LOCATION WORTH NY PA
Established Series
Rev. MGC-WEH-TDT
03/2011
WORTH SERIES
The Worth series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in loamy till derived from sandstone, siltstone, and shale. A fragipan is present in the lower part of the subsoil. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the mineral soil is moderately high or high above the fragipan and low to moderately high in the fragipan and substratum. Slope ranges from 0 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 1476 mm and mean annual temperature is 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Fragiorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Worth very fine sandy loam on a 4 percent slope in a forested area. (Colors are for the moist soils).
Oi -- 0 to 4 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2); slightly decomposed plant material; massive; very friable; many very fine roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt wavy boundary.
Oe -- 4 to 6 cm; black (5YR 2.5/1); moderately decomposed plant material; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common very coarse and coarse and many very fine and fine roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizons is 0 to 18 cm.)
E -- 6 to 8 cm; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2); very fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine and very coarse and common fine and medium roots throughout; 3 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; extremely acid (pH 4.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick.)
Bh -- 8 to 10 cm; black (5YR 2.5/1); very fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine and very coarse and common fine and medium roots throughout; 3 percent gravel; extremely acid (pH 4.4); abrupt broken boundary.
Bhs1 -- 10 to 19 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3); very fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine, medium and coarse and few very fine roots throughout; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary.
Bhs2 -- 19 to 53 cm; very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3); very fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium and few coarse and very fine roots throughout; 7 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear wavy boundary.
Bs -- 53 to 66 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4); gravelly fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots throughout; 12 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bh, Bhs and Bs horizons is 10 to 90 cm.)
Bx1 -- 66 to 84 cm; brown (10YR 5/3); very gravelly loamy fine sand; weak very coarse prismatic structure; firm; brittle; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.1); abrupt wavy boundary.
Bx2 -- 84 to 127 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3); gravelly loamy fine sand; weak very coarse prismatic structure; very firm; brittle; few fine distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions between peds and common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron on vertical faces of peds; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bx horizons is 25 to 102 cm.)
C -- 127 to 183 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3); gravelly loamy fine sand; massive; friable;15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, New York; Town of Montague, New York State Wildlife Management Area; Approximately 2 miles south and 2 miles west from intersection of Parker and Flat Rock Roads, on Running George Trail; USGS Sears Pond, NY topographic quadrangle; Latitude 43 degrees, 42 minutes, 0.6 seconds N. and Longitude 75 degrees, 41 minutes, 19.2 seconds W., NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Bedrock is at a depth greater than 152 cm. Solum thickness ranges from 102 to 165 cm. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 46 to 97 cm. Rock fragments range from 1 to 40 percent by volume above the fragipan and from 20 to 70 percent in the fragipan and substratum.
Most pedons have an O horizon. It has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is highly, moderately or slightly decomposed (fibric, hemic or sapric). Structure is granular or massive. Consistence is very friable or friable. Reaction ranges from ultra acid to slightly acid.
Some pedons have an A or Ap horizon. It has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of fine-earth fraction is silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam. Structure is weak or moderate granular. Consistence is friable or very friable. Reaction is extremely acid through slightly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is granular or subangular blocky. Consistence is very friable or friable. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Bh and Bhs horizons have hues of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 3, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is subangular blocky or granular, or it is massive. Consistence is very friable or friable. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, with value or chroma of 4 or more. Texture is loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam in the fine earth fraction. Structure is granular or subangular blocky. Consistence is friable or very friable. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid.
Some pedons have an E' horizon. The texture is loamy sand to loam in the fine-earth fraction, and is perceptibly lighter in texture and higher in color value than Bx horizon. Some pedons have a B/E or BE horizon above the Bx horizon. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bx horizon has hue of 5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sandy loam or loam. It has coarse or very coarse prismatic structure or the horizon is massive. Prisms part to weak coarse block or platy structure, or are massive. Consistence is firm to extremely firm and brittle. Clay linings are in most pores, but do not coat prism faces. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR through 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction ranges from loam to loamy fine sand. Structure is platy or it is massive. Consistence is friable to very firm. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately alkaline. Some pedons have carbonates below a depth of 122 cm.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
Berkshire,
Becket, and
Marlow soils are similar soils in related families. Becket and Marlow soils have a dense substratum, but lack a fragic horizon. Berkshire soils lack a fragipan.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Worth soils are on nearly level to very steep landforms of till plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 60 percent. These soils formed in till derived from sandstone, siltstone and shale, which may have a thin silty mantle of eolian material. Mean annual precipitation is about 762 to 1727 mm, mean annual temperature is 1 to 11 degrees C., and mean annual frost-free days range from 90 to 140 days. Elevation ranges from 305 to 610 meters above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Empeyville,
Westbury,
Dannemora, and
Tughill are down-drainage catena members formed in similar till deposits.
Highmarket (T) soils are on similar till plains, but lack a fragic horizon. The
Swancott (T) and
Colosse soils are on gravelly outwash terraces and kames.
Fishcreek (T) soils are on sandy outwash plains.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the mineral soil is moderately high or high above the fragipan and low to moderately high in the fragipan and substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are mostly forested. Logging operations and some areas of hayland or pasture may be present. ATV and snowmobile use is heavy in this area. Common forest species are northern red oak, eastern white pine, paper birch, American beech, eastern hemlock, and red pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Tughill Plateau, Adirondack border, and "grit plateau" of New York and Pennsylvania. MLRA 101, 140, 141, 142, and 143. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, New York, 1913.
REMARKS: The Worth series now includes most of the soils formerly in the Parishville series that is now inactive.
The Worth series has been used in MLRAs prior to Soil Taxonomy that do not contain frigid soils. These MLRA's are retained until surveys are updated to remove the Worth series.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
(1) Ochric Epipedon - the zone from 6 to 8 cm (E horizon).
(2) Spodic horizon - the zone from 8 to 53 cm (Bh, Bhs1, and Bhs2 horizons).
(3) Fragipan - the zone from 66 to 127 cm (Bx1 and Bx2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Pedon #09NY049024
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.