gray
Organic carbon density--0.5 to 14 kg m-3

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape--Coastal plain
Landform--Submerged upland tidal marshes
Slope range--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--0 to 1 meter
Parent material--silty eolian deposits over loamy or sandy fluviomarine deposits
Depth class--very deep
Mean annual air temperature range--12 to 14 degrees C (53 to 58 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range--1052 to 1239 millimeters (41 to 49 inches)
Frost free period--190 to 260 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Bestpitch, Honga, Mispillion, Sunken, and Transquaking soils
Bestpitch soils--have organic soil materials 40 to 130 centimeters thick and do not have an underlying argillic horizon, on slightly lower tidal marsh landforms
Honga soils--have organic soil materials 40 to 130 centimeters thick, on similar landforms.
Mispillion soils--have organic soil materials 40 to 130 centimeters thick and do not have an underlying argillic horizon, on slightly lower tidal marsh landforms
Sunken soils--very similar to Tangier soils, but have lower salt content throughout (EC values less than 8 dS/m in some horizons), do not flood as frequently, and are on slightly higher landforms
Transquaking soils--have organic layers more than 130 centimeters thick and do not have an underlying argillic horizon, on slightly lower tidal marsh landforms

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage Class--Very poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity--Moderately low
Flooding Frequency and Duration--Very frequent and very brief
Soil Moisture Regime--Peraquic (continuously saturated throughout)

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses--Tangier soils are mainly used for their important ecological and environmental benefits as tidal salt marsh ecosystems that provide essential plant and animal habitat, water quality benefits, and coastal protection from storms and sea level rise.
Natural Vegetation--Typically saltmeadow hay (Spartina patens), saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), salt grass (Distichlis spicata), marsh elder (Iva frutescens), black needle rush (Juncus roemerianus), groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia), and big cordgrass (Spartina cynosuroides).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General Area--Coastal plain of Maryland
Land Resource Regions (LRR)--T - Atlantic and Gulf Coast Lowland Forest and Crop Region
MLRA(s)--153D
Extent--Small

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Somerset County, Maryland, 2006.

REMARKS:
Tangier soils were previously mapped as Tidal Marsh miscellaneous areas.
Some pedons have sulfides in the epipedon and upper solum.
Tangier soils can become extremely acid to strongly acid when drained, depending on sulfide content.
The original structure of the argillic horizon has been destroyed because of dispersion from salts.
Salinity of the water--ranges from 8 to 16 parts per thousand (ppt).
Tangier soils are classified as Alfisols due to elevated base saturation (35 percent or greater) in the subsoil resulting from infiltration with base-rich saline water.
Tangier is named for Tangier Sound, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon (Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Thirteenth Edition):
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 18 centimeters (Oese, Aseg, and Eseg horizons)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 18 to 58 centimeters (Btg horizons)
Aquic conditions--the zone from 0 to 200 centimeters is continuously saturated (endosaturation)
Hemic soil materials--the zone from 0 to 10 centimeters (Oese horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity--58 to 200 centimeters
Particle size control section--18 to 58 centimeters (argillic horizon)
Hydrogen Sulfide Odor--the zone from 0 to 18 centimeters

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Characterization data for the typical pedon is available from Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory, pedon number S2000MD039001. Radiocarbon data results of organic material taken from this pedon are on file at the Somerset County, Maryland, field office. Additional reference samples include Site Numbers 35 and 36 from Darmody, R.G. 1975. Reconnaissance Survey of the Tidal Marsh Soils of Maryland. M.S. Thesis, Univ. of Maryland, College Park. 181p. Refer to publication Tidal Marsh Soils of Maryland, Darmody, R.G., and Foss, J.E., Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, Number MP 930, October 1978.

User pedon ID for typical pedon: S2000MD039001
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.