The following map unit description is from the published "Soil Survey of Nantucket County, Massachusetts"
Soil Survey of
Nantucket County Massachusetts
The following map unit description is from the
published "Soil Survey of Nantucket County, Massachusetts"
Pa-Pawcatuck mucky peat. This nearly level, very poorly drained soil is in very shallow depressions in tidal marshes. Most areas have random open ditches which allow tidal water to recede quickly. Areas of this soil are irregular in shape and range from 3 to 50 acres.
Typically, the surface layer is olive gray, dark brown, and dark olive gray mucky peat 45 inches thick. The substratum is gray sand to a depth of 60 inches or more.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of soils with less than 16 inches of mucky peat, soils that have a substratum of silt loam, and soils where the mucky peat is more than 60 inches thick. Included soils make up about 15 percent of this unit.
The permeability of this soil ranges from moderate to rapid in the surface layer and is very rapid in the substratum. The soil is inundated by saltwater during high tide. Root growth is restricted to the upper 20 inches because of the frequent fluctuation of the water level.
Areas of this soil are mainly covered with salt-tolerant grasses. The soil is well suited to wetland wildlife habitat but is poorly suited to most other nonfarm uses.
The saltwater and high tides make this soil poorly suited to crops, hay, and pasture. The grasses on this soil can be harvested and are suitable for hay.
The saltwater, high tides, and low strength of the surface layer of the soil make the soil unsuitable for use as sites for dwellings, roads and streets, or septic tank absorption fields.
Capability subclass VIIIw.
More information on Pawcatuck Soils
