Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

CLOVERDALE SOILS
Location and Extent : Cloverdale soils are found mainly near Cloverdale, Hazelmere, Langley, Milner an d
Haney. There are about 2430 ha of pure map units and 740 ha of soil complexes dominated by Cloverdale soils .
The complexes are usually with Milner, Sunshine and Berry soils .
Topography and Elevation : Cloverdale soils are generally level to gently undulating or gently sloping an d
are slightly depressional in relation to adjacent soils . Slope gradients are usually 2 percent or less, but in smal l
areas sometimes rise to 5 percent . Elevations range from 5 to 30 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : The parent material of Cloverdale soils is deep, fine-textured, stone-free
marine sediments . Surface textures are silty clay loam or clay loam while subsurface and subsoil textures var y
from silty clay to clay.
Soil Moisture Characteristics : The soils are poorly to moderately poorly drained . They are slowly t o
moderately pervious . Surface runoff is slow and water holding capacity is high . They are subject to runof f
accumulation from higher surrounding soils and surface ponding is common during periods of high rainfall .
General Soil Description : Cloverdale soils have a clayey cultivated surface layer about 15 cm thick which i s
very dark gray or brownish-black, sticky, firm and contains between 8 and 15 percent organic matter . It i s
underlain by about 10 cm of light gray or light grayish brown, silty material which is partially leached of clay an d
contains many yellowish or reddish mottles . This, in turn, grades to a grayish-brown or olive-gray, clay enriche d
layer about 40 cm thick which is very firm, very sticky, breaks into coarse, hard prismatic clods and contain s
common to many, brownish-yellow or reddish-yellow mottles . Below about 80 cm depth transition occurs t o
massive, very firm, gray or dark gray, unweathered marine sediments which commonly contain yellowis h
mottles. Soil reaction gradually changes from strongly acid in the surface to moderately alkaline in the lowe r
subsoil . Soil classification is Humic Luvic Gleysol.
Commonly Associated Soils : Langley, Livingstone, Milner, Berry, Heron and Sunshine soils often occur i n
close association with Cloverdale soils, either in soil complexes or adjacent map polygons . Milner and Berry
soils, although also developed from marine sediments, differ from Cloverdale soils by respectively bein g
moderately well and imperfectly drained . Their surfaces are reddish to brownish in colour and the soils occupy
slightly higher landscape positions than do Cloverdale soils . Langley soils are similar to Cloverdale soils bu t
have a deep (up to 40 cm thick), black surface layer containing between 20 and 30 percent organic matter .
Livingstone, Heron and Sunshine soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers which overlie clayey material .
Vegetation : Most areas of Cloverdale soils are cleared and cultivated . Uncleared areas support western re d
cedar, western hemlock, some Sitka spruce, red alder, birch and black cottonwood as well as a variety o f
undergrowth, including salmonberry, devil's club, hardhack, elderberry, blackberry and other moisture toleran t
species . Rooting is mainly limited to about 60 cm depth by dense, clayey soil layers and high watertabl e
conditions .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Most areas of Cloverdale soils are used for agricultural production ,
mainly forage, pasture, cereal grain and silage corn . The soils are relatively fertile but artificial drainage widen s
the range of crops possible and improves productivity . The heavy textures have high power requirements fo r
cultivation and moisture conditions during cultivation should be such that soil structure is not destroyed (i .e .
puddling) . (2) Cloverdale soils are generally not suited for urban development . Soil bearing capacities ar e
variable and high shrink-swell conditions are present . High watertables, periodic surface ponding and th e
sticky nature of the soils make basements and other excavations impractical . Septic tank disposal field s
operate poorly because of low subsoil permeability and high watertables . Corrosion of unprotected, burie d
installations is likely because of alkaline conditions at depth .
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