LOCATION BLUEMOUNT VA
Established Series
MAV
10/2021
BLUEMOUNT SERIES
MLRA(s): 136
Depth Class: Moderately deep
Drainage Class: Well drained
Permeability: Moderate
Surface Runoff: Medium to high
Parent Material: residuum from mafic crystalline rocks
Slope: 2 to 75 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 55 degrees F.
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 45 inches
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluemount silt loam--mixed hardwood and pine forest. (Colors are for moist soil)
Oi--0 to 1 inches; loose leaves and twigs.
A--1 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and medium roots; 11 percent subrounded amphibolite gravel and 5 percent subrounded amphibolite cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bt1--5 to 10 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine through very coarse roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent subrounded amphibolite cobbles and 3 percent subrounded amphibolite gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--10 to 15 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent subrounded amphibolite cobbles and 3 percent subrounded amphibolite gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--15 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very cobbly clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine through coarse roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; 40 percent subrounded amphibolite cobbles and 10 percent subrounded amphibolite gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.9); abrupt wavy boundary.
R--25 inches; hard unweathered amphibolite.
TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, Virginia, located 3,700 feet north 25 degrees west of the intersection of State Routes 890 and 882; in woodland; in the southeastern part of Franklin County; USGS Snow Creek topographic Quadrangle; lat. 36 degrees 48 minutes 54.7 seconds N. and long. 79 degrees 49 minutes 8.7 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to Bedrock: 20 to 40 inches to paralithic and lithic contacts
Rock Fragments: gravels and cobbles, 0 to 50 percent in subhorizons of the solum and from 15 to 50 percent below the solum
Soil Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid, except where limed
Other Features: Flakes of mica, none to common throughout
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A or Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 through 5, chroma of 2 through 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)-- and texture of loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The AB or BA horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 through 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)-- loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam
The Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 through 6, and Texture (fine-earth fraction)-- loam, silt loam, or clay loam
The C horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 7.5YR through 5YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 through 6 Texture (fine-earth fraction)-- loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam.
Cr/Bt horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 through 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)-- loam, silt loam, or clay loam
COMPETING SERIES:
In same family:
Caprell-very deep, formed in loess over glacial till
Douds-very deep, formed in alluvium
Lindley- very deep, formed in loess over glacial till
McHenry- very deep, formed in loess over glacial till
Norden- formed in residuum from glauconitic sandstone
Pecatonica- very deep, formed in loess over glacial till
Plumcreek (T)- very deep, formed in alluvium
Westville- very deep, formed in loess over glacial till
Whalan- formed in glacial till over limestone residuum
In active family:
Amanda-very deep, formed in galcial till
Belmore-very deep, formed in glacial outwash
Chili- very deep, formed in glacial outwash
Crouse-very deep, formed in loess over glacial till
Gallman- very deep, formed in glacial outwash
Greybrook-very deep, formed in loess over lacustine sediments
Hickory- very deep, formed in galcial till
Kidder-very deep, moderately well drained, formed in glacial till
Lumberton-deep, formed in loess and outwash over limestone residuum
Martinsville-very deep, formed in loess over glacial outwash
Ockley-very deep, formed in outwash capped with loess
Princeton-very deep, formed in eolian material on dunes
Senachwine- very deep, formed in galcial till
Strawn-very deep, formed in end or ground moraines
Wawaka-very deep, formed in loess and glacial till over glacial outwash
Soils previously in same mixed family, without activity class determined this date:
Belmont,
Chenault,
Coggon,
Conestoga, Grelton,
Hebron,
High Gap,
Hollinger,
Kalamazoo,
Kanawha,
Kendallville,
Kliever, Kosciuiska,
Leroy,
Letort,
Mandeville,
Mifflin,
Military,
Nodine,
Nollville, Owasso, relay, renova, Richardsville,
Riddles,
Rockbridge,
Sisson,
Skelton,
Theresa,
Wawasee,
Woodbine, and Wykoff
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont
Landform: ridges
Hillslope Profile Position: summits, shoulders, back slopes
Geomorphic Component: interfluves, side slopes
Elevation: 800 to 1600 feet
Parent Material: residuum weathered from mafic crystalline rocks
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 52 to 57 degrees
Mean Annual Precipitation: 40 to 60 inches
Frost Free Period: 175 to 205 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Redbrush-have more clay
Siloam-shallow to a paralithic contact
Halifax-very deep, have more clay, moderately well drained
Haymarket-very deep and have a higher shrink-swell potential
Spriggs-deep to hard bedrock
Jackland-very deep, somewhat poorly to moderately well drained and have a higher shrink-swell potential
Mirerock-moderately deep to a paralithic contact and have a higher shrink-swell potential
Orenda-very deep and have more clay
Myersville-deep to a paralithic contact
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very deep or absent
Permeability of Restrictive Layer (upper 60 inches): Moderate
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: woodland, some pastureland
Dominant Vegetation, Where wooded-- eastern white pine, Virginia pine, red oak, white oak, post oak, hickory, blackgum, red maple, and dogwood.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina and Virginia
Extent: moderate
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, Virginia, 2004
REMARKS: Bluemount soils were formerly recognized in the Spriggs series. The soil horizon depths were revised on 10/2021 to ensure the description began at the soil surface.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (Oi and A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 5 to 25 inches (Bt horizons)
Lithic contact - 25 inches (R horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Typical pedon sampled as S98VA-067-002. Additional reference sample is S98VA-067-001.
LAST REVISION: 10/13/99, MHC
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
VA0215 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 20-40 HARD
VA0344 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 20-40 HARD
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
VA0215 0- 5 SIL L 0- 2 80-100 10-27 -
VA0215 0- 5 SL FSL 0- 2 80-100 10-20 -
VA0215 5-25 SIL CL L 0- 2 50-100 20-35 -
VA0215 25 UWB - - - -
VA0344 0- 5 STV-SIL STV-L 4- 23 50- 95 10-27 35- 60
VA0344 5-25 SIL CL L 0- 2 85-100 20-35 35- 60
VA0344 25 UWB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
VA0215 0- 5 5.1- 6.5 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0215 0- 5 5.1- 6.5 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0215 5-25 5.1- 6.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 MODERATE
VA0215 25 - - - - -
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.