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Loess Deposits of the Eastern Shore of Maryland¹

ABSTRACT

A silty mantle on the upper Eastern Shore of Maryland was studied to determine its origin and characteristics. Thickness of the silts was studied by selecting traverses in an east-west direction from the Chesapeake Bay and also scattered borings between traverses. These deposits are believed to be loess; they are characterized by 50 to 75% silt-sized particles. The material is also carbonatefree, nonstratified, and yellowish brown in color. In addition, the silty mantle shows a reduction in thickness and particle size with increasing distance from the Chesapeake Bay, which was the probable source area. In areas of thin loess (< 90 cm), increasing amounts of sand were apparently incorporated into the loess at the time of deposition. Based on ¹⁴C date of a 11A1b horizon of a buried paleosol below the loess, deposition of the silts took place after 10,520 ± 240 years B.P. Profile characteristics of soils developed in the loess show moderately well expressed argillic horizons with the soil in this study having an increase of 9% clay from the A to the B2t horizon or a B2t/A clay ratio of 1.65.

¹ Contribution no. 5335 and Scientific Article no. A-2328 of the Maryland Agric. Exp. Stn., Dep. of Agronomy, College Park, MD 20742. Presented in part before Div. S-5, Soil Science Society of America, 11 Nov. 1974.

² Professor, Professor, Professor, and Research Assistant, respectively.

Received for publication June 6, 1977. Accepted for publication January 3, 1978.