LOCATION WESTBROOK CT+MA MD NH

Established Series
Rev. MFF
05/2024

WESTBROOK SERIES

The Westbrook series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in organic deposits over loamy mineral material. They are in tidal marshes subject to inundation by salt water twice daily. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic layers and low to high in the underlying mineral sediments. Mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C and mean annual precipitation is about 1143 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, euic, mesic Terric Sulfihemists

TYPICAL PEDON: Westbrook mucky peat - salt grass tidal marsh, undrained at an elevation of about 37 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

0e1--0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) mucky peat; dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; 65 percent fiber, 30 percent rubbed; dense mat of roots, stems and leaves; massive; slightly sticky; many very fine; fine and medium roots; fibers herbaceous; thin lenses and coatings of silt; 45 percent organic matter; strongly saline (total salts 58 deciSiemens per meter); slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. ((12 to 30 cm (5 to 12 inches thick))

0e2--25 to 102 cm (0 to 40 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) mucky peat, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; 50 percent fiber, 25 percent rubbed; massive; slightly sticky; few very fine, fine; and medium roots; fibers herbaceous; thin lenses and coatings of silt; 44 percent organic matter; strongly saline (total salts 34 deciSiemens per meter; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. ((20 to 100 cm (8 to 40 inches thick))

0e3--102 to 122 cm (40 to 48 in); dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) mucky peat, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; 35 percent fiber, 25 percent rubbed; massive; slightly sticky; fibers herbaceous; 24 percent organic matter; strongly saline (total salts 36 deciSiemens per meter); neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 61 inches thick)

Cg1--122 to 163 cm (48 to 64 in); very dark gray (5Y 3/1) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; massive; slightly sticky; 12 percent organic matter; strongly saline (total salts 28 deciSiemens per meter); neutral; diffuse wavy boundary. ((0 to 51 cm (0 to 20 inches thick))

Cg2--163 to 250 cm (64 to 99 in); dark gray (N 4/ ) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; massive; slightly sticky; 10 percent organic matter; few small shell fragments; and very slightly saline to strongly saline; strongly saline (total salts 31 deciSiemens per meter); slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Middlesex County, Connecticut; town of Westbrook, 500 feet south of Route 1 (Boston Post Road) at a point 600 feet southwest along US Route 1 from the intersection with Hammock Road; on the Essex USGS topographic quadrangle, latitude 41 degrees 16 minutes 30 seconds N., longitude 72 degrees 28 minutes 18 seconds W., NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic deposits ranges from 40 to 130 cm (16 to 51 in). The soil is strongly acid to slightly alkaline and very slightly saline to strongly saline. In a 1:5 soil to water mixture by volume the conductivity ranges from 0.0 to 4.5 deciSiemens per meter. Thin lenses of silt and very fine sand are common in the organic horizons.

The surface tier is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 5 and chroma of 0 to 3. It is typically hemic materials but some pedons have fibric materials. Organic matter content ranges from 20 to 80 percent or more.

The subsurface and bottom tiers are neutral or have hue of 5YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 5 and chroma of 0 to 3. The organic materials are dominantly hemic but some pedons have layers of fibric or sapric materials up to 30 cm (12 in) thick. Organic matter content ranges from 20 to 90 percent and generally decreases with depth.

The C horizon is neutral or has hue of 10YR to 5BG, value of 2 to 7 and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture ranges from sandy loam to silty clay loam but typically is silt, silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Organic matter content ranges from less than 5 percent to 20 percent. Shell fragments and herbaceous fibers are common in the C horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: Honga and Mispillon are in the same family. Honga and Mispillon are from outside LRR R and S. Honga soils have an underlying argillic horizon and Mispillion soils have a firmer substratum (n value greater than 0.7).

Bestpitch and Pawcatuck soils are similar soils in related families. Bestpitch soils are underlain by clayey materials. Pawcatuck soils are underlain by sandy materials within a depth of 40 to 130 cm (16 to 51 in).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Westbrook soils are level soils in tidal marshes. They are subject to tidal flooding twice daily except in areas protected by dikes and tide gates. Westbrook soils developed in partially decomposed organic material from salt tolerate herbaceous plants over loamy sediments. Mean annual temperature is 7 to 13 degrees C (45 to 55 degrees F) and mean annual precipitation is 1000 to 1270 mm (40 to 50 in).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ipswich , Matunuck, and Pawcatuck soils in nearby tidal marsh areas. Ipswich soils have organic materials deeper than 120 cm (51 in). Matunuck soils are mineral soils and have an organic surface layer less than 40 cm (16 in) thick. Westbrook soils are near a wide variety of soils on nearby uplands formed in a glacial drift or marine deposited mineral materials.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. Runoff is very slow. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high in the organic layers and low to high in the underlying mineral sediments. Unless protected, these soils are flooded by tidewaters twice daily.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in salt marsh and provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish and wildfowl. Small scattered areas are in saltgrass hay. The most common grasses are salt meadowgrass, salt water grass and spike grass. Other vegetation includes blackgrass, sea lavender, saltwort, seaside goldenrod, aster, and purple gerardi. In areas where the 1:5 EC by volume is below 1.5 deciSiemens per meter, vegetation consists principally of tall reeds and sedges.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal areas and along tidally influenced rivers of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware; MLRAs 144A, mesic areas within 144B, 145, 149A, 149B, and 153C. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: New Haven County, Connecticut, 1976.

REMARKS: Westbrook soils were formerly mapped as Tidal marsh, undifferentiated. Some of the Westbrook soils are classified and mapped at the great group or subgroup level. Westbrook series was originally described as consisting of fibric organic materials. Current procedures for estimating fibers indicate that the materials are dominantly hemic. These soils become extremely acid when drained.

Diagnostic features and characteristics recognized in this pedon include:

1. Histic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 30 centimeters (Oe horizon).
2. Estimated fiber content indicates that the materials are dominantly hemic.
3. Sulfidic materials are within 100 cm. of the surface. New pedons should include incubation pH measurements to determine if horizons should receive a 'se' subordinate distinction due to sulfate content.
4. Loamy particle size class - mineral layer of silt loam 130 cm. thick within the control section - from 120 to 251 cm (48 to 99 in) (Cg1 and Cg2 horizons)
5. Reaction (pH value) is more than 4.5 throughout the control section.

ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon is entered as 2008CT007001 in the National Soils Information System from the State of Connecticut Soil Survey manuscript.

Refer to publication "Tidal Marshes of Connecticut and Rhode Island," Hill, D. E. and Shearin, A. E., Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 709, Feb. 1970.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.