SOIL SURVEY of MATSQUI MUNICIPALITY AND SUMAS MOUNTAIN by G . G . Runka and C . C . Kelley PRELIMINARY REPORT N0. 6 of the LOWER FRASER VALLEY SOIL SURVEY Map Reference : Soil Map of Matsqui Municipality and Sumas Mountain . Scale : 1" = 2,000 feet . 1964 . BRITISH COLU?UBIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE KEL04VNA, B . C . March, 1964 - i - C 0 N T E N T S Page Acknowledgement . 1 Introduction . 1 How to use a Soil Survey Report . 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA : Location and Extent . 2 Community Facilities, Population and Transportation . 3 Climate . 4 Origin of Soil Forming Deposits . 6 Agriculture and Soil Management . 8 Soil Mapping and Classification . 13 DESCRIPTIONS OF SOILS : Lowland Regosol Soils . 15 Grevell Series . 19 Isar Series . 20 Monroe Series . 22 Lickman Series . 24 Fairf ield Series . 25 Bates Series . 27 Gleysol Soils . 29 Prest Series . 29 Page Series . 31 McElvee Series . 33 Sardis Soil Complex . 35 Hallert Series . 36 Annis Muck . 38 Humic Gleysol Soils . ., . 39 Hjorth Series . 40 Niven Soil Complex . 41 Sim Series . 42 Elk Series . 44 Hazelwood Series . 45 Eluviated Gleysol Soils . 47 Beharrel Series . 48 Muck Soils . 50 Banford Muck . 50 Gibson Muck . , . ., . 52 Peat Soils . 53 Triggs Peat . , . 54 ii Page Upland Acid Brown Forest Soils . 56 Bateman Series . 56 Concretionary Brown Soils . 57 Nicholson Series . 58 Abbotsford Series . 60 Acid Brown Wooded Soils . 62 Whatcom Silt Loam . 63 Columbia Series . 65 Aldergrove Series . 67 Poignant Soil Complex . 69 Peardonville Series . 70 Laxton Series . 71 Marble Hill Series . 73 Ryder Series . 75 Defehr Series . 77 Cox Series . 79 Podzol Soils . ., . 80 Lynden Series . 81 Custer Series . 82 Gleysol Soils . 84 Scat Series . 84 Lehman Series . 86 Calkins Series . 87 Cornock Series . 89 Ross Series . 90 Muck Soils . 92 Judson Muck . 92 Miscellaneous Land Types : Dykes and Ditches . 93 Gravel Pits . 93 Lakes, Ponds and Sloughs . 93 Rock Outcrops . 94 Subdivided Areas . 94 Trans-Canada Highway . 94 Chemical Analyses . 101 Interpretation of Chemical Analyses . 105 References . 123 Glossary . 130 P age TABLES : 1 . Classification of soils and parent materials . 16 2 . Map symbols and acreages of different soils . 94 3 . Chemical analyses of lowland snil profiles . 108 4 . Chemical analyses of composite samples of lowland soils 113 5 . Chemical analyses of upland soil profiles and composite surface samples . 116 Appendix A - Average monthly and annual mean temperatures . 125 Appendix B - Monthly and annual precipitation at Aldergrove 126 Appendix C - Monthly and annual precipitation at Abbotsford Airport . , . 127 Appendix D - Spring and fall frosts and duration of frost- free periods . 128 Appendix E - Average monthly and annual snowfall < . 129 - 1 - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The classification of soils in the Matsqui Municipality - Sumas Mountain areas was undertaken by the Soil Survey Branch, British Columbia Department of Agriculture . Air photos used as field sheets were supplied by the Assessment Commission, Department of Finance . The Air Division, Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department of Lands, Forests and Water Resources, supplied base maps and developed an autopositive from which prints are taken . Acknowledgement is made to Dr . J . E . Armstrong, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, Vancouver, for information in regard to surficial deposits, and to farmers and. Department of Agriculture and municipal officials for general information . Participating soil survey staff were H . A . Luttmerding, L.