LOCATION TUGHILL NY PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, nonacid, frigid Typic Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Tughill gravelly fine sandy loam (mixed) on a 1 percent slope in a stony, forested area. (Colors are to moist soil unless otherwise noted).
Oa-- 0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) muck; massive; very friable; many fine roots; few large stones; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick.)
A-- 6 to 9 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) gravelly fine sandy loam, weak medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; 30 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick.)
Eg-- 9 to 13 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) gravelly fine sandy loam; massive; friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion, and few fine distinct brown (10YR 5/3) masses of redoximorphic accumulation; 30 percent rock fragments gravel size; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick.)
Bg-- 13 to 36 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam; very weak coarse subangular blocky structure grading to weak medium platy with increased depth; firm few fine pores; many medium faint to prominent pale brown (10YR 6/3), brown (10YR 5/3), yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of redoximorphic accumulation; 40 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick.)
C-- 36 to 72 inches, gray (5Y 5/1) very gravelly fine sandy loam; moderate coarse platy structure; firm; few prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; 50 percent rock fragments, moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, New York; Town of Highmarket; 4 miles northeast of Highmarket; 200 yards north of trail from Highmarket to abandoned hamlet of Michigan Mills, 1.25 miles east of end of the trail; 1/4 mile east of Pringle Creek. USGS High Market, NY topographic quadrangle, Latitude 43 degrees, 36 minutes, 12 seconds N. and Longitude 75 degrees, 35 minutes, 3 seconds W., NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 18 to 40 inches. Bedrock is at a depth greater than 60 inches. Redoximorphic features consisting of iron depletions and concentrations, and reduced matrices occur directly below the A horizon. Rock fragments, mainly stones, cobbles, and gravel, range from 3 to 35 percent by volume in the A and E horizons, and 35 to 60 percent in the B and C horizons. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the O, A and E horizons, extremely acid to slightly acid in the B horizon, and strongly acid to neutral in the C horizon.
The O horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is composed of hemic or sapric material. It is massive or has granular structure.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 or 2, or is N 2/0. Texture of the fine earth fraction is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam with or without mucky analogs. Some pedons have a BA horizon up to 7 inches thick with colors and textures similar to that of the A horizon.
The E horizon, if present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or is neutral, has value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 0 to 2. It has none to common redoximorphic concentrations. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The B horizon is neutral in color or has hue of 5YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 2. It has 15 to 40 percent redoximorphic concentrations of higher chroma than the matrix. The B horizon is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction. It has weak or very weak subangular blocky or platy structure. It is friable or firm.
The C horizon is similar to the B horizon in texture and color but has none to common redoximorphic concentrations or depletions. The C horizon is massive or has platy structure. It is friable to very firm.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
The Beavertail, Blackhoof, Brayton, Burnham, Cabot, Dannemora, Lyme, Peacham, Pillsbury, and Searsport series are similar soils in related families. Beavertail soils have a carbonatic mineralogy class. Blackhoof soils have a fine-loamy particle size class. Brayton and Burnham soils are coarse-loamy and have a lower organic matter content in the surface layer. Cabot and Peacham soils have a coarse-loamy particle size control section. Dannemora soils have a fragipan horizon. Lyme and Pillsbury soils are more acid and have a coarse-loamy particle size control section. Searsport soils have a sandy particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tughill soils are in level to gently sloping depressional or low lying areas on till plains. These soils formed in till dominated by moderately coarse textured material from acid siliceous rocks. Locally, surface mineral horizons are in finer textured local alluvium. Some areas have stones or boulders on the surface resulting from fluvial scour by glacial melt water. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent but are mainly less than 1 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 50 inches, mean annual air temperature ranges from 41 to 45 degrees F, and the frost-free period ranges from 90 to 130 days. Elevation ranges from 800 to 2000 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Empeyville, Westbury, and Worth soils are better drained associates in higher parts of till plains. Also associated in areas of granitic till are better drained Becket, Berkshire, Potsdam, Crary, Skerry and Sunapee soils on surrounding higher landscapes. Gravelly Colton soils are associated on nearby terraces. Adams soils and wetter associates are in associated sandy plains.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff soil is negligible to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the organic surface layer, mineral surface, and subsurface layer, moderately high in the subsoil, and moderately high to low in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested, idle, or used for unimproved pasture. Small areas are within fields used for growing hay. Forested areas support red maple, hemlock, fir, spruce, and some poplar and elm.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New York and Pennsylvania. MLRA 140, 141, and 142. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Orange County, New York, 1954.
REMARKS: CEC activity class was estimated to be active. Further investigation is needed in the MLRA update process.
The Tughill series was a Half-Bog under the 1938 system. Presently this soil is border line between a Typic Endoaquepts and a Histic Humaquepts. The existing extent of this series contains both classifications.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the typical pedon are:
1) Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 9 inches (Oa and A horizons).
2) Albic horizon - from 11 to 15 inches (Eg horizon).
3) Cambic Horizon - from 15 to 38 inches (Bg horizon).
4) Endoaquepts great group - redoximorphic features directly below the A horizon, and an apparent water table at +12 to 6 inches deep from November through June.
5) Redoximorphic features - Fe concentrations and depletions, and reduced matrices.