PLYMOUTH COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS SOIL SURVEY UPDATE

Quonset Soils: Very deep, excessively drained soil developed in water-sorted sand, gravel, subrounded channers, and flagstones derived dominantly from acid dark phyllite, shale, or slate. Quonset soils are on glacial outwash plains, deltas, eskers, terraces, and kames.

Link to Official Series Description

Map Unit (s): 262A, 262B, 262C, 262E
Map Phases:

  • 262A Quonset sandy loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes.
    262B Quonset sandy loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes.
    262C Quonset sandy loam, 8 to 15 percent slopes.
    262E Quonset sandy loam, 15 to 35 percent slopes.
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    Taxonomic Classification: Sandy -skeletal, mixed, mesic, Typic Udorthents.
    Drainage Class: Excessively drained.
    Parent Material: Glacial fluvial deposits derived from dark mineralogy (phyllite, siltstone, and shale).
    Permeability: Very rapid throughout.
    Available Water Holding Capacity: Low.
    Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to slightly acid throughout.
    Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 65 inches.
    Seasonal High Watertable: Depth: greater than 5 feet.
    Type: apparent.
    Months:
    Hydrologic Group: A.
    Hydric Soil: No.
    Flooding/Ponding Potential: Frequency and Type: None.
    Potential Inclusions: Hinckley, Plymouth, Windsor, and Merrimac soils are similar inclusions. Newport and Pittstown soils are on till uplands. Moderately well drained Deerfield and Sudbury soils are on lower elevations. Poorly drained Walpole soils are along drainageways.

    Soil Suitability:

    Agriculture: Map units 262A and 262B are important farmland. Major limitations are related to droughtiness, irrigation is needed for optimal yield.

    Woodland: Poorly suited for woodland productivity due to droughtiness.

    Development: Quonset soils have few limitations for development. They are associated with aquifer recharge areas and measures should be taken to protect the aquifer.

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