LOCATION ALBRIGHTS PA+MD NY WV

Established Series
Rev. DRS-EAW-WRK-AWD
04/2025

ALBRIGHTS SERIES

The Albrights Series consists of very deep, moderately well to somewhat poorly drained soils formed dominantly in colluvium or glacial till derived from reddish shale, siltstone and fine grained sandstone. They are on upland toeslopes, footslopes and drainageways. Slope ranges from 0 to 25 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low. Mean annual precipitation is 1090 millimeters. Mean annual air temperature is 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Aquic Fragiudalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Albrights silt loam - wooded, 8 to 15 percent slopes. (Colors are for moist soil.)

Oe--0 to 1 centimeter; partially decomposed leaves, twigs and mosses, very strongly acid. (0 to 2 inches thick)

A--1 to 8 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 5/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2.5 to 15 centimeters thick)

E--8 to 13 centimeters; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)

Bt1--13 to 30 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silt loam; weak fine granular and weak medium subangular structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (13 to 38 centimeters thick)

Bt2--30 to 61 centimeters; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; many coarse distinct weak red (2.5YR 4/2) redox depletions; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common roots; common thin continuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (13 to 38 centimeters thick)

Btx1--61 to 91 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay loam; many medium distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2) redox depletions; moderate, very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky and medium platy; firm, brittle, sticky and plastic; few thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 51 centimeters thick)

Btx2--91 to 114 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) channery silty clay loam; many medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) iron accumulations; moderate, very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; firm, brittle, sticky and plastic; few thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; few black concretions; 30 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 51 centimeters thick)

C--114 to 158 centimeters; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) channery silt loam; many medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) iron accumulations; massive; firm in place; nonsticky and slightly plastic; many black concretions; 40 percent rock fragments; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Perry County, Pennsylvania, Rye Township, 2 1/2 miles southwest of Grier Point; one mile north of the intersection of PA Routes T305 and 34, in a woodland, east of T305; USGS Wertzville topographic quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees 18 minutes 21 seconds N. and long. 77 degrees 7 minutes 20 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 101 to 160 centimeters or more. Depth to bedrock is greater than 150 centimeters. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 46 to 81 centimketers. Rock fragments range from 5 to 30 percent in the solum above the Btx, from 10 to 50 percent in the Btx, and from 25 to 75 percent in the C horizon. Reaction, where unlimed, ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the upper part of the solum, and from strongly acid to slightly acid in the lower part and C horizon. Low chroma redox depletions and high chroma iron-manganese accumulations occur within 40 centimeters of the soil surface.

The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, values of 2 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam or silt loam.

An E horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is silt loam or loam.

Horizons in the B above the Btx have hue of 2.5 YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 6. Texture ranges from silt loam to clay loam. Structure is usually subangular blocky or blocky. The Btx has hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture ranges from loam to silty clay loam. Redoximorphic features can have a variety of colors.

The C horizon is similar to the B horizon in color and texture but it has massive structure.

COMPETING SERIES: Turbotville is the only other series currently in this family. It lacks hues 5YR or redder. Amwell, Canfield, Nockamixon, Rittman, Teegarden, Titusville, and Urbana series are in a similar family but have an active CEC class. lack hue of 5YR and redder. Amwell soils formed in colluvium or glacial material from igneous rocks and contain fragments of basalt. The Canfield, Nockamixon, Rittman, Teegarden, Titusville, and Urbana soils lack hues of 5YR and redder.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Albrights soils are on nearly level to moderately steep concave hillsides on footslopes, toeslopes, and in U-shaped drainage heads. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. Albrights soils formed in a regolith of colluvium or glacial till from reddish shale, siltstone