LOCATION ALDERFLATS VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Albaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Alderflats silt loam - pasture (color is for moist soil)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, non plastic; many fine and very fine roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Btgl--5 to 12 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine thin discontinuous clay films on ped faces; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Btg2--12 to 24 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silty clay loam; common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, sticky, slightly plastic; common medium discontinuous clay film on ped faces; moderately acid clear smooth boundary.
Btg3--24 to 30 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and greenish gray (5GY 6/1) silty clay loam; common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, sticky, slightly plastic; common medium discontinuous clay films on ped faces; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg is 20 to 32 inches)
Cg1--30 to 50 inches; greenish gray (5YG 6/1) silty clay loam; few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles; massive; friable, sticky, slightly plastic; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 25 inches)
2Cg2--50 to 62 inches; greenish gray (5GY 6/1) and olive gray (5Y 5/2) loamy sand; many coarse prominent strong brown mottles; massive; friable; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Roanoke County, Virginia; approximately .4 mile south of intersection of U.S. route 221 and VA route 711; 200 feet west of U.S. 221 in Bent Mt. Virginia.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 24 to 40 inches. Coarse fragments of fine quartz gravel range form 0 to 5 percent in the B and C horizons. Reaction range from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Ap horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y or is neutral, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 0 through 2. It is silt loam or loam.
The Btg horizon has hue of 5Y through 5GY or is neutral, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 0 through 2. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay loam.
The Cg horizon has hue of 5Y through 5B or is neutral, value of 5 through 7 and chroma of 0 through 2. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, or silt loam.
The 2Cg horizon where present, has hue of 5Y through 5B or is neutral, value of 5 through 7 and chroma of 0 through 2. It is sandy loam, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Armagh, Elkton, Kinkora and Purdy series in the same family and the Baile, Chatuge, Colemantown, Othello, Roanoke, Shewsbury and Worsham series in related families. Armagh soils have more than 5 percent shale fragments in the lower part of the solum. Elkton soils formed in costal plain sediments and have many minerals in sand size fraction which are quartz. Kinkora soils have common to many mica flakes throughout the soil. Purdy soils do not have sandy textures in the C horizon and are developed in slackwater deposited alluvial from shale and siltstone. Baile, Chatuge and Shrewsbury soils have a fine-loamy particle size control section. Colemantown has glauconitic mineralogy. Othello soils have a fine-silty particle size control section. Roanoke and Worsham soils have a thermic temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alderflats soils are on upland depression in the Blue Ridge Province. Slopes range for 0 to 4 percent. These soils developed from acid crystalline rocks of granite, gneiss and schists. Mean annual air temperature range from 50 to 58 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation range from 35 to 45 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained Edneyville, Evard, Hayesville, Peaks and Thurmont soils. Edneyville, Evard, Hayesville and Peaks are on adjacent ridges and side slopes. Thurmont soils are on adjacent colluvial foot slopes, fans, benches and stream terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Drained areas are used for pasture and hay. Native vegetation includes willow and alder.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upland depressions in the Blue Ridge Province of Virginia and possible North Carolina. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Roanoke County, Virginia 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (Ap horizon).
b. argillic horizon - the zone from 5 inches to 30 inches (Btg1, Btg2 and Btg3 horizons).