Soil Survey of
Dukes County Massachusetts
The following map unit description is from the published "Soil
Survey of Dukes County, Massachusetts"
MoA-Moshup loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes. This soil is very deep, nearly level, and moderately well drained. It is on broad tops of hills and at the base of slopes. It is in the western part of Martha's Vineyard. The areas of this soil are irregular in shape and range from 5 to 30 acres. They make up less than 1 percent of the survey area.
Typically, the surface is covered with a 1-inch-thick layer of loose leaves and twigs. The surface layer is very dark grayish brown and dark grayish brown loam about 8 inches thick. The subsoil is dark yellowish brown loam and silty clay loam about 15 inches thick and is mottled in the lower 4 inches. The substratum is light brownish gray, mottled, firm silty clay loam to a depth of 60 inches or more.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of Chilmark, Nantucket, and Ridgebury Variant soils. Also included are areas of soils where the subsoil and substratum have thin strata of loamy sand, sand, gravelly loamy sand, or gravelly sand and small areas of soils with slopes of 3 to 8 percent. Included areas make up about 25 percent of this unit.
The permeability of this Moshup soil is moderate or slow in the subsoil and slow to very slow in the substratum. Available water capacity is moderate. A seasonal high water table is perched above the substratum in late fall, in winter, and in spring.
Most areas of this soil are in abandoned pasture and shrubby vegetation. Some areas are in cropland, and some are used as homesites.
This soil is suited to cultivated crops and to hay and pasture. The seasonal high water table is the main management concern. Good tilth is easily maintained in cultivated areas. The use of cover crops and grasses and legumes in the cropping system and mixing crop residue and manure into the surface layer help to maintain tilth and increase the organic matter content of the soil. The use of proper stocking rates and deferred and rotational grazing help to maintain desirable pasture plant species. Deferred grazing when the pasture is wet helps to prevent damage to the sod.
This soil is well suited to woodland productivity. Thinning crowded stands and removal or control of vegetation that competes with seedlings are the main management practices. The common trees on this soil are black oak, white oak, red maple, and tupelo.
The seasonal high water table is a main limitation of the soil as a site for dwellings and septic tank absorption fields, and the permeability in the substratum is a further limitation for septic tank absorption fields. Adding fill and using regional drainage help to overcome the water table. Enlarging the absorption field helps to overcome the permeability.
This soil is in capability subclass IIw.
MoB-Moshup loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes. This soil is very deep, gently sloping, and moderately well drained. It is on broad tops of hills and on the lower parts of long slopes. It is in the western part of Martha's Vineyard. The areas, of this soil are irregular in shape and range from 5 to 40 acres. They make up less than 1 percent of the survey area.
Typically, the surface is covered with a 1-inch-thick layer of loose leaves and twigs. The surface layer is very dark grayish brown and dark grayish brown loam about 8 inches thick. The subsoil is dark yellowish brown loam and silty clay loam about 15 inches thick and is mottled in the lower 4 inches. The substratum is light brownish gray, mottled, firm silty clay loam to a depth of 60 inches or more.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of Chilmark, Nantucket, and Ridgebury Variant soils. Also included are areas of soils where the subsoil and substratum have thin strata of loamy sand, sand, gravelly loamy sand, or gravelly sand and small areas of soils with slopes of 0 to 3 percent or 8 to 15 percent. Included areas make up about 25 percent of this unit.
The permeability of this Moshup soil is moderate or moderately rapid in the subsoil and slow to very slow in the substratum. Available water capacity is moderate. The seasonal high water table is perched above the substratum in late fall, in winter, and in spring.
Most areas of this soil are in abandoned pasture and shrubby vegetation. Some areas are in cropland, and some are used as homesites.
This soil is suited to cultivated crops and to hay and pasture. The seasonal high water table is the main management concern. Good tilth is easily maintained, but erosion is a hazard in cultivated areas. The use of cover crops and grasses and legumes in the cropping system and mixing crop residue and manure into the surface layer help to maintain tilth, increase the organic matter content, and reduce the erosion hazard. The use of proper stocking rates and deferred and rotational grazing help to maintain desirable pasture plant species. Deferred grazing when the pasture is wet helps to prevent damage to the sod.
This soil is well suited to woodland productivity. Thinning crowded stands and removal or control of vegetation that competes with seedlings are the main management practices. The common trees on this soil are black oak, white oak, red maple, and tupelo.
The seasonal high water table is a main limitation of the soil as a site for dwellings and septic tank absorption fields, and the permeability in the substratum is a further limitation for septic tank absorption fields. Adding fill and using regional drainage help to overcome the water table. Enlarging the absorption field helps to overcome the permeability.
This soil is in capability subclass IIw.
MsB-Moshup loam, 0 to 8 percent slopes, very stony. This soil is very deep, nearly level and gently sloping, and moderately well drained. It is on broad hilltops and on the lower parts of long slopes. It is in the western part of Martha's Vineyard. Stones and boulders cover 1 to 3 percent of the surface area. The areas of this soil are irregular in shape and range from 5 to 30 acres. They make up less than 1 percent of the survey area.
Typically, the surface is covered with a 1-inch-thick layer of loose leaves and twigs. The surface layer is very dark grayish brown and dark grayish brown loam about 8 inches thick. The subsoil is dark yellowish brown loam and silty clay loam about 15 inches thick and is mottled in the lower 4 inches. The substratum is light brownish gray, mottled, firm silty clay loam to a depth of 60 inches or more.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of Chilmark, Nantucket, and Ridgebury Variant soils. Also included are areas of soils where the subsoil and substratum have thin strata of loamy sand, sand, gravelly loamy sand, or gravelly sand and small areas of soils with slopes of 8 to 15 percent. Included areas make up about 25 percent of this unit.
The permeability of this Moshup soil is moderate or slow in the subsoil and slow to very slow in the substratum. Available water capacity is moderate. The seasonal high water table is perched above the substratum in late fall, in winter, and in spring.
The stones and boulders on the surface and the seasonal high water table make this soil generally unsuitable for cultivated crops. Erosion is a hazard in cultivated areas. This soil is suited to pasture, but the stones on the surface limit the use of equipment, making the soil poorly suited to hay. The use of proper stocking rates and deferred and rotational grazing help to maintain desirable pasture plant species. Deferred grazing when the soil is wet helps to prevent damage to the sod.
This soil is well suited to woodland productivity, and most areas are wooded. Thinning crowded stands and removal or control of vegetation that competes with seedlings are the main management practices. The common trees on this soil are black oak, white oak, red maple, and tupelo.
The seasonal high water table is a main limitation of the soil as a site for dwellings and septic tank absorption fields, and the permeability in the substratum is a further limitation for septic tank absorption fields. Adding fill and using regional drainage help to overcome the water table. Enlarging the absorption field helps to overcome the permeability.
This soil is in capability subclass VIs.