Soil Series Atlas

Chesuncook soil series

Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Aquic Haplorthods

050100150cm1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft5 ftOaOrganic layer · highly decomposed0–3 cm · 0–1 inELeached layer3–10 cm · 1–4 inBhsSubsoil · humus build-up, iron andaluminum build-up10–13 cm · 4–5 inBs1Subsoil · iron and aluminum build-up13–27 cm · 5–11 inBs2Subsoil · iron and aluminum build-up27–45 cm · 11–18 inBCSubsoil grading to parent material45–53 cm · 18–21 inCdParent material · dense, roots restricted53–165 cm · 21–65 in050100150cmOaOrganic layer · highlydecomposed0–3 cm · 0–1 inELeached layer3–10 cm · 1–4 inBhsSubsoil · humusbuild-up, iron andaluminum build-up10–13 cm · 4–5 inBs1Subsoil · iron andaluminum build-up13–27 cm · 5–11 inBs2Subsoil · iron andaluminum build-up27–45 cm · 11–18 inBCSubsoil grading toparent material45–53 cm · 18–21 inCdParent material ·dense, roots restricted53–165 cm · 21–65 in
Typical pedon, to scale: 165 cm (65 in), 7 horizons.

Spodosols — acid soils with a subsoil of humus and iron or aluminum

Chesuncook is mapped on 603,636 acres in 2 states, 424th nationally by area. It was established in 1992, later than all but one of the series here. Practically all of it, over 99% of its acres, lies in Maine. Besides it, only Kalkaska, Marlow, and Tunbridge have isotic mineralogy in this atlas. It is the state soil of Maine.

Depth
Very deep
Drainage
Moderately well drained
Water movement
Moderately high

Compare with another seriesSimilar series in the finder

Where Chesuncook is mapped

603,636 acres in 15 soil survey areas, from current SSURGO data.

AlabamaArizonaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIndianaKansasMaine: 603,353 acresMassachusettsMinnesotaNew JerseyNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansasCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaIowaKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew Hampshire: 284 acresNew YorkOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontLouisianaRhode Island

Share of all Chesuncook acres

  1. Maine100%
  2. New Hampshire<0.1%
  • Rank in the state · share of its mapped soil
  • Maine 9th of 155 · 3.24%

In the field

Drainage

Moderately well drained

Drains fastStays wet

10 other atlas series are moderately well drained, none of them Spodosols.

Soil depth

Very deep

ShallowDeep

Water movement (Ksat)

Moderately high

SlowFast
Parent material
Glacial till
Landform
Uplands, till plains, hills, ridges/interfluves, mountains
Major land resource areas
143, 144B, 146
Type location
Maine

How it is classified

  1. OrderSpodosols
  2. SuborderOrthods
  3. Great groupHaplorthods
  4. SubgroupAquic Haplorthods
  5. FamilyCoarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Aquic Haplorthodscoarse-loamy particle-size classisotic mineralogy classfrigid soil temperature regime

Against other Spodosols

Chesuncook makes up 1.02% of all mapped Spodosols — the 24th largest of 717 series in the order.

Solum thickness (topsoil + subsoil)

53 cm under a median of 79 cm

Depth to the subsoil

10 cm under a median of 15 cm

Depth described

165 cm over a median of 152 cm

Its relatives

8 other established series share the family “Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Aquic Haplorthods”

  1. Peru1.7 M
  2. Skerry881 k
  3. Howland710 k
  4. Ragmuff684 k
  5. Chesuncook604 k
  6. Sunapee168 k
  7. Dixmont168 k
  8. Crary51 k
  9. Worden49 k

Close relatives, at one scale

  1. Chesuncook165 cm · Aquic Haplorthods
  2. Marlow165 cm · Oxyaquic Haplorthods
  3. Kalkaska205 cm · Typic Haplorthods
  4. Tunbridge71 cm · Typic Haplorthods

Horizon by horizon

HorizonLayerDepthThickness
OaOrganic layer: highly decomposed0–3 cm0–1 in3 cm
ELeached layer3–10 cm1–4 in7 cm
BhsSubsoil: humus build-up, iron and aluminum build-up10–13 cm4–5 in3 cm
Bs1Subsoil: iron and aluminum build-up13–27 cm5–11 in14 cm
Bs2Subsoil: iron and aluminum build-up27–45 cm11–18 in18 cm
BCSubsoil grading to parent material45–53 cm18–21 in8 cm
CdParent material: dense, roots restricted53–165 cm21–65 in112 cm

Sources: USDA–NRCS Official Series Description (revised 2014-09), Soil Classification database and SSURGO. Ranks computed by Soil Series Atlas. Method · Guides