Soil Map Unit Description from the RI Soil Survey Report

Ba - Beaches.

These nearly level to gently sloping areas are along the shore of the ocean. They consist of sand dunes or escarpments and of sandy, gravelly, and cobbly areas that are exposed during low tide. Areas are long and narrow and mostly range from S to 60 acres. They are unprotected from the ocean and are subject to severe erosion during storms. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent.

Included with this unit in mapping are small areas of Udipsamments, undulating; rock outcrops; and Matunuck soils. Included areas make up about 5 percent of this map unit.

Beaches are used intensively for summer recreation activities such as sun bathing and surf fishing. They are not suitable for woodland wildlife habitat or openland wildlife habitat because of daily inundations, but the areas are suited to wetland wildlife species that thrive in saltwater. Capability subclass VIIIw; woodland group not assigned.

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