LOCATION DOWNER NJ+MDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Downer loamy sand (in an area of Downer loamy sand, 0 to 5 percent slopes), in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
BA--10 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loamy sand; single grain; loose; few extremely weakly cemented masses of oxidized iron in lower part; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--18 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common distinct clay bridging of sand grains; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
C--30 to 80 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loamy sand; single grain; loose; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Camden County, New Jersey; about 0.5 mile northeast of intersection of Berlin-Cross Keys Road and the Blenheim-Erial-New Brooklyn Road; USGS Clementon, NJ topographic quadrangle; lat. 39 degrees 45 minutes 29 seconds N. and long. 74 degrees 59 minutes 13 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of Argillic horizon: 5 to 19 inches
Depth to base of Argillic horizon: 15 to 45 inches
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 72 inches
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Greater than 72 inches
Rock Fragments: 0 to 25 percent, by volume throughout; mostly fine and medium quartzite pebbles, ironstone, or less commonly chert pebbles
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid throughout the profile, unless limed
Other Features: Undisturbed pedons typically have a microsequence of an A, E, and Bh horizon (micro-podzol). Total thickness of the A, E, and Bh horizons is less than 6 inches and individual horizons are less than 2 inches thick.
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
O horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture--moderately decomposed plant material or highly decomposed plant material
Ap or A horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture--loamy sand or sandy loam
E horizon (if it occurs, is less than 6 inches thick):
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 1 to 6
Texture--sand, loamy sand, or sandy loam
Bh horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 6
Texture (fine earth fraction)--sandy loam or loamy sand
BA or BE horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 3 to 6
Texture (fine earth fraction)--sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or sandy loam
Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam. (Some pedons have thin sandy clay loam, loam, or loamy sand subhorizons.)
BC horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine earth fraction)--sand, loamy sand, or sandy loam. (Some pedons have thin subhorizons of coarser texture.)
C horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 4 to 8. (Some pedons have thin bands or variegations in shade of these colors.)
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--above 40 inches, sand or loamy sand, but thin sandy loam strata or nodules are in some pedons; below 40 inches, sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam
COMPETING SERIES:
Dennisville soils-have a seasonal high water table at a depth of 42 to 72 inches with low chroma depletions above 72 inches and gravelly layers at a depth of 20 to 40 inches
Ingleside soils--have a seasonal high water table at a depth of 42 to 72 inches with low chroma depletions above 72 inches and gravelly layers at a depth of greater than 40 inches
Masasnutten soils--are moderately deep to lithic contact and formed in residuum from sandstone
Phalanx soils--have petroferric contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches
Swainton soils--have more than 25 percent, by volume rock fragments
Woodmansie soils--have sandy E horizons more than 6 inches thick
Zepp soils--formed in colluvium from sandstone and shale over residuum
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain
Landform: Broad interfluve, hill, ridge
Geomorphic Component: Interfluve, side slope, and base slope
Hillslope Profile Position: Summit, shoulder, and backslope
Parent Material: Fluviomarine deposits
Slope: 0 to 30 percent
Elevation: 10 to 170 feet
Frost Free Period: 180 to 210 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 50 to 57 degrees F.
Mean Annual Precipitation: 42 to 48 inches
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Aura soils--have a fine-loamy particle-size control section and a fragipan; on similar landforms
Swainton--have horizons with more than 25 percent, by volume rock fragments; on similar landforms
Evesboro soils--have a sandy particle-size control section and do not have an argillic horizon; on slightly higher landforms
Fort Mott soils--have a fine-loamy particle-size control section and sandy surface texture 20 inches thick; on similar landforms
Galestown soils--have a sandy particle-size control section; on slightly higher landforms
Hammonton soils--have low chroma depletions and a seasonal high water table at a depth of 18 to 42 inches; on lower-lying positions
Klej soils--have a seasonal high water table at a depth of 10 to 24 inches (somewhat poorly drained) and have a sandy particle-size control section; on lower-lying positions
Lakewood soils--excessively drained, have a thick E horizon, and a sandy particle-size control section; on slightly higher landforms
Lakehurst soils--have a seasonal high water table at a depth of 18 to 42 inches (moderately well drained), have a thick E horizon, and a sandy particle-size control section; on slightly lower-lying landforms
Sassafras soils--have a fine-loamy particle-size control section; on similar landforms
Woodmansie soils--have thicker E horizons; on similar landforms
Woodstown soils--have a seasonal high water table at a depth of 18 to 42 inches (moderately well drained) and have a fine-loamy particle-size control section; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Depth Class: Very deep (greater than 72 inches) to bedrock
Drainage Class: (Agricultural) Well drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very deep (greater than 60 inches) and absent (not observed)
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible to high
Permeability: Moderate or moderately rapid
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: Most areas are used for growing field crops, vegetables, flowers, and some tree fruits.
Dominant Vegetation: Native vegetation includes white oak, red oak, scarlet oak, black oak, Virginia pine, pitch pine, hickory, sassafras, dogwood, greenbriar, and American Holly. Loblolly Pine occurs in the southern part of Downer soils distribution. The understory is dominantly low bush blueberry and mountain laurel.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: The Northern Coastal Plain of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland
Extent: Moderate
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1960
REMARKS:
02/2002. This revision modifies the range of gravel content to restrict layers to less than 25 percent rock fragments and revise the competing Swainton series to layers with more than 25 percent rock fragments. Other revisions to expand the color and textural RIC required for MLRA update projects in NJ, MD, and DE.
Diagnostic horizons and other diagnostic soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 10 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon--the zone of 18 to 30 inches (Bt horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Several pedons are available from the National Soil Survey Center, Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln NE.
Database Information:
OSD Data Mapunit ID: To be developed
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID: 99406
OSD User Pedon ID: To be developed
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
OSD-SIR REPORT: SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation NJ0020 DOWNER 0-30 50-57 180-210 42-48 10-170SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness NJ0020 NONE 6.0-6.0 - >72 ---
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- NJ0020 0-18 LS 0- 0 75-100 3- 8 2- 7 NJ0020 0-18 SL FSL 0- 0 75-100 5-10 5- 10 NJ0020 18-30 SL 0- 0 75-100 6-18 1- 6 NJ0020 30-40 SR GRV-LS SL 0- 0 35-100 3- 5 1- 3 NJ0020 40-60 SR GR-S SCL 0- 0 70-100 3-25 1- 8
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll NJ0020 0-18 3.5- 5.5 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW NJ0020 0-18 3.5- 5.5 1.-3. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW NJ0020 18-30 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW NJ0020 30-40 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW NJ0020 40-60 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 20 LOW