The Soils of Brant County - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Fox SoilsIWilsonville and Scotland SoilsIBrant SoilsLacustrineloamy sandLacustrine loamy sand and sandand sandFigure 6 .Schematic landscape cross-section showing soil parent materials associated with Galt Moraine near ScotlandGuelph and Woolwich SoilsLacustrine silt loamBrant SoilsI Burford lI and ITeeswaterI Soils II Gravel ILacustrine silt loamIIIBookton and ISmithville, HaldimandI BrSoils I and Seneca SoilsLacustrineloamy sandand sandInFigure 7 .Schematic landscape cross-section between Paris and Ohsweken showing soil parent materials associated with the GaltMoraine and adjacent glaciofluvial and lacustrine sedimentsdeposited as valley trains along the Grand River and Nith Rivermeltwater channels ; much of the remainder is deltaic or occursas an outwash apron fronting the Paris moraine . These gravelsare usually weakly stratified and poorly sorted and range fromless than 1 to morethan 15 metres inthickness . Lithology ofthepebble grade materials is largely carbonate but far-travelled,resistant Precambrian materials comprise a sizeable percentage(5) . The mineralogy ofthe sand fraction (5) is noticeable byits content of grey shale and materials such as quartz and feldsparof Precambrian origin . The shale is derived primarilyfrom the easily eroded Salina formation and increases noticeablysouth of the upper contact with the Guelph formation(Figure 3) . The increase in Precambrian materials (comparewith pebble grade) is indicative of the attrition of larger fragmentswith distance. Minor amounts of sand and gravel of icecontactorigin are also present .Burford and Caledon soils have developed on gravel andgravelly sand deposits of glaciofluvial origin . A schematiccross-section including the Grand River and Paris moraineshown in Figure 8, illustrates the relationship of recent alluviumdeposits to the adjacent glaciofluvial outwash andmorainal materials .Lacustrine sediments form the surface materials of muchofthe County. Alarge part ofBurford Township and a portionofBrantford Township are mantled with thick deposits of deltaic fine sands . These range in thickness from 10 metres nearHarley to 15 metres near Mount Pleasant and 23 metres nearthe Brantford airport . In addition, a thin veneer of this sandoverlies much ofthe remainder ofthe County.14