LOCATION MONADNOCK NH+MA ME NY VTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Typic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Monadnock fine sandy loam, on a 6 percent northeast facing slope in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A-- 0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
E-- 3 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bs1-- 5 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common fine and few medium roots; 3 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2-- 14 to 23 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common fine and few medium roots; 8 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. Combined thickness of the Bh, Bhs, and Bs horizons is 7 to 30 inches.
2C-- 23 to 65 inches; olive (5Y 5/3) gravelly loamy sand; massive; friable; few fine roots extending to depth of 42 inches; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; lenses and pockets of light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sand; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Cheshire County, New Hampshire; Town of Jaffrey, 50 feet south of Bryant Road, 150 feet west of Old Peterborough Road. USGS Monadnock, NH topographic quadrangle; Latitude 42 degrees, 50 minutes, 36 seconds N., and Longitude 72 degrees, 00 minutes, 38 seconds W., NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mineral solum ranges from 15 to 30 inches. Rock fragments range from 0 to 30 percent in the mineral solum and from 5 to 60 percent in the substratum. Stones range from 0 to 20 percent in the surface layer, 0 to 15 percent in the subsoil, and 0 to 25 percent in the substratum. Cobbles range from 0 to 35 percent in the surface layer, 0 to 15 percent in the subsoil, and 0 to 20 percent in the substratum. Gravel ranges from 0 to 20 percent in the surface layer, 0 to 20 percent in the subsoil, and 0 to 45 percent in the substratum. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid.
Some pedons have an 0 horizon that is neutral or has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 3 and chroma of 0 to 2. It is highly, moderately, or slightly decomposed plant (fibric, hemic or sapric) material and is up to 5 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Some pedons have an Ap horizon that has hue of 10YR and value and chroma of 2 to 4.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture range is the same as the A horizon.
Some pedons have a Bhs horizon that has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value and chroma of 3 or less.
Some pedons have a Bh horizon that has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value and chroma of 4 or less.
The Bs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8.
The Bs and Bhs horizons are dominantly fine sandy loam, but include loam and very fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Some pedons have a BC horizon that has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction. It is 0 to 18 inches thick.
Some pedons have a thin C horizon overlying the contrasting 2C horizon. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand in the fine-earth fraction. Less typically, some pedons may range to sand. It has weak thick platy structure or it is massive or single grain. Consistence ranges from loose to firm. Some pedons have lenses or pockets of sand.
COMPETING SERIES: The Allagash series is the only series in the same family. Allagash soils have fewer rock fragments in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monadnock soils are gently sloping to very steep soils of the glaciated uplands. Slope ranges from 0 to 60 percent. The soils formed in a loamy mantle underlain by acid, sandy glacial till of Wisconsin age derived mainly from schist, granite, gneiss, and quartzite. The till generally contains stones and/or boulders. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 50 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 46 degrees F. The annual growing season ranges from 90 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adams, Becket, Berkshire, Colton, Croghan, Hermon, Kinsman, Lyman, Lyme, Marlow, Success, Sunapee, and Tunbridge soils. The Monadnock soils are in a drainage sequence with the moderately well drained Sunapee soils and the poorly drained Lyme soils. The somewhat excessively drained Hermon and Success soils and the well drained Berkshire soils are on similar landscape positions. Berkshire soils have finer textures in the substratum. Hermon and Success soils have coarser textures in the solum. The well drained Becket and Marlow soils and the moderately well drained Skerry and Peru soils are on smooth sloped landforms. Becket, Marlow, Peru, and Skerry soils formed in compact dense till. The somewhat excessively drained Lyman soils and well drained Tunbridge soils are on bedrock controlled landforms. Lyman soils are shallow to bedrock and Tunbridge soils are moderately deep to bedrock. The somewhat excessively drained Adams, excessively drained Colton, moderately well drained Croghan, and poorly drained Kinsman soils are on kames, terraces, and eskers. They are coarser textured in the solum.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Runoff ranges from medium to rapid and internal drainage is medium. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the mineral solum and high or very high in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are forested. Common forest species are northern red oak, eastern white pine, paper birch, American beech, eastern hemlock, and red pine. Some areas have been cleared of surface stones and are used for crops and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. (MLRA 143 and 144B). The series is extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sullivan County, New Hampshire, 1981.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (A and E horizons).
b. Spodic horizon - the zone from 5 to 14 inches (Bs1 horizon).
c. Strongly contrasting particle-size class - the abrupt change from coarse-loamy texture to sandy texture at a depth of 23 inches.