LOCATION WAWAYANDA NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coprogenous, euic, mesic Limnic Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Wawayanda muck - on a 0 percent slope in a sod field that has been drained. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Op-- 0 to 9 inches; black (N 2/0) broken face and rubbed sapric material, black (10YR 2/1) dry; about 5 percent fibers, trace rubbed; moderate fine and medium granular structure; very friable; about 10 percent mineral content; few fine and very fine roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick.)
Oa1-- 9 to 15 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) broken face, black (5YR 2.5/1) rubbed sapric material; about 15 percent fibers, 3 percent fibers rubbed; about 5 percent mineral material; weak coarse blocky structure parting to moderate thick platy structure; friable; few fine and very fine roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Oa2-- 15 to 22 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) broken face, black (5YR 2.5/1) rubbed sapric material; about 20 percent fibers, 5 percent fibers rubbed; about 5 percent mineral material; weak coarse blocky structure parting to weak thick platy structure; very friable; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 33 inches thick combined Oa horizons.)
Lco1-- 22 to 30 inches; olive (5Y 5/3) coprogenous earth; about 40 percent fibers (herbaceous), 2 percent fibers rubbed; 20 percent mineral material, mainly silt; moderate medium and thick platy structure; common vertical cracks about 1/2 to 2" wide and 36" apart, 50% filled with black (5YR 2.5/1) sapric material from overlying horizons; very friable, nonsticky & slightly plastic; common coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation or oxidized rhizospheres around old root channels; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Lco2-- 30 to 32 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) coprogenous earth with a few small shells; about 15 percent fibers, 5 percent fibers rubbed; 25 percent mineral material, mainly silt; weak medium platy structure; very friable, nonsticky & slightly plastic; common coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation and oxidized rhizospheres; slightly alkaline, strongly effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary.
Lco3-- 32 to 45 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) coprogenous earth; about 35 percent fibers, 15 percent fibers rubbed; 40 percent mineral material, mainly silt; weak medium platy structure; very friable, nonsticky & slightly plastic; slightly alkaline, slightly effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 34 inches thick combined coprogenous earth layers)
2Cg-- 45 to 72 inches; bluish gray (5B 5/1) fine sandy loam; massive; nonsticky & slightly plastic; slightly alkaline, slightly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Orange County, New York; Town of Warwick, 875 feet north east of the Pine Island Turf Nursery office, and about 400 feet south of the Wallkill stream channel. USGS Pine Island, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 41 degrees, 18 minutes, 46 seconds N. and Longitude 74 degrees, 29 minutes, 36 seconds W., NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The organic layers are 16 to 46 inches thick and may overlie coprogenous earth deposits (the coprogenous earth material may also qualify as an organic material) that are 3 to 34 inches thick. Mineral soil materials occur below the coprogenous earth within a depth of 51 inches from the surface. Reaction in the organic materials and coprogenous earth ranges from strongly acid through slightly alkaline, and ranges from moderately acid through moderately alkaline in the mineral materials.
The surface tier typically is black (N 2/0 and 5YR 2.5/1) sapric material. A few pedons have sapric materials mixed with hemic or mineral materials as a result of drainage ditch spoil being spread, and subsequently, incorporated into the surface. The structure of the surface tier is weak or moderate granular. Some pedons have weak blocky structure below the plow zone, which parts to platy or granular. Consistence is friable or very friable.
The subsurface tier has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, or is neutral; value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 through 3. Chroma or value may change up to 2 units upon rubbing. Broken faces often become darker upon brief exposure to air. The layer is dominated by sapric material with a rubbed fiber content of less than 16 percent of the organic volume. Structure is typically weak or moderate platy or blocky. A few pedons are massive. Consistence is friable or very friable. Some pedons have a thin layer in the upper part of this tier with aggregates that are dense and firm, but break abruptly under pressure. Some pedons have thin layers of hemic material that are less than 10 inches thick.
