MA Envirothon
Soils
Glenn Stanisewski, Soil Resource Specialist, USDA-NRCS
West Wareham, MA
Soils and Geography
• Soils found in MA and HI are as different
as the states of MA and HI
Crops
Cranberries
Macadamia Nuts
Pop Culture
Cheers
Hawaii 5-0
Coffee
Dunkin Donuts
Kona Coffee
MA & HI Soils are also different
MA – Paxton (Inceptisol)
HI - Oxisol
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.
Topography - Soils & Landforms = A
Pattern
A
A
B
B
C
A
C
B
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)
Glaciers – Ice deposited materials
Dense Till = Drumlin Landform
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.
Ablation (Loose) Till
Moraines – Sandy Loose Till Landform
Canton Soil Profile
Loose till soil type
found in MA.
•
• Like Paxton soil
contains A, B, and C
horizons.
• Found on Rolling hills,
& undulating
landscapes.
GLACIOFLUVIAL - Outwash
Outwash Landform – Kame Terrace
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.
Glacial Lake Bed Plains
Birdsall Soil Profile
• 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.
Eolian Landforms (Loess)
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
Floodplains – River Valleys
Hadley Soil Profile
MA Floodplain alluvial
soil.
•
• Buried Topsoil layers
from flooding.
• Stratified silts and fine
sands.
• High AWC = Prime
Farmland Soil.
Wooded Swamps – Organic Soils
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).
Salt Marsh – Organic Soils
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).
Soil Formation
•
•
•
•
Horizonation – the A, B, C’s of soils
A horizon = Topsoil
B horizon = Subsoil
C horizon = Substratum or Parent Material
Soil Horizons
Soil Properties
•
•
•
•
•
•
Soil Texture
Soil Color
Rock Fragments – Gravel, Cobbles, Stones
Depth to Bedrock
Soil Structure
Depth to Water table
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.
USDA-NRCS Davis, CA
33
Example of Soil Texture Chart
Soil Structure
• How Soil Particles
(sand, silt, clay)
bind together to
form larger units =
PEDS
Granular
Blocky
Single-Grain
USDA-NRCS Davis, CA
35
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.
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
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.
Hydric Soil
•Poorly & Very Poorly
Drained Soils.
•Found in Wetlands.
•Grey & Orange colors at
12” indicate seasonal
high water table.
•Support wetland
vegetation.
Black over gray;
stay away. Drainage
Classes often follow a
Landform pattern.
Flooding
Ponding
Shallow to Bedrock
Hands-on Exercises