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The PAXTON Series: the Official State Soil of Massachusetts.
DO NOT LEAVE THE PUBLIC Right of Way on this cache. All you need to do to complete this cache is to note your observations and complete the questions below.
Due to the nature of this Earthcache, a distant view will give you the best appreciation for these unique geological features. You may accomplish this Earthcache from the comfort of your vehicle. DO NOT LEAVE THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY
The Paxton soil series was established in Worcester County Massachusetts in 1922, and is named for the town of Paxton where it was first described and mapped.
In 1991, the Massachusetts State Legislature designated the Paxton series as the Official State Soil of the Commonwealth.
The Paxton series consists of well drained coarse-loamy mixed soils formed in sediment deposited by the plastering of schist, gneiss, and granite from the sole of a glacier. A thin mantle of wind-blown (eolian) fine sandy loam overlies the dense till. The soils are very deep to bedrock and moderately deep to a densic contact (relatively unaltered materials that have a noncemented rupture-resistance class, such that roots cannot enter, except in cracks. Mostly earthy materials, such as till, volcanic mudflows, and some mechanically compacted materials. Densic materials are noncemented and thus differ from paralithic materials and the material below a lithic contact, both of which are cemented. Densic materials have, at their upper boundary, a densic contact if they have no cracks or if the spacing of cracks that roots can enter is ten (10) centimeters (cm) or more). Slopes range from 3 to 35 percent.
Paxton soils are in the Inceptisol soils order, a gray-brown soil consisting mainly of clay and silt loams that is not particularly fertile but can be productive when properly managed, of relatively new origin and are characterized by having only the weakest appearance of horizons, or layers. They are the most abundant on Earth, occupying almost 22 percent of all non-polar continental land area. The term "coarse-loamy" indicates that the soil has less than 18% clay and at least 15% or more particles that are fine sand or coarser.
Paxton soils are mapped on convex slopes of oval-shaped, streamline hills called a drumlin, which is a smooth, elongated oval hill, mound, or ridge of compact glacial till. The longer axis is parallel to the path of the glacier and commonly has a blunt nose pointing in the direction from which the ice approached..
They are mapped throughout the moderately moist soil temperature regime of New England and New York. Where stones have been cleared and slopes are gentle, Paxton soils are well suited to cultivate crops, hay, and improved pasture. Additional land uses include suburban housing and woodland production. The main agricultural uses for Paxton soils are apples, corn, and silage. Paxton soils have a high water holding capacity and are well suited for intensive agricultural and woodland production. Trees commonly growing on Paxton soils include red, white, and black oak, hickory, sugar maple, red maple, gray and black birch, white pine, and hemlock.
Paxton soils have a slowly permeable, dense till layer that perch seasonal water tables. These limitations often interfere with septic systems for commercial and residential development.
To claim this EarthCache complete the following:
PM owner the answers to the following questions:
From the comfort of your vehicle:
1) What is the current land use at GZ
2) What "layer" of the soil can be seen exposed at this site?
3) Based on your observation can the depth of the densic contact be estimated? What could it be?
Additional Hints
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