LOCATION WHITEMARSH MDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Albaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Whitemarsh silt loam, on a one percent slope, in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi--0 to 1 inches; undecomposed and partially decomposed leaves and twigs from loblolly pine, sweetgum, and oak.
Oe--1 to 2 inches; root mat, decomposing organic material.
A--2 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium, and few coarse roots throughout; few very fine tubular pores; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
Eg1--4 to 8 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and medium and very few coarse roots; few very fine tubular pores; few medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Eg2--8 to 12 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium and very few coarse roots; few very fine tubular pores; few medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Btg1--12 to 24 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very firm, slightly sticky, plastic; common fine and very fine roots in cracks; few fine and medium tubular pores; common prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium distinct yellowish brown (l0YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; few fine and medium light gray (10YR 7/1) zones of iron depletion; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Btg2--24 to 37 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine platy; very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and medium roots in vertical cracks; few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; common fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6 and 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Btg3--37 to 55 inches; gray (10YR6/1) silt loam; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium platy; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and very fine roots between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
BCg--55 to 62 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots in cracks; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; few prominent clay films in pores; few medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Cg--62 to 72 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and very fine tubular pores; few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; 3 percent coarse fragments; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Queen Anne's County, Maryland; about one and a half miles northeast of Centreville; approximately one mile north along Brick Schoolhouse Rd. from its intersection with Whitemarsh Rd., 250 feet west of Brick Schoolhouse Rd. USGS Centreville, Maryland topographic quadrangle; lat. 39 degrees 4 minutes 47 seconds N.; and long. 76 degrees 1 minute 3 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 66 inches. The soil ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid in unlimed areas through neutral in heavily limed areas.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is silt loam. Redoximorphic features may be present.
The E or Eg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 4. Chroma of 3 or 4 are no deeper than 10 inches. It is silt loam. Redoximorphic features may be present.
The BEg horizon, where present, hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 6 or 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam. Masses of iron accumulation have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma 1 or 2. It is usually silty clay loam, but can be silt loam or silty clay in part of the argillic horizon. Masses of iron accumulation have hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Iron depletions, where present, have hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2.
The BCg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is usually silt loam or clay loam, or, less commonly loam or sandy clay loam. Redoximorphic features are present.
The Cg or C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 3 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 8. It is commonly stratified, with textures ranging from sand to silty clay loam. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent. Redoximorphic features are present.
Ab horizons are present in some profiles at a depth of 42 to 60 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar series are Bladen, Carmichael, Elkton, Fallsington, Leonardtown, Othello, and Pouncey. Bladen and Pouncey are in the clayey, thermic family of Typic Albaquults. Leonardtown and Carmichael have fragipans, and Carmichael has a coarse-loamy particle size class. Elkton and Othello do not have an abrupt textural change between the ochric epipedon and the argillic horizon. Fallsington is in the fine-loamy family of Typic Endoaquults.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whitemarsh soils are on level terraces, upland flats, and small depressions in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The soils formed in unconsolidated stratified alluvial and marine sediments that are capped with silty sediments. Climate is humid temperate with a mean annual temperature of 55 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation of 43 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Butlertown, Fallsington, Matapeake, Mattapex, Othello, and Nassawango series. Butlertown soils are moderately well drained to well drained and have a fragipan. Fallsington soils have a fine-loamy particle size class. Matapeake and Nassawango soils are well drained. Mattapex soils are moderately well drained. Othello soils have no abrupt textural change between the ochric epipedon and the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Whitemarsh soils are poorly drained. Runoff is slow; permeability is slow in the solum and slow to rapid in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Whitemarsh soils are usually wooded, but some pedons have been drained for the production of corn, wheat, barley, and soybeans. Areas of second growth forest contain red maple (Acer rubrum), swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana), short-leaf pine (Pinus echinata), white oak (Quercus alba), black oak (Quercus velutina), southern red oak (Quercus falcata), willow oak (Quercus phellos), and black cherry (Prunus serotina) in the canopy; and musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), serviceberry (Amelanchier obovalis), sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolium), Hercules club (Aralia spinosa), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), strawberry bush (Euonymus americanus), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), sparkleberry (Vaccinium stamineum), lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium vacillans), partridge berry (Mitchella repens), and pink lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) in the understory. Where the canopy is open there are fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea), and fetterbush (Leucothoe racemosa).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Plain of Maryland. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Queen Anne's County, Maryland, 1995
REMARKS: Whitemarsh soils were formerly included in the Elkton series. It is distinguished from Elkton by having an abrupt textural change between the ochric epipedon and the argillic horizon. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon and an argillic horizon, an abrupt textural change, and low hydraulic conductivity in the argillic horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: None
MLRA: 153C, 153D, 149A
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation MD0181 WHITEMARSH 0- 5 52- 58 190-210 42- 48 5- 90SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness MD0181 NONE 0-1.0 APPARENT JAN-MAY 99-99
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- MD0181 0-12 SIL 0- 0 100-100 6-16 - MD0181 12-62 SIL SICL 0- 0 100-100 16-38 - MD0181 62-72 S LS L 0- 0 95-100 0-25 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll MD0181 0-12 3.5- 5.5 .5-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW MD0181 12-62 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.01- 0.2 LOW MD0181 62-72 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.2- 20 LOW