Soil Associations

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Soil and site characteristics

Fine and coarse loamy often stoneless, permeable soils affected by groundwater. Associated with slowly permeable seasonally waterlogged fine loamy over clayey and clayey soils. Generally flat land.

Geology

Glaciolacustrine and glaciofluvial drift

Cropping and Land Use

Cereals, sugar beet and potatoes; some grassland.

Component soil series

Subgroup	Series name	Percentage	WRB 2006 link
8.31	SESSAY	55%	Mollic Gleysols
7.13	FENTON	15%	Ruptic Albic Mollic Planosols
8.31	QUORNDON	15%	Eutric Gleysols
7.12	FOGGATHORPE	15%	Clayic Eutric Stagnosols

Covers 186 km² in England and Wales

Soilscapes Classification

22	Loamy soils with naturally high groundwater

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Detailed Description

The Sessay association consists of fine and coarse loamy often stoneless permeable soils affected by groundwater and slowly permeable, seasonally waterlogged clayey fine loamy over clayey soils. It occurs in the Vales of Mowbray, York and Pickering, North Yorkshire, and also in Humberside, on glaciolacustrine drift of variable texture. In the Vale of Pickering, ice blocked both the western and eastern ends, producing a lake in which clays, sands and gravels were deposited. In the Vale of York, wide expanses of drift were laid down in a similar glacial lake, and here there are complex local variations in texture. The deposits were further re-distributed by meltwater as the lake subsided, so there is now no clear relationship between soil pattern and relief. The land is flat to very gently sloping with frequent slight hollows, and ranges in height from 3 to 35 m O.D. The Sessay series, stoneless fine loamy typical cambic gley soils, forms approximately half of the association. The Fenton, fine loamy over clayey cambic stagnogley soils, the Quorndon, coarse loamy typical cambic gley soils, and the Foggathorpe series, clayey pelo-stagnogley soils, vary in proportion depending on the nature of the drift.

The Sessay association occupies approximately 171 km² and includes areas previously mapped with the Ryther series (now divided between the Quorndon and Sessay series), the former Stockbridge, now Blackwood, series and the Foggathorpe and Fenton complexes. Where sandy glaciotluvial deposits are present, as at Dalton, Raskelf, Cridling Stubbs and Temple Hirst, seasonally wet Everingham and Blackwood soils are included, with Kexbyand Ollerton soils on slightly raised areas with little seasonal waterlogging at depth. Around Church Fenton and Acaster Malbis, soils of the Portington series, with lacustrine clay within 80 cm under coarse loamy upper horizons, are common.

Soil Water Regime

Soil water regimes in this association are various and contrasting. Sessay series, with its permeable subsoil, has no restrictions to water movement but has relatively high groundwater level in winter (Wetness Classes II or III), depending on the extent of artificial drainage and the nature of the surrounding soils. The Quorndon series is usually well drained where tile drainage has been installed, although there may be some waterlogging in winter (Wetness Class I and II). The Fenton and Foggathorpe series, with their slowly permeable clayey subsoil, are waterlogged for most of the winter (Wetness Classes III and IV respectively). Mole draining has proved effective in these relatively uniform stoneless clayey soils. They all suffer from structural breakdown if the organic matter is low or if they are cultivated under adverse conditions, and surface ponding may then follow. On relatively level ground with insufficient outfall, drains can become blocked with silt and fine sand. There are ample reserves of water for crop production, and drought effects are mainly confined to grass, for which the Sessay and Foggathorpe series can be moderately droughty in a normal year.

Cropping and Land Use

When adequately drained there is good arable land, suitable for a wide range of cropping including horticulture. The Sessay and Quorndon series are naturally deficient in potassium and are also responsive to phosphorus fertilizer. In summer the crops benefit from the water which rests above the impermeable glaciolacustrine clay. The variation from sandy to clayey soils within short distances makes the planning of drainage, cropping and cultivation difficult. Sugar beet is grown on all the soils because of the nearby refinery at York. Harvesting can be difficult in some years on the heavy soils. The Fenton and Foggathorpe are good grassland soils but, because of current economic returns, cereals and root crops are grown in preference. There are only minor limitations resulting from surface wetness, and the risk of poaching is moderate or slight.

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Distribution Map

Note that the yellow shading represents a buffer to highlight the location of very small areas of the association.

Keys to component soil series

Northern Region

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Citation: To use information from this web resource in your work, please cite this as follows:
Cranfield University 2024. The Soils Guide. Available: www.landis.org.uk. Cranfield University, UK. Last accessed 18/04/2024