Formation and Classification of Well-Drained Alluvial Soils in Western Massachusetts
2011
Nowak, M. A. | Veneman, P. L. M.
With ever-increasing population growth and the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses, the fertile floodplain soils of the Connecticut River Valley in Southern New England have come under increasing development pressure. Proper classification of soils allows for a greater understanding of soil characteristics and the factors that contribute to their development. Many floodplain soils, including the well-drained Hadley series (coarse-silty, nonacid, superactive, mixed, mesic Typic Udifluvents) are classified in the Entisol order. It is hypothesized that many of the soils currently mapped as Hadley silt loam are no longer flooded on a regular basis and have undergone sufficient soil formation to be considered Inceptisols. Field data were collected from 25 sites and included color, structure, texture, and horizon thickness. Laboratory analyses consisted of organic matter content, pH, particle-size distribution, and determination of free, amorphous, and organically bound Fe oxides. Fifty-two percent of the sites had a cambic horizon based on soil taxonomic definitions, therefore meeting the diagnostic criteria for Inceptisols. The ratio of oxalate- to dithionite-extractable Fe (FeJFeD ratio) was 0.58 and 0.79 for cambic and noncambic horizons, respectively. The decreasing FeJFeD ratio in cambic horizons can be attributed to the increasing maturity of these alluvial soils over the last century.
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