LOCATION ALDINO             MD+DE PA VA
Inactive Series
Rev. DLY-CER
01/2006

ALDINO SERIES


The Aldino series consists of deep, moderately well drained, slowly permeable soils on uplands. They formed in materials weathered from serpentine and an overlying silt mantle. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature is 53 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Fragiudalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Aldino silt loam - on a gently sloping convex slope in a hardwood forest of oaks at an elevation of 300 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 1 inch, dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many roots; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

E--1 to 10 inches, brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky; many roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

BE--10 to 14 inches, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; very weak thin platy structure; friable, sticky, plastic; common roots; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

Bt--14 to 22 inches, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) light silty clay loam, faintly mottled with yellowish brown (10YR 5/4); weak medium platy and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few roots; prominent brown (10YR 5/3) clay films; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bx1--22 to 29 inches, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam; common medium distinct pale yellow (2/5Y 7/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thin and medium platy; very firm, brittle, sticky, plastic; few roots; distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay films; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

2Bx2--29 to 36 inches, olive (5Y 5/3) silty clay loam; common medium faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; strong very coarse prosmatic and strong thin and medium platy structure; extremely firm, brittle, sticky, plastic; prominent brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay films; 5 percent fine angular quartzite pebbles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

2C1--36 to 48 inches, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam; mas- sive; very firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 10 percent fine angular quartzite pebbles; common mica flakes; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)

2C2--48 to 60 inches, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; massive; friable; medium acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Howard County, Maryland; on Kerger Road west of Guil- ford.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 48 inches. Depth to fragipan ranges from about 17 to 30 inches. Depth to bedrock ranges from 40 to 72 inches. Coarse fragment content, mostly angular quartzite pebbles, ranges from 0 to 5 percent in the upper part of the solum and 0 to 15 percent inthe IIB and IIC horizons. Some pedons have up to 3 percent of the surface covered by stones. The soil ranges from strongly acid to extremely acid in the solum and from strongly acid to neutral in the 2C horizons. Hues range from 10YR through 5Y in all horizons.

The A horizon has value of 3 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. The E and Ap horizon generally have value of 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. The A horizon is silt loam or silt in the fine earth fraction.

The BE and the Bt horizons have value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is mottled in the lower part. The Bx horizon has value of 4 through 6, chroma of 2 through 4 in the upper part, and 1 through 4 in the lower part, and are mottled. The B horizon is silt loam or silty clay loam in the fine earth fraction.

The C horizon has a wide range in color. Some are variegated, streaked, or banded but lack low chroma mottles. It is loam or silt loam with more than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ava, Boston, Cincinnati, Grantsburg, Hildebrecht, Hosmer, Lawrenceville, Mercer, Nicholson, Omulga, Otwell, Rainsboro, Weisburg and Zanesville series in the same family. Ava soils have a B and A horizon immediately above the Bx horizon. Boston, Nicholson, and Weisburg soils are clay or silty clay in the lower part of the series control section. Cincinnati, Hosmer, and Rainsboro soils have sola more than 48 inches thick. Grantsburg soils lack a litho- logic discontinuity. Hildebrecht soils have chert fragments in the lower part of the solum. Lawrenceville soils have coarse fragments dominated by shale, siltstone, or sandstone or sand fraction from these materials. Mercer soils either lack a lithologic discontinuity within the series control section or are silty clay or clay in the lower part of the series control section. Omulga soils have water worn gravel in the B and C horizons. Otwell soils are stratified in the lower part of the series control section. Zanesville soils have hues of 5YR or 7.5YR in the upper part of the Bt horizon.

Captina, Dulac, Loring, Providence and Sadler series are in closely related families. Captina soils have base saturation of less than 35 percent. Dulac, Loring, and Providence soils have a mean annual soil temperature greater than 59 degrees F. Sadler soils have an E1 hori- zon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aldino soils are on uplands of northern portions of the Piedmont Plateau. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in materials weathered from serpentine and overlying silt man- tle. The mean annual temperature is about 52 to 57 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained Chrome, Legore, Montalto, Neshaminy and Talleyville soils; the moderately well drained to somewhat poorly drained Conowingo, Kelly and Mount Lucas soils that lack fragipans and the poorly drained Calvert and Watchung soils.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is slow to moderate. Permeability is slow. Seasonally there is a perched water table above the fragipan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for general crops, pastures and residential developments. Native vegetation is black oak, red oak, white oak, yellow poplar, and Virginia pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Harford County, Maryland, 1927.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 10 inches (A, E horizons.)
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 14 to 22 inches (Bt horizon.)
Fragiudalfs feature - the occurence of very firm to extremely firm and brittle consistence in the zone from 22 to 36 inches and medium acid reaction in the zone from 48 to 60 inches.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.