LOCATION ABBOTTSTOWN PA+MD NJEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Fragiaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Abbottstown silt loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes, moderately eroded, on a concave east facing slope in an idle field. (Colors are for moist interior soil.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) silt loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots throughout; few fine and medium pores; 6 percent subangular channers; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--10 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) masses of oxidized iron and common medium distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/3) iron depletions on faces of peds; very few clay films on faces of peds; common fine roots throughout; few fine and medium pores; 5 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btg--12 to 19 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) silt loam; strong coarse prismatic structure; firm, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; common coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron and common coarse distinct gray (5YR 6/1) iron depletions on faces of peds; few clay films on faces of peds; few fine roots throughout; 5 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Btxg--19 to 30 inches; weak red (2.5YR 4/2) channery loam; strong coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium platy structure; very firm and brittle, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; common coarse prominent gray (7.5YR6/1) iron depletions and common coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR5/6) masses of oxidized iron on faces of peds; few clay films on faces of peds; few distinct black (N2.5/0) manganese coatings; 15 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)
BCg--30 to 40 inches; weak red (2.5YR 4/2) channery silt loam; strong very coarse platy structure; very firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few medium distinct red (2.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron and few medium distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2) iron depletions on faces of peds; very few clay films and few prominent black (N2.5/0) manganese coatings on faces of peds; 18 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--40 to 59 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR3/3) very channery loam; strong very coarse platy structure, extremely firm, nonsticky, nonplastic, common medium prominent pinkish gray (7.5YR6/2) iron depletions and common medium prominent black (N2.5/0) manganese coatings on faces of peds; 35 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
R--59 inches; dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) slightly weathered shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Skippack Township, 1/4 mile south of intersection of Mt. Airy and Heckler roads on Mt. Airy Road, 120 feet Northwest of Mt. Airy Rd in the field . Latitude 40 degrees, 12 minutes, 40.8 seconds North; Longitude 75 degrees, 25 minutes, 18.6 second West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Depth to the fragipan is 15 to 30 inches. Rock fragments of shale, siltstone, sandstone, and in some pedons, quartzite gravel range from 0 to 15 percent in the upper part of the solum, from 10 to 30 percent in the lower part of the solum, and from 10 to 65 percent in the C horizon. The reaction in unlimed soils ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the solum and from strongly acid to slightly acid in the lower part of the solum and C horizon.
The Ap horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bt and Btg horizons have hue of 10R through 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4 in the upper part (Bt) and value of 4 through 6 and chroma of 1 or 2 in the lower part (Btg). It has textures of loam, silt loam and silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bx horizon has hue of 10R through 5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4, or is neutral with value of 4 or 5. It has textures of loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 10R through 5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. It has textures of loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Some pedons have a C horizon. It has hue 10R through 5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. It has textures of loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: Buckingham, Portville (T), Ravenna and Venango soils are in the same family. Gresham soils were formerly in the same family but have not been updated to the 10th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy. All these series are deeper than 60 inches to bedrock. Additionally, Buckingham and Gresham soils have sola greater than 60 inches. Portville, Ravenna and Venango soils have B horizons with hue yellower than 5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Abbottstown soils are on nearly level to sloping concave upland flats, depressions and drainageways. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. They formed in residuum weathered from noncalcareous red shale, siltstone, and fine-grain sandstone. Climate is humid and temperate, with mean annual precipitation of 40 to 48 inches; mean annual temperature ranges from 50 to 55 degrees F., and the growing season ranges from 170 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Bucks, Chalfont, Croton, Doylestown, Klinesville, Lawrenceville, Penn, Readington and Reaville soils are on nearby landscapes. Bucks, Klinesville and Penn soils are all well drained. Klinesville soils have bedrock within 20 inches and Penn soils have bedrock within 40 inches of the surface. Croton and Doylestown soils are poorly drained. Lawrenceville and Readington soils are moderately well drained. Chalfont soils have B horizon colors yellower than 5YR. Reaville soils do not have a fragipan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low to moderately high above the fragipan and moderately low in and below the fragipan. Runoff class is medium on nearly level slopes, high on gentle slopes and very high on strongly sloping or moderately steep areas.
USE AND VEGETATION: Approximately 85 percent of the Abbottstown soils are used for cropland and pasture. Wooded areas consist of mostly hardwoods, mainly hickory and oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Piedmont of southeastern Pennsylvania, central New Jersey, and Maryland. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Adams County, Pennsylvania, 1965.
REMARKS: The 2/2002 revision places Abbottstown soils in an active family based on similar geographically associated soils such as Readington and Reaville. Competing series and redoximorphic features were also revised. Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 10 inches.
b. Argillic horizon - the zone from 10 to 30 inches (Bt and Btg horizons).
c. Fragipan - the zone from 19 to 30 inches (Btxg horizon).
d. Lithic contact - slightly weathered shale bedrock at 59 inches (R horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: No characterization pedons are available for this series at the National Soil Survey Laboratory.
MLRA = 148
REVISED: 3/89-EJM, EAW; 5/2001-EMJ, EAW; 2/2002-DHK; EJM-EAW 2/2002
2006: Pedon Description and type location updated