LOCATION WILMINGTON NY VTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, isotic, frigid, shallow Typic Endoaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Wilmington gravelly sandy loam, in a map unit of Ampersand-Wilmington complex, 0 to 15 percent slopes, very bouldery, in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi-- 0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) fibric material, dominantly sphagnum; 95 percent fiber unrubbed, 80 percent rubbed; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Oe-- 3 to 5 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) hemic material; 60 percent fiber unrubbed, 20 percent rubbed; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, common medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Oa-- 5 to 7 inches; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) sapric material; 15 percent fiber unrubbed, 2 percent rubbed; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and very fine, common medium roots; 1 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the O horizon is O to 8 inches.)
E-- 7 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine vesicular pores; few fine and medium roots; 15 percent gravel; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary.
Bh-- 9 to 14 inches; very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; moderately smeary; few fine tubular and vesicular pores; few fine and medium roots; 10 percent gravel; common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) soft masses of iron accumulation and few fine and medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bhs-- 14 to 19 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3 & 3/2) gravelly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; moderately smeary; few fine vesicular pores; few fine roots; 20 percent gravel; common medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/2) areas of iron depletion; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bh/Bhs horizon is 8 to 19 inches.)
Cdg-- 19 to 72 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam; massive with medium and thick plate-like divisions; firm, brittle; few fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel; common fine and medium prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) and common medium and coarse distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) soft masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Essex County, New York; Town of Lewis, 600 feet south of a point on Wells Hill Road near Big Slash Mountain, that is 1,150 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, 48 seconds N. and Longitude 73 degrees, 39 minutes, 34 seconds W. NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the mineral solum ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through moderately acid in the mineral solum, and strongly acid through slightly acid in the substratum. Rock fragments are pebbles and cobbles and typically range from 5 to 35 percent in the mineral soil, but some subhorizons do not have rock fragments. Depth to redoximorphic features is less than 10 inches. Areas of iron depletion occur in the upper part of the spodic horizon.
The O horizon is fibric, hemic, or sapric material with hue of 5YR to 10YR, value 2 to 3, and chroma 0 to 2.
Some pedons have an A horizon which is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 0 through 2. It is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon is neutral or has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 0 through 2. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. It is 0 to 3 inches thick.
The Bh horizon is neutral or has hue of 5YR through 10YR. It typically has value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 through 2, but higher values and chromas are allowed. It is moderately or weakly smeary.
The Bhs horizon has a hue of 5YR to 10YR, with value and chroma of approximately 3 or less.
Some pedons have a BC horizon with hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2.
The B and BC horizons are silt loam, loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Cdg horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam, silt loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, of fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Consistence if firm or very firm. Some Cdg horizons have redoximorphic features.
The Cd horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 through 4. It is silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Consistence is firm or very firm. The lower part of the Cd horizon, below 40 inches, ranges from friable to firm. Some Cd horizons have redoximorphic features.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
The Brayton, Cabot, Westbury, and Worden soils are in related families. The poorly and somewhat poorly drained Brayton and poorly drained Cabot soils have a cambic horizon. The Westbury are somewhat poorly drained. Worden soils do not have iron depletions in the upper part of the spodic horizon and are somewhat poorly drained.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Wilmington soils occupy nearly level to strongly sloping positions in depressions and drainageways on glaciated uplands. Slope ranges from 0 to 10 percent. The soils formed in compact, loamy till of Wisconsin age that is derived mainly from schists or gneiss. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 60 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from about 60 to 120 days. Elevation is typically between about 1500 and 3000 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Houghtonville, Mundal, and Worden soils. The well drained Houghtonville soils and the moderately well Mundal soils are on back slopes, shoulders, and tops of uplands. The somewhat poorly drained Worden soils are on foot and toe slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. A perched water table is above the Cdg horizon from autumn to spring. Estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the mineral solum, and moderately low or moderately high in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. The common trees are aspen, black cherry, yellow birch, sugar maple, red maple, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, red spruce, and white spruce. Willows and alders are also common. A few areas have been cleared and are used for hay or pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Vermont and New YorK. MLRA 143 and 144B. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Windham County, Vermont, 1984.
REMARKS: 1. The classification is revised from Coarse-loamy, mixed, frigid, Typic Epiaquods to Loamy, isotic, frigid, shallow, Typic Endoaquods to conform to Keys to Soil taxonomy, 9th edition, 2003.
2. It is recognized that historically the series was mapped and correlated as both shallow and moderately deep to a densic contact.
3. The competing series list is subject to change when THE KEYS TO SOIL TAXONOMY, 9th edition, 2003, are fully implemented.
4. The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 7 to 9 inches (E horizon).
b. Spodic horizon - the zone from 9 to 19 inches (Bh and Bhs horizons). It is assumed this zone contains spodic materials as defined in The Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 9th edition.
c. Redoximorphic features - masses of iron accumulation and iron depletions from 7 to 19 inches.
d. Densic contact at 19 inches from the soil surface.
Remarks from previous revision, 1993:
1. As originally proposed, the Wilmington series was classified as Thixotropic Cryic Fragiaquods. Further study indicates the temperature regime of these soils is frigid.
2. The Wilmington Series was reclassified from coarse-loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Haplaquods to coarse-loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Epiaquods to conform with The Keys To Soil Taxonomy, 5th edition, 1992.
3. Albic horizons are often hard to locate because tree throws and other disturbances have destroyed the albic horizons in many areas of Wilmington soils. When found, albic horizons are often thin, discontinuous, and located within 4 inches of the soil surface.
ADDITIONAL DATA: This series is based on field profile descriptions from New York and Vermont and on laboratory data, (S79VT-25-1) and (S79VT-25-6) from Vermont.