The coprogenous earth layers have hue of 2.5Y, 5Y, or 5GY; value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 1 through 3. Redoximorphic features are usually present around old root channels. Many pedons have variable amounts of recognizable herbaceous and woody fibers. Structure is platy but, some pedons are coarse or very coarse blocky or prismatic that breaks to platy. Vertical cracks are often present which may become filled with sapric material from the overlying layers. Consistence is friable moist but, it becomes firm or hard upon drying, and may be slightly brittle. Many pedons contain coprogenous earth that is plastic or slightly plastic when wet. The coprogenous earth is usually organic but, some pedons have as little as 6% organic carbon.
The mineral layers have hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, 5GY, 5BG, 5B, or are neutral. Value ranges from 3 through 6, and chroma of 0 through 2. Texture of the mineral fine earth fraction is usually fine sandy loam, loam, or silty clay loam. In some pedons layers of mineral materials will range from sand through clay. A few pedons contain thin gravelly mineral layers. The layers are usually massive or single grain. Some pedons have inherited platy structure. Consistence ranges from loose through friable when moist, and nonsticky & nonplastic through sticky & plastic when wet.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Moston, Muskego, and Toto series in the same family. Moston soils have sand below the limnic layer within 51 inches. Muskego soils do not have mineral layers within 51 inches of the surface. Toto soils have marl layers.
Similar soils are the Olentangy, Palms, and Ackerman series. Olentangy and Ackerman soils have less than 16 inches of organic material surface layers. Palms soils lack coprogenous earth.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wawayanda soils are on nearly level bogs and old lake beds with a plane or concave surface. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Wawayanda soils formed in highly decomposed organic material, a layer of coprogenous earth (the coprogenous earth material my qualify as an organic material), and the underlying mineral layers. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 40 to 49 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from about 50 to 56 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the commonly adjacent to Muskego soils which lack mineral soil materials within 51 inches from the surface. Olentangy soils occur on adjacent areas which have organic deposits that are less than 16 inches thick. Carlisle soils are nearby in areas where the organic deposits are more than 51 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. (Most areas of this soil are artificially drained.) The potential for surface runoff is very high or negligible. Saturated hydraulic conductivity Permeability is moderately high through high in the decomposed organic layers, moderately low through moderately high in the coprogenous earth, and low through moderately low in the underlying mineral material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the Wawayanda soils are drained and cultivated. Onions, potatoes, corn, and pumpkins are main vegetable crops. Sod is grown on some areas. Native vegetation was water tolerant reeds, cattails, shrubs, and trees. Native forest species include red and silver maple, American Elm, white cedar, tamarack, green and black ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern New York and possibly northern New Jersey. MLRA 144A. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Orange County, New York 2005.
REMARKS: These soils were originally included with the Carlisle and Palms series in previous mapping in New York.
Lab data confirms most areas are euic with lesser amounts of dysic soils. It is possible the NY areas were originally dysic before being drained, cultivated, and limed.
In addition to the coprogenous earth layers being largely organic, they often appear to show signs of pedogenesis. The Lco1 does not technically qualify as coprogenous earth material due to the value of 5. To default back to an O horizon seems to be unreasonable. Therefore, it is suggested that a different horizon designation be established for these types of layers.
These layers are often "rubbery" in feel when wet. Upon drying they have an appearance of stacked plates that resemble the bottom of a pile of partially decomposed leaves. When these layers are viewed from an extensive exposure that has been slightly weathered (such as face of long and deep drainage ditch) they often have the appearance of fractured limestone bedrock. The pattern of both vertical and horizontal cracks are quite evident, along with the organic material fillings in the vertical cracks. Also evident on individual plates of the dried material are many old root channels surrounded by a ring of relic (?) iron accumulations or oxidized rhizospheres.
Diagnostic horizons or features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Histic epipedon - 0 to 45 inches (0p, Oa1, Oa2, Lco1, Lco2, and Lco3 horizons)
2. Limnic materials (coprogenous earth) - 22 to 45 inches (Lco1, Lco2, and Lco3 horizons).