LOCATION AIRMONT WV+VA MD PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Fragiaquic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Airmont very cobbly loam - in a mixed hardwood forest, on a northwest facing slope at an elevation of 680 feet. (Colors are for moist soil)
A--0 to 1 inch; black (10YR 2/1) very cobbly loam; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine to medium and common coarse roots throughout; 22 percent cobbles, 9 percent stones and 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
BE--1 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots throughout; 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to medium roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular and medium tubular pores; few distinct continuous strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films as pore linings; 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent gravel; many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions, and many fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) irregular iron masses; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 19 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular and medium tubular pores; few distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films as pore linings; 5 percent gravel; many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions, and many fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) irregular iron masses; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt3--19 to 29 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay loam; weak coarse and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine and fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine irregular and few medium tubular pores; common distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6)clay films as pore linings; 10 percent gravel; common fine prominent black (N 2.5/) manganese masses; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bx1--29 to 45 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and gray (N 6/) very cobbly loam; weak coarse subangular blocky parting to moderate thick platy structure; firm; few very fine roots between peds; common fine and medium vesicular pores; 5 percent stones, 15 percent cobbles and 25 percent gravel; 30 percent brittle; common fine prominent black (N 2.5/) manganese masses; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bx2--45 to 58 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) extremely cobbly loam; weak coarse subangular blocky parting to weak thick platy structure; firm; few very fine roots between peds; common fine and medium vesicular pores; 5 percent stones, 25 percent cobbles and 30 percent gravel; 40 percent brittle; many coarse prominent gray (N 6/) iron depletions on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
C--58 to 70 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4), yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and gray (10YR 6/1) extremely gravelly sandy loam; massive; firm; 5 percent stones, 15 percent cobbles and 45 percent gravel; very strongly acid. (10 inches or more thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, West Virginia, approximately 3875 feet from the intersection of Mission Road and State Road 9/10 headed southeast on a bearing of about 129 degrees, in a northwest flowing tributary of Hog Run on the property of the Rolling Ridge Foundation. U.S.G.S Round Hill topographic quadrangle; lat: 39 degrees, 10 minutes, 4 seconds N and long: 77 degrees, 50 minutes, 27 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to hard bedrock is more than 60 inches. Depth to the top of fragic properties ranges from 16 to 35 inches. Rock fragments of rounded to angular quartzite, schist and phyllite range from gravel to boulder size and occupy 5 to 50 percent of the solum and 35 to 70 percent in the substratum. Rock fragments average less than 35 percent in the particle size control section. An O horizon is commonly present in varying stages of decomposition and thicknesses that range from 1 to 6 inches or more. In some pedons, flakes of mica are few to common. Surface stoniness ranges from 0.01 to 80 percent or more. The soil is very strongly acid or strongly acid, unless limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. Textures are loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. Some areas of the horizon are thin and discontinuous.
The E and/or BE horizon (where present) have a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Textures are loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has a hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. Textures are sandy loam, loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam in the fine earth fraction. Redoximorphic features, where present, are similar to the matrix colors but include chromas of 1 or 2.
The Btx or Bx horizons (where present) have a hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8 . Textures are loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam and clay loam in the fine earth fraction. Redoximorphic features are similar in color to the matrix, but may include a hue of 5YR and chromas of 1 or 2.
The C horizon commonly is variegated with hues of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 8. Some pedons have 2C horizons, mainly in footslope positions. Textures are dominantly sandy loam, loamy sand and loam, but can include sandy clay loam or clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: Trego is the only competing series in this family. Trego soils are moderately well drained and are on alluvial-colluvial fans. Typically they contain fewer fragments exposed at the surface and in the substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Airmont soils are in mountain drainageways and concave sideslopes and backslopes in the Blue Ridge. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent but are commonly 3 to 25 percent. They formed in colluvial or debris flow materials weathered from quartzite, schist and phyllite. Mean annual temperature ranges from 52 to 57 degrees F and mean annual precipitation ranges from 36 to 44 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Soils include the Bagtown, Braddock, Cardova, Dekalb, Edgemont, Hazel, Stumptown, Sylvatus, Thurmont, Weverton, and Whiteford series and the competing Trego series. The Weverton soils are 40 to 60 inches to bedrock and average more than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section. The Cardova, Dekalb, Hazel, and Stumptown soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock and are well drained. Braddock soils are well drained and average more than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section. Thurmont soils are well drained and are on footslopes, fans and terraces of the Blue Ridge. Bagtown soils average less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section. Edgemont soils are well drained and occupy mountain ridges and backslopes. Gunnstock and Whiteford soils are well drained and formed in residuum from phyllite and/or slate. Sylvatus soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock and formed from phyllite.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Very low to very high runoff. Permeability is slow to very slow throughout. The top of a saturated zone occurs between 12 and 20 inches and extends down to the top of (or slightly below) the fragic properties.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are in mixed hardwood forest. A small acreage is in pasture or urban use. Woodland vegetation is mostly chestnut oaks, sycamore and tulip poplar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and southern Pennsylvania. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Loudoun County, Virginia 1954.
REMARKS: The series type location moved to Prince William County, Virginia in 1982 and the series reactivated and reclassified from fine-loamy to loamy-skeletal. (Lab Data VPI&SU). In 2002, series was re-evaluated by participants from West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. In 12/2003 the type location was moved to Jefferson County, West Virginia and textural family changed back to fine-loamy and sub/great group changed from Aquic Fragiudults to Fragiaquic Hapludults.
Last revision Rev. JCB-MAV 12/2003. This revision, 11/2006, was done to increase the range in surface stoniness percent and update the associated soils.