LOCATION ATKINS WV+IN KY MD NY PA TN VA
Established Series
Rev. ART-WFH-ABJ
04/2025
ATKINS SERIES
The Atkins series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils formed in acid alluvium washed from upland soils that formed in shale and sandstone. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low to low. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1150 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 10.5 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, acid, mesic Fluvaquentic Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Atkins loam, wooded. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oe--0 to 1 centimeter; Moderately decomposed organic matter.
A--1 to 10 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam with few fine strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron stains along root channels and lining pores; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 20 centimeters thick).
AB--10 to 18 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam with few fine strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron stains along root channels and lining pores; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick).
Bg1--18 to 33 centimeters; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam with few fine and medium strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron stains in the matrix and on ped faces; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bg2--33 to 64 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam with common fine and medium strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron stains in the matrix and on ped faces; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bg horizons is 30 to 86 centimeters).
BCg--64 to 94 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam with common fine and medium strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron stains in the matrix and on ped faces, and common fine black (7.5YR 2.5/1) soft iron-manganese masses in the matrix; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 46 centimeters thick).
Cg1--94 to 117 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam with many fine and medium strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron stains in the matrix; massive; friable; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Cg2--117 to 165 centimeters; gray (2.5Y 5/1) clay loam with many fine and medium strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron stains in the matrix; massive; friable; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Raleigh County, West Virginia; about 0.3 miles southeast of County Route 15/3 along County Route 28. USGS Eccles topographic quadrangle; Latitude 37 degrees 45 minutes 28.9 seconds N. and Longitude 81 degrees 21 minutes and 49.0 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 64 to 127 centimeters. The depth to bedrock is greater than 150 centimeters. Unless limed, this soil is strongly acid or very strongly acid and ranges to moderately acid below a depth of 40 inches. Rock fragments are commonly absent, but may range from 0 to 20 percent by volume in the solum and from 0 to 60 percent by volume in the C horizon.
The A, Ap, and AB horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 4. Redoximorphic features have hue of 5Y to 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 8. Texture is loam or silt loam, and less commonly fine sandy loam or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The B horizon (here intended to include BA and BC horizons, where present) is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. Redoximorphic features have hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 8. Soft manganese and iron masses occur in some pedons and have hue 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. The B horizon is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam, and less commonly sandy loam or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 5PB, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 8. The C horizon may be stratified; it is loam, clay loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons have a 2C horizon of sand and gravel below 1 meter.
COMPETING SERIES: The only other soil in the same family is
Widewater. Widewater soils developed in loamy sediments of the coastal plain.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Atkins soils are on nearly level soils of flood plains. Slopes are concave or linear and range from 0 to 3 percent. Atkins soils formed in alluvium washed mainly from upland soils derived from interbedded acid sandstones and shales. Average annual precipitation ranges from 950 to 1400 millimeters and average annual temperature ranges from 8 to 13.8 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Elkins,
Monongahela,
Philo,
Pope and
Tygart soils. Elkins soils are very poorly drained and have a thick black or very dark gray A horizon. The Monongahela and Tygart soils are on terraces and have argillic horizons. Philo soils are moderately well drained soils on flood plains. Pope soils are well drained soils on flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: This soil is poorly drained. The water table is less than 30 centimeters below the soil surface for appreciable periods. Internal drainage is very slow. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low to low in the subsoil and ranges to moderately high in the substratum. The potential for surface runoff is negligible to high. Occasional to frequent flooding is typical on the Atkins landform. The mechanism of flooding usually involves shallow standing or slowly moving water on the soil surface.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are wooded or pastured. Vegetation is mixed hardwood forest of water tolerant oaks, red maples, black gum, sweet gum, willow, elm, ash, and alder; with aquatic grasses and sedges in places. Many areas originally mapped as Atkins have been filled in, and in subsequent decades developed for urban uses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA's) include: 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130A, 130B, 140, and 147. The extent is large.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pope County, Arkansas, 1913.
REMARKS: Samples from the control section in most cases have indicated a clay activity class of active.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 18 centimeters.
2. Cambic horizon: The zone from 18 to 94 centimeters.
3. Aquic moisture regime: endosaturation periodically in the epipedon and below.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.