The Soils of The Regional Municipality of Ottawa=Carleton

Soil Materials North Gower soils consist of moderately fine
textured marine materials which overly fine textured marine
material at a depth greater than 1 m . Coarse fragments of any
size are not present in these materials.
The parent material is olive gray to grayish brown in color,
and is texturally either silty clay loam or clay loam . Soil reaction
is most often neutral, but attimes may be mildly alklaline .
Soils having the latter reaction also are weakly to moderately
calcareous . Surface textures are commonly silt loam, loam,
silty clayloam, or clay loam .
Occasionally interbedded layers of coarser or finer textured
marine material are present in some North Gower soils .
These layers are variable in thickness and most often range
between 20 and 60 cm . Finer textured layers are usually silty
clay, while coarser textured layers may be silt, silt loam, loam,
or fine sandy loam . Soils having coarse textured layers were
mapped as the NG5 soil landscape unit .
North Gower soils are similar in many respects to the soils
ofthe Dalhousie association . The major difference is claycontent,
withNorth Gower soils having a clay content which varies
between 28 and 39% . The clay content of Dalhousie soils varies
between41 and 59% .
Soil Moisture Characteristics Approximately 85% of the
soils of the association are poorly drained and are situated on
level to very gently sloping topography. Most of the remainder
of the soils are imperfectly drained and are found on very gently
sloping to undulatingtopography.Afew small areas ofvery
poorly drained North Gower soils were also mapped . Soils of
the association are slowly to moderately permeable, with the
latter case most often associated with well developed subangular
blocky structures . Moisture holding capacity is generally
quite high, while surface runoff is slow.
Soil Landscape Units Five units were recognized for the
North Gower association . They are described as follows :
Recognized Recognized
Subgroups Series
NG1 : Dominantlyimper- Gleyed Melanic Carp
fectly drained soils Brunisols
found on very gently
sloping topography.
Slopes generally range
from2 to 5% .
NG2 : Dominantlypoorly Orthic Humic North
drained soils found Gleysols Gower
on level to nearly level
topography. Slopes
range from 0to 2% .
NG3 :Dominantly imper- Gleyed Melanic Carp
fectly drained soils Brunisols
in combination with (Imperfect)
significant areas of Orthic Humic North
poorlydrained soils
found on very gently
sloping topography.
Slopes generally range
from 2to 5% .
Gleysols (Poor) Gower
NG4 : Dominantly very
poorly drained soils
found on level to
depressionaltopography.
Slopes range from
0 to 1% .
Rego Gleysols Belmeade
Recognized Recognized
Subgroups Series
NG5 : Dominantlypoorly Orthic Humic North
drained soils found Gleysols Gower
on levelto nearly (variant)
level topography and
containing 20to 60 cm
thick layers ofcoarser
textured materials,
primarily silt, silt
loam, loam, or fine
sandyloam . Slopes
range from 0 to 2% .
Taxonomic Components The Carp series (Gleyed Melanic
Brunisol subgroup) is imperfectly drained and occurs on mid
to upper slope positions in the landscape. Surface horizons are
generally dark grayish brown with granular to subangular
blocky structure. The underlying B horizons are grayishbrown
to olive gray with distinct olive colored mottles . Structures are
subangular blocky to platy. TheC horizons are similar in color
to the weathered B horizons but structure tends to be somewhat
coarser. Platy structure also occurs occasionally.
The poorly drained North Gower series (Orthic Humic
Gleysol subgroup) has surface horizons which are generally
very dark gray to very dark brown in color with subangular
blocky to granular structure. The underlying B horizons are
generally dark gray to olive gray with dark yellowish brown
prominent mottles . Structure varies from subangular blocky to
platy with subangular blocky structure occurring most often .
The C horizons are gray to olive gray in color and generally
have subangular blocky to platy structure. Generally the C
horizons have fewer mottles than the upper B horizons .
The very poorly drained Belmeade series (Rego Gleysol
subgroup) has water tables which remain at or near the surface
year round . Structure is massive throughout the profile and
colors of gray to greenish gray reflect the highly reduced condition
of these soils .
Soils mapped as a variant ofthe North Gower series were
identified in the NG5 soil landscape unit . The occurrence of
these soils was not extensive enough for them to be named as a
new soil series . The distinguishing characteristic which separates
the variant from the North Gower series is the presence of
layers of silt, silt loam, or fine sandy loam within 1 m ofthe surface.
The layers range from 20 to 60 cm in thickness, and have
structures which range from weak granular to single grain .
Withthe exception ofthese layers, the variant closely resembles
theNorth Gower series in other profile characteristics .
Mapped Soil Combinations Approximately 5,800 ha of
North Gower soils were mapped as dominant soils and 4,800
ha as significant soils in combinations with soils of other associations
. When mapped as the dominantly occurring soil,
North Gower-Osgoode and North Gower-Dalhousie combinations
are the most frequent and extensive, accounting for
2,600 ha and 1,900 ha respectively of all North Gower soils .
Combinations of North Gower-Chateauguay, North Gower-
Castor, and North Gower-Grenville encompass the majority of
the remaining North Gower soils mapped as the dominant
component . When mapped as the significantly occurring soil,
Dalhousie-North Gower and Osgoode-North Gower combinations
arethe most extensive, accounting for2,900 haand 700
ha respectively of all North Gower soils . North Gower soils
mapped in combinations with soils of the Dalhousie and
Osgoode associations are indicative of the close interrelationship
ofthe depositional environments inwhichthe materials of
these associations were laid down .