Glenn Stanisewski, Soil Resource Specialist, USDA-NRCS MA Envirothon Soils Glenn Stanisewski, Soil Resource Specialist, USDA-NRCS West Wareham, MA

Soil Formation Horizonation – the A, B, C’s of soils A horizon = Topsoil B horizon = Subsoil C horizon = Substratum or Parent Material

Soil Horizons Paxton soil profile showing A, B, and C horizons.

Soil Properties Soil Texture Soil Color Rock Fragments – Gravel, Cobbles, Stones Depth to Bedrock Soil Structure Depth to Water table These are the Key Soil Properties that Soil Scientists look at.

Soil Texture The % of sand, silt, & clay in a soil sample There are 12 USDA Soil Texture Classes Influences soil erodibility. Influences Water Infiltration Rates. If you know the % sand and the % silt in a soil sample you can determine the USDA texture using this diagram. The % clay would be remainder after the % sand and % silt are subtracted from 100. Where the three percentages (lines) intersect on the diagram is the USDA texture class for the sample. USDA-NRCS Davis, CA

Example of Soil Texture Chart This Soil Texture Flow Chart can be used in the field to estimate soil texture by the hand texturing method. An example is included in your training manual.

Soil Structure Granular How Soil Particles (sand, silt, clay) bind together to form larger units = PEDS Blocky Peds are essentially naturally formed clods. Clods are usually formed in the topsoil as a result of plowing (especially under moist soil conditions). Structure affects how air & water move through the soil. Single-Grain USDA-NRCS Davis, CA

Soil Color A soil property that is used to indicate other soil chemical & physical properties Some of these are: Water table depth Organic matter content Soil Mineralogy Carbonate/Gypsum content

What Colors Can Tell Us Grey Colors & Orange Colors Can be indicators of Shallow water tables Black/Dark Brown Colors Can indicate high organic matter contents Red Colors Can indicate hematite iron mineralogy White Colors Can indicate high carbonate/gypsum levels

Match the sample to the Chip Match a small, moist sample to the paint chips using the holes on the page. The arrow is pointing to the 10YR 4/4 chip = dark yellowish brown. On a munsell soil color page, The color notation is hue, value, chroma. The hue is the first number and letter in the upper right hand corner of the page. In this example 10YR = Yellow-Red (aka brown). The value is the second number and is determined by reading the value scale on the left hand margin from bottom to top. In this example the value = 4 toward the darker side of the value scale. The third number is chroma and is determined by reading the scale at the bottom of the page from left to right. In this example, the chroma = 4 which is in the middle of the scale between neutral gray and pure color (no gray). The complete color notation is 10YR 4/4. Each munsell page translates this notation for each chip into a common name for the color. In this example 10YR 4/4 = dark yellowish brown. In soil profile descriptions both the scientific notation and the common name for the color is recorded for each soil horizon.

Soil Interpretations – What the Soil Properties Tell Us Drainage Class – Depth to water table Hydric Soils – Wetland Areas Flooding/Ponding Duration & Frequency Depth to Bedrock – Building limitations Interpretations are Ratings or Suitabilities for a wide range of Uses. Ratings are based on the properties: Color, Texture, Water table that soil scientists see and describe.

Drainage Class Very poorly drained – w.t. at surface Poorly drained – w.t. at 1.0 ft from surface Somewhat poorly drained – 1.0 – 1.5 ft. Moderately well drained – 1.5 ft – 3.0 ft. Well drained – w.t. > 5.0 ft. Somewhat excessively drained – w.t. > 5.0 Excessively drained – w.t. > 5.0 ft. Drainage Class is an Interpretation. Based on estimated water table depths that are inferred from Soil Color and Soil features (Iron/Mn) observed in the soil profile.

Hydric Soil Poorly & Very Poorly Drained Soils. Found in Wetlands. Grey & Orange colors at 12” indicate seasonal high water table. Support wetland vegetation. A hydric soil is generally a poor or very poorly drained soil that is anaerobic in the upper part of the profile sometime during the growing season, and can support hydrophytic (wetland) vegetation.

Black over gray; stay away. Drainage Classes often follow a Landform pattern. Topography Soil Forming Factor at work. Wetter soils tend to be in the lower portions of the landform.

Flooding Flooding – Not a great place to build a house. Flooding tends to be most common in alluvial floodplain landforms.

Ponding Limitations for crops and development.

Shallow to Bedrock Areas shallow to bedrock have severe limitations for building development.

Soils and Geography Soils found in MA and HI are as different as the states of MA and HI

Crops Cranberries Macadamia Nuts Cranberries v.s. Macadamia Nuts

Pop Culture Hawaii 5-0 Cheers Cheers v.s. Hawaii 5-0 (New or Classic version).

Coffee Kona Coffee Dunkin Donuts Dunkin Donuts coffee v.s. Kona coffee another Hawaii crop.

MA & HI Soils are also different MA – Paxton (Inceptisol) HI - Oxisol Paxton is the MA State Soil. Why are these soils so different? They are very different in terms of color, texture, structure, physical & chemical properties. Pass around box sample of Paxton soil.

Why Are They Different? Soils are a product of 5 Soil Forming Factors. Differences in these 5 factors results in different soils occurring in different places. Soils can differ from State to State, from Town to Town, or even from the Top of the Hill to the Bottom of the Hill.

5 Soil Forming Factors Soil = fx (cl, org, pm, topog., time) Soils are the result of climate, organisms, geologic parent material, relief, and time. Differences in any one or more of these factors results in different soils at different locations. The 5 Soil Forming Factors are the foundation for modern soil science and soil survey. The 5 Soil Forming Factors Conceptual Framework allows soil scientists to form soil-landform models that allows them to classify and map soils over large areas on the landscape.

Topography - Soils & Landforms = A Pattern B B C Younger soils (such as those on floodplains) have simpler soil profiles (fewer horizons) than older soils. Older soils tend to be found on more stable landforms (such as tops of hills, older terraces) than younger soils. Younger soils have undergone less weathering than older soils and more closely resemble the original parent material. C B A

Soil Parent Material New England Soil Parent Materials Glacial till (ice deposited materials) Lodgement (dense till, drumlin landform) Ablation (loose till, rolling hills) Glacial Outwash (Meltwater sorted sands & gravels) Glacial Lake Bed (stratified silts & clays) Eolian (Wind blown silts & fine sands) Alluvium (Floodplain deposits) Organic (Swamps, Salt Marshes) 6 Soil Parent materials commonly found in New England. The raw materials from which soils form from.

Glaciers – Ice deposited materials New England was covered with glaciers approx. 15,000 yrs. ago.

Dense Till = Drumlin Landform Paxton soils formed in Lodgement till are found on Drumlin landforms.

Paxton Soil Type Dense Till Soil Type – MA State Soil. Dense till at 24 inches in profile. Soil consists of 3 basic layers: Topsoil, Subsoil, Substratum. Divided into A, B, and C horizons. Dense till soil profile = Paxton. A = Topsoil, B = Subsoil, C = Substratum.

Ablation or Loose till is deposited from the tops or sides or ends of glaciers. No hardpan, dense substratum. Unsorted mish-mash of sand, silt, rocks, stones, with very little clay. Ablation (Loose) Till

Moraines – Sandy Loose Till Landform Moraines are ridges of sandy till that mark the sides and end points of glaciers.

Canton Soil Profile Like Paxton soil contains A, B, and C horizons. Loose till soil type found in MA. Like Paxton soil contains A, B, and C horizons. Found on Rolling hills, & undulating landscapes. Ablation till soil profile. MA examples = Charlton, Canton, Gloucester. Pass around box samples of Canton and Gloucester soils.

GLACIOFLUVIAL - Outwash Glacial outwash is meltwater that comes from receding glaciers. GLACIOFLUVIAL - Outwash

Outwash Landform – Kame Terrace Kames are mounds or terraces consisting of stratified sand and gravel.

Hinckley Soil Profile Consists of stratified layers of sand and gravel. Areas often mined for sand & gravel. Soils have low Available Water for plant growth. Outwash soils have stratified sands and gravels at depth. Examples are Agawam, Merrimac, and Hinckley soils. Pass around box sample of Hinckley soil.

Glacial Lake Bed Plains New England was covered by large glacial lakes (Hitchcock in CT River Valley). They left deposits of stratified silts and clays. Also found in the Taunton & Raynham area.

Birdsall Soil Profile Consists of stratified silts and clays. MA Glacial lake bed soil. Consists of stratified silts and clays. Iron deposits that indicate seasonal high water table. Very poorly drained soil found in wetland areas. MA examples are the Eldridge, Birdsall, and Raynham soils. Profile has thin stratifications = varves of silt and clay. Pass around box sample of Birdsall soil.

Eolian Landforms (Loess) Wind blown and deposited fine sands and silts.

Haven Soil Profile Soil formed in Loess deposits over Sand & Gravel Well drained Silt loams = High Water Holding Capacity for plants. High AWC = Prime Farmland Soil Wind blown deposits of fine sand or silt. As glaciers melted high winds created loess (silt deposits) which later formed into soils. Pass around sample of Haven Soil.

Floodplains – River Valleys Floodplains are new landforms that contain new soil material called alluvium. CT River Valley.

Hadley Soil Profile Buried Topsoil layers from flooding. MA Floodplain alluvial soil. Buried Topsoil layers from flooding. Stratified silts and fine sands. High AWC = Prime Farmland Soil. Floodplain soils have many thin layers (stratification). Many of the layers are buried topsoil layers due to flood events. Pass around box sample of Winooski soil.

Wooded Swamps – Organic Soils Organic soils are found in depressions and other low spots. Soils made up of partially decomposed plant material called peat and muck. No sand, silt, or clay.

Freetown – MA Wooded Swamp Soil Consists of Muck = Highly decomposed plant material. Very Poorly Drained Wetland Soil. High amounts of organic C. Low Bulk Density (Very Light). Muck Soil. Pass around box sample of Freetown soil.

Salt Marsh – Organic Soils Salt Marsh located in Sandwich, MA (Cape Cod).

Ipswich – MA Tidal Salt Marsh Soil Consists of Peat – Partially decomposed salt grass. Very Poorly drained. Experiences daily tidal flooding. High in salinity. Soils often have a rotten egg smell (high in Sulfur). Peat or Mucky Peat Soil. Pass around box sample of Ipswich soil.

Hands-on Exercises