Memoirs of the Soil Survey of Scotland The Soils of the Country round Banchory, Stonehaven and Forfar (Sheets 66/67 – Banchory & Stonehaven and 57 – Forfar) By R. Glentworth, J.C.C. Romans, D. Laing, B.M. Shipley and E.L. Birse (Ed. J.S. Bell) The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen 2016 Contents Chapter Page Preface v Acknowledgements v 1. Description of the Area 1 Location and Extent 1 Physical Features 1 2. Climate 8 3. Geology and Soil Parent Materials 17 Solid Geology 17 Superficial Deposits 19 Parent Materials 20 4. Soil Formation, Classification and Mapping 27 Soil Formation 27 Soil Classification 31 Soil Mapping 36 5. Soils Introduction 37 Auchenblae Association 40 Auchenblae Series 40 Candy Series 41 Balrownie Association 42 Balrownie Series 44 Aldbar Series 47 Lour Series 49 Findowrie Series 51 Skeletal Soils 51 Boyndie Association 51 Boyndie Series 51 Anniston Series 52 Dallachy Series 53 Collieston Association 54 Cairnrobin Series 54 Collieston Series 55 Marshmire Series 56 Corby Association 56 Kinord Series 57 Corby Series 59 Leys Series 60 i Mulloch Series 60 Mundurno Series 61 Countesswells Association 62 Raemoir Series 64 Countesswells Series 65 Dess Series 66 Charr Series 67 Terryvale Series 69 Strathgyle Series 70 Drumlasie Series 72 Skeletal Soils 73 Deecastle Association 73 Deecastle Series 73 Dinnet Association 75 Dinnet series 75 Oldtown Series 77 Maryfield Series 78 Ferrar Series 79 Forfar Association 81 Vinny Series 82 Forfar Series 84 Vigean Series 87 Laurencekirk Association 89 Drumforber Series 90 Oldcake Series 90 Laurencekirk Series 91 Luther Series 92 Newton Series 93 Muirfoot Series 94 Mountboy Association 95 Garvock Series 96 Mountboy Series 97 Barras Series 99 Skeletal Soils 100 Pow Association 100 Ingliston Series 100 Pow Series 101 Stonehaven Association 102 Stonehaven Series 103 Shields Series 104 Balhagarty Series 105 Forgie Series 106 Skeletal Soils 107 ii Strathfinella Association 108 Strathfinella Series 108 Trusta Series 110 Garrold Series 110 Ledmore Series 111 Strichen Association 113 Fungarth Series 115 Baikies Series 117 Strichen Series 118 Gaerlie Series 119 Anniegathel Series 122 Auquhollie Series 123 Hythie Series 124 Skeletal Soils 126 Tarves Association 126 Tarves Series 127 Thistlyhill Series 128 Tillypronie Series 129 Pitmedden Series 131 Pettymuck Series 132 Skeletal Soils 133 Tipperty Association 133 Tipperty Series 134 Alluvium 135 Saltings 135 Raised Beach Deposits 136 Links and Dunes 136 Organic Soils 136 Hill Peat 136 Basin Peat 136 Peat-Skeletal (Mongour) Complex 136 Mixed Bottom Land 137 Quarries and Built-up Areas 137 6. Discussion of Analytical Data 138 Standard Analytical Data 138 Loss on Ignition 138 Soil Separates 138 Exchangeable Cations 142 Percentage Base Saturation and pH 143 Carbon and Nitrogen 144 Total and Readily Soluble Phosphorus 145 Summary of Analytical Methods 146 iii References 147 Appendix 1 Methods and Definitions 149 2 Standard Analytical Data for Profiles 155 List of Figures 1 Location of Area 2 2 Relief 3 3 Landform Regions 5 4 Distribution of Soil Associations 22 5 Soil Associations Legend 23 6 Basic Soil Textural Classes 150 List of Tables 1 Average Rainfall 10 2 Average Sunshine 12 3 Average Evapo-transpiration 13 4 Average Accumulated Temperatures 14 5 Summary of the Geology 17 6 Classification of Soil Series 34 7 Areas of Soil Series (square kilometres) 38 8 Textural Class of Series (uppermost mineral horizon) 140 9 U.S.D.A. and International Textural Size Fractions 150 iv Preface This memoir combines two 1:63 360 scale soil maps, Sheet 66/67 (Banchory and Stonehaven) published originally in 1963 and Sheet 57 (Forfar) in 1961. Both were reprinted with minor revisions in 1981 and 1979 respectively. Survey of the soils of Sheets 66/67 and 57 commenced in the late 1940’s and continued throughout the 1950’s. Considerable revision, some remapping and correlation with adjacent sheets were undertaken before publication in the 1960’s. The soils of Sheet 66/67 were surveyed by a number of surveyors but principally by R. Glentworth, J. W. Muir, J. C. C. Romans, E. L. Birse, J. Smith and B. M. Shipley. Sheet 57 was surveyed by J. W. Muir, J. C. C. Romans, D. Laing, J. Smith and R Glentworth. Maps were prepared by A. L. Bleszynski and W. S. Shirreffs. Many other members of staff of the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research contributed to the content of this memoir, particularly H. G. M. Hardie, J. Logan and staff of the Soil Analysis Section of the Department of Pedology and R. L. Mitchell and staff of the Department of Spectrochemistry for the analytical data. It is unclear who the authors of the original manuscript were, but it is thought to comprise R. Glentworth, J. C. C. Romans, D. Laing, B. M. Shipley and E. L. Birse. Much of the writing was done in the 1970’s with a major revision and incorporation of analytical data undertaken by D Laing in 1979. Further editing was carried out in 1984 by D. W. Futty. These edits were incorporated and the final manuscript was compiled by Mr J. S. Bell in 2012 who attempted to update aspects of the text. Inevitably however, certain sections e.g. climate, are based on historical datasets and are described in terms more appropriate to the time of the survey and the original writing than the current situation. Hence, the format, style and content follow that of the original manuscript with only minor amendments made to the text. The soil classification also follows the 1984 version. The maps and figures included in the memoir were produced in 2012 by Mr. D. Donnelly. Previous memoirs include chapters on Peat, Vegetation, Agriculture, Forestry and Trace Elements, but these were not available for inclusion in this particular memoir. Acknowledgements The material for the section on climate was provided by the Meteorological Office, Edinburgh. Acknowledgement is also made to farmers and landowners in the district without whose co-operation the survey could not have been completed. v 1. Description of the Area Location and Extent The area described in this memoir is situated in east Scotland and lies to the south and west of Aberdeen, and the north and west of Arbroath. It comprises some 2258 square kilometres of which 1347 are on Sheet 66/67 (Banchory and Stonehaven), and 911 on Sheet 57 (Forfar) (Figure 1). The northern section is wholly within Grampian Region, the major part lying in Kincardineshire (between the Rivers North Esk and Dee), while a small part lies north of the Dee in Aberdeenshire. The southern section is in Tayside Region and lies south of the North Esk in Angus. In the part of the area lying outwith the Grampian Highlands, there is an even distribution of small towns and villages. The largest town is Arbroath, with a population of over 22,000. Forfar, the county town of Angus, and Stonehaven, the county town of Kincardineshire, together with Brechin, Montrose, Laurencekirk, Banchory and Aboyne, are appreciably smaller, with populations ranging between 2200 and 13200. Industry, much of which is directly or indirectly related to agriculture or latterly, oil, is on a relatively small scale. There is a seasonal tourist trade which is of particular significance to the coastal resorts of Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven and Banchory and Aboyne situated in Royal Deeside. Physical Features Major Structural Divisions The main structural feature of the area is the Highland Boundary Fault which runs from Stonehaven to the Clyde and divides the terrain into two major physical regions, highlands and lowlands. North of the fault, in the Grampian Highlands, the basement rocks are folded metamorphics of the Dalradian into which granite has been intruded. South of the fault, in the lowland region, rocks of the Lower Old Red Sandstone Formation underlie the Sidlaw range and the Strathmore area (Figure 2). Within these two major physical regions, fourteen landform regions can be recognised, each having their own distinctive physical characteristics (Figure 3). River Systems The drainage of the region is dominated by three rivers, the Dee, the North Esk and the South Esk. All have their sources in the Grampian Highlands. Subsidiaries of the Dee are the Water of Tanar and the Water of Feugh. The latter joins the Dee at Banchory and joined by the Waters of Dye and Avon. These tributaries rise in the Grampians and flow in a north-easterly direction. The eastern extremity of the Grampians is drained by the Cowie and Bervie Waters, the former entering the sea at Stonehaven and the latter at Inverbervie. The North Esk in its upper reaches of Glen Esk drains an extensive catchment area of the Grampians and is joined by the Water of Tarf. Its lower reaches in Strathmore drain the southern part of the Howe of the Mearns, and the western slopes of the Garvock hills via its tributary, the Luther Water. 1 Figure 1. Location of Area 2 Figure 2. Relief 3 The South Esk, rising outwith the surveyed area, in Glen Clova, crosses Sheet 57 (Forfar) from west to east and drains the lowlands about Noranside, Aberlemno and Montreathmont Moor, finally discharging into the sea through the Montrose Basin. The Forfar-Lunan channel, which crosses Sheet 57 to the south of the South Esk, empties westwards from Forfar Loch via the Dean Water and the River Isla into the Tay and eastwards from Balgavies Loch into the Lunan Water. The watershed of this system runs in an irregular line from Forfar to Dilty Moss by way of Dunnichen and Fotheringham Hills. The Brothock Water and other small streams drain the country about Arbroath, Carmyllie and Inverkeilor. Landform Regions The landscape pattern is determined by the solid geology, modified in detail mainly by the effects of glaciation.