Si 
excellent. Agriculturally important. Needs moderate amounts of 
lime. Much of the area formerly mapped under this type is now 
designated Monmouth Fine Sandy Loam. 
2. Keyport Silt Loam: Brown surface loam with a compact 
underlying hardpan one or two feet deep. Drainage poor. Deficient 
in phosphate and lime. 
3. Elkton Silt Loam: Similar to Keyport Silt Loam. 
Drainage and agricultural value poor. Much of the area now mapped 
under this type was formerly designated Keyport Silt Loam. 
Coastal plain sediments underlie virtually all of Anne Arundel 
County. At the Chesapeake Bay Center they are approximately 2,000 
feet thick. The most recent deposits are of Pleistocene age. These 
cover much of Ivy Neck and correspond approximately with the occurrence 
of Keyport silt loam. On Java Farm the Pleistocene deposits have been 
eroded away to reveal those of Miocene and Eocene age. These older 
sediments are composed of sand, gravel, marl, silt, and clay. Some 
contain artesian aquifers. The deeper strata go down to Lower Cretaceous 
age, and finally reach a crystaline basement rock of undetermined depth. 
The climate is characterized by mild summers and winters, 
moderated by the proximity of Chesapeake Bay. Approximate annual 
temperatures range from 1.6°C (35F) ime Jianiarys tOl2 as Ol Ce @/n/ yy) am 
July. The growing season is about 203 days, from mid-April to late 
October. Annual precipitation averages 44 inches, usually reaching 
a maximum in August, but may be quite variable for single months. 
The annual snowfall averages 21 inches (Mack, 1962). 
