LOCATION AMPERSAND NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Endoaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Ampersand, on a 4 percent north-northeast facing slope that has a very bouldery surface and is vegetated with balsam fir, white birch, red maple, and red spruce. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise indicated).
Oe-- 0 to 1 inch; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) moderately decomposed (hemic) plant material, 70 percent fiber unrubbed, 40 percent rubbed; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, common medium roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Oa1-- 1 to 3 inches, black (5YR 2/1) highly decomposed (sapric) plant material, 20 percent fiber unrubbed, 5 percent rubbed; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, and common medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Oa2-- 3 to 4 inches, black (10YR 2/1) highly decomposed (sapric) plant material, 40 percent fine and very fine sand; 10 percent fiber unrubbed, 2 percent rubbed; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, and common medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the O horizons is 0 to 6 inches.)
E-- 4 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear broken boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick.)
Bhs1-- 5 to 13 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) fine sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bhs2-- 13 to 19 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) fine sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent rock fragments; few fine and medium faint dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) masses of iron accumulation, and common fine and medium prominent gray (10YR 5/1) areas of iron depletion; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bhs horizons is 4 to 16 inches thick.)
BC-- 19 to 24 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 8 percent rock fragments; few medium and coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), and many fine and medium prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) masses of iron accumulation, and common fine and medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick.)
Cd1-- 24 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loamy sand; massive with thick plate-like divisions; very firm and brittle; common fine tubular pores; 20 percent rock fragments; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) soft masses of iron accumulation and few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Cd2-- 32 to 72 inches; interbedded 40 percent grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) inherited, gravelly sandy loam and olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) gravelly loamy sand; massive with thick plate-like divisions; very firm and brittle; few fine tubular pores in loamy part, and common fine in sandy part; 20 percent rock fragments; common fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation in loamy part; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Essex County, New York, town of Lewis, 200 feet south of a point on Wells Hill Road that is 350 feet east of the upper crossing of Wells Hill Road and Spruce Mill Brook. USGS Ausable Forks, NY 15 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 44 degrees, 16 minutes, 53.2 seconds N. and Longitude 73 degrees, 39 minutes, 42.5 seconds W.; NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 30 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Redoximorphic features consisting of Fe depletions or concentrations occur in the Spodic horizon within 20 inches of the mineral soil surface. At least 4 inches of the Bhs and/or the Bh horizons contain 6 percent or more organic carbon by weight. Rock fragments, mainly stones, cobbles, and gravel, range from 5 to 35 percent, by volume, throughout the soil.
The O horizon ranges from fibric material to sapric material. It is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 0 to 6. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
Some pedons have an A horizon that is neutral or has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or loamy fine sand in the fine-earth fraction. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Bh horizon, where present, is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam or loam, in the fine-earth fraction. Consistence is friable or very friable, but up to 25 percent firm areas (ortstein) may be present. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, and value of 3 or less, and chroma of 4 or less. Texture, consistence, and reaction are similar to the Bh horizon.
The Bs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons may have thin sub-horizons of loamy fine sand or loamy sand. Consistence is friable or very friable. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
A BC horizon is present in some pedons. It has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction. Consistence is friable or firm. Reaction is very strongly acid through moderately acid.
The Cdg or Cd horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. It is massive with or without plate-like divisions, and consistence is firm or very firm. Reaction is very strongly acid through moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: The Adirondack and Foxpaw (T) series are in the same family. Adirondack soils have less than 6 percent organic carbon in the spodic horizon. Foxpaw (T) soils have a friable till substratum.
Closely related series include the Kawbawgam and Wilmington. Kawbagam soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Wilmington soils are poorly drained.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ampersand soils are nearly level to moderately steep soils in slightly concave areas and shallow drainage ways on footslopes, toeslopes, and backslopes of glaciated mountainous areas. Slope ranges from 0 to 35 percent, but are dominantly 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in loamy till with a dense substratum. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 50 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from 90 to 120 days. Elevation ranges from 2000 to 3000 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Ampersand soils are commonly associated with the well drained Mundalite, Rawsonville, and Hogback soils, and the well to excessively drained Knob Lock and the poorly drained Wilmington soils. Mundalite soils are on higher topographic positions. Rawsonville, Hogback, and Knob Lock soils occupy adjacent bedrock controlled positions. Wilmington soils occupy similar and lower topographic positions on the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat 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 layers above the substratum and moderately low or moderately high in the substratum. A perched water table is present at a depth of 6 to 18 inches from the mineral soil surface during the months of October through May.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these areas are forested with balsam fir, red spruce, yellow birch, red maple, paper birch, and mountain ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Adirondack Mountains of New York. MLRA 143. The series is small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Essex Co., New York, 2007.
REMARKS: This series was established to provide a somewhat poorly drained epiaquod in the sub-cryic areas of the Adirondack High Peaks. It was established to replace the (super-spodic) Worden series.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are as follows:
a. Albic horizon - from 4 to 5 inches (E horizon).
b. Spodic horizon - from 5 to 19 inches (Bhs horizons).
c. Endoaquods great group - redoximorphic features in the albic or spodic horizons and within 20 inches of the mineral soil surface; evidence of a perched water table on the Cd horizon.
d. Redoximorphic Features - Fe depletions and Fe concentrations which are evidence of aquic conditions (Bhs, BC, and Cd horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Engineering test data, and characterization data are available for Essex County, New York for pedon S87-NY-031-005 from the USDA NRCS NSSL.