LOCATION ASHE NC+GA MD SC TN VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ashe sandy loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 1 inches; moderately decomposed organic matter and leaves, twigs, and roots.
A1--1 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam; weak medium and coarse granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; few quartz gravel; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; few quartz gravel; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 1 to 10 inches )
Bw--8 to 26 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; few small fragments of quartz rock which give gritty feel; common fine and medium roots; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
C--26 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) saprolite that is sandy loam; massive; friable; common medium roots; fragments of granite gneiss; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
R--31 inches; hard, light colored granite gneiss.
TYPE LOCATION: Transylvania County, North Carolina; east side of Sapphire Road, 0.5 mile south of Windy Gap; USGS Cashiers Quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees, 5 minutes, 21 seconds N., and long. 83 degrees, 0 minutes, 30 seconds W.; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 14 to 40 inches. Depth to lithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Content of rock fragments ranges from 0 to 35 percent by volume throughout. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid, unless limed. Content of flakes of mica is few or common throughout.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 6. Where value is 3 or less, this horizon is less than 7 inches thick. The A horizon is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon is saprolite weathered from felsic or intermediate crystalline rocks such as granite, granite gneiss, granodiorite, hornblende gneiss, or mica gneiss. It is similar in color to the Bw horizon or is multicolored. It may have the textures of the Bw horizon or be loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy coarse sand in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons do not have a C horizon.
The Cr horizon, where present, is multicolored, weathered bedrock that is partially consolidated but can be dug with hand tools with difficulty.
The R horizon is commonly hard, felsic or mafic igneous or high-grade metamorphic rock such as granite, granite gneiss, granodiorite, hornblende gneiss, amphibolite, high-grade metagraywacke, or mica gneiss. The upper boundary is considered as lithic contact where root spacing is greater than 4 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brookfield, Buladean, Cardigan, Charlton, Chestnut, Delaware, Ditney, Dutchess, Edneyville, Foresthills (T), Gallimore, Greenbelt (T), Lordstown, Newport, Riverhead, Soco, St. Albans, Stecoah, Steinsburg, Wakeman, and Yalesville series. Brookfield soils have B horizons that are 7.5YR and redder. Buladean and Stecoah soils have paralithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Cardigan, Ditney, Lordstown, Steinsburg, and Yalesville soils have hard sedimentary or metasedimentary bedrock at depths less than 40 inches and contain fragments of those rocks. Charlton soils are very deep and formed in glacial till derived mainly from schist, gneiss, or granite. Chestnut soils have paralithic contact within depths of 20 to 40 inches but lack hard bedrock within these depths. Delaware soils are very deep and formed in postglacial alluvium, mainly from areas of sandstone, shale, and siltstone. Dutchess and St. Albans soils are very deep and contain coarse fragments of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and shale. Edneyville soils are very deep. Foresthills (T) and Greenbelt (T) soils are very deep and have mantles of humanly transported materials. Gallimore soils are very deep and formed in loamy over sandy outwash on outwash plains. Newport soils are very deep and have C horizons of dense glacial till. Riverhead have a lithologic discontinuity in the upper 40 inches. Soco and Stecoah soils formed from materials weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks and contain fragments of those rocks. Wakeman soils formed in residuum over sandstone bedrock on till plains and lake plains and contain fragments of sandstone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ashe soils are on ridges and side slopes in the Blue Ridge (MLRA 130). Slopes commonly are greater than 50 percent but range from 2 to 95 percent. Elevation ranges from about 1,400 to 5,000 feet. Ashe soils formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part and weathered from felsic or mafic igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks such as granite, hornblende gneiss, granodiorite, biotite gneiss, and high-grade metagraywacke. Estimated mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches near the type location. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 46 to 57 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 90 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Buladean, Chestnut and Edneyville series, these are the Brevard, Brownwood, Cashiers, Chandler, Cleveland, Cowee, Cullasaja, Edneytown, Evard, Fannin, Greenlee, Haywood, Huntdale, Micaville, Peaks, Pigeonroost, Plott, Porters, Saluda, Saunook, Tate, Thunder, Trimont, Tuckasegee, Tusquitee, Unaka, and Watauga soils. Brevard, Cowee, Edneytown, Evard, Pigeonroost, Saluda, Saunook, Tate, Trimont, and Watauga soils have argillic horizons. Brownwood, Cashiers, Chandler, Fannin, Micaville,and Watauga soils are in a micaceous or paramicaceous family. Cleveland and Saluda soils have bedrock within a depth of 20 inches. Cullasaja, Greenlee, Thunder, and Peaks soils are in a loamy-skeletal family. Haywood, Plott, Porters, Tuckasegee, and Unaka soils have umbric epipedons. Huntdale, Thunder, and Tusquitee soils have thicker humus-enriched ochric epipedons with color value of 3 or less. All these soils are on ridges and side slopes except for Brevard, Cullasaja, Greenlee, Haywood, Saunook, Tate, Thunder, Tuckasegee, and Tusquitee soils which are on colluvial benches, toe slopes, and fans. Also, soils on cooler, more humid north to east aspects on ridges and side slopes are Cashiers, Huntdale, Plott, Porters, Trimont, and Unaka.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; moderately rapid permeability; medium internal drainage. Runoff class is low on gentle slopes, medium on strong or moderately steep slopes, and high on steeper slopes. Runoff is much lower where forest litter has little or no disturbance.
USE AND VEGETATION: Common trees are black locust, chestnut oak, scarlet oak, eastern white pine, northern red oak, Virginia pine, and pitch pine. The understory species includes mountain laurel, rhododendron, and sourwood. Some areas are in pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Ridge (MLRA 130) of North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ashe County, North Carolina; 1912.
REMARKS: Ashe soils were formerly classified as Sols Bruns Acides.
The 12/97 revision places Ashe soils in an active family, based on similar soils such as Edneyville and Chestnut. Horizon depths were revised to standards of the most current revision of the Soil Survey Manual (issued 1993). The 2/99 revision updates classification to 8th Edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy.
Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon - The zone from 0 to 8 inches (Oe, A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic Horizon - The zone from 8 to 26 inches (Bw horizon).
Lithic Contact - The occurrence of hard bedrock at 31 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
MLRA: 130 SIR(S): NC0019, NC0186 (VERY STONY)
Revised: 10/92-DLN-RLM-AG; 12/97-DHK; 2/99-MKC; 8/01-MKC