Soil Characteristics

The major driving force behind the formation and toposequence of the soils at our site can be traced to the Champlain Sea. During the end of the last Ice Age as the glaciers retreated huge volumes of water were released.  (Klyza, Trombulak)  The drastic effect this had on the landscape is still evident and can be seen through an examination of our hectare’s soil structure and surficial geology. Overall, the surficial geology of our hectare mainly consisted of very fine sand, Champlain sea clay, and nutrient rich parent material. Aboveground this is reflected by our site’s vegetative composition and the presence of rich site competitors such as basswood and bitternut hickory.

Within our hectare the 3 main soil types were determined to be Farmington Extremely Rocky Loam (FaC), Munson and Belgrade Silt loams (MuD), and Hermon Extremely Stony Fine Sandy Loam(HnE). Farmington Extremely Rocky Loam soils are typically found on slopes of 20% to 60% grades. This soil was found towards the western side of our hectare where the grade was steepest. The second soil type, Munson and Belgrade Silt Loams, are typically found on slopes of 12% to 25% grades. This soil ran through the center of our hectare where the grade slightly leveled out. The third soil type, Hermon Extremely Stony Fine Sandy Loam, ran along the eastern side of our hectare and is usually found in regions where the grade is between 15% and 60%. When we applied hydrochloric acid to one of the rocky outcrops on our site it slowly bubbled and so we determined it to be Dunham Dolostone. The rocky outcrop was a light gray-brown color with a very coarse composition.

Using an auger the soil pit we dug exposed the following horizons: The O horizon was only about 1 cm thick and consisted of decomposing organic matter, mainly leaf litter. The next horizon, the A horizon consisted of dark brown mineral soil with mixed organic matter. It also had a pH of 7.0, a loamy/sand texture, and was measured to be 15cm thick. The B horizon was comprised of a reddish-brown soil with a pH of 7.0 and was measured to be 23cm thick. Its texture was determined to be a sandy/loam. The C horizon mainly consisted of gray-brown clay, very fine particles, and had a pH of 7.0.                                                   

Works Cited
Klyza, Christopher McGrory., and Stephen C. Trombulak. The Story of Vermont: a Natural and Cultural History. Hanover, NH: University of New England, 1999. Print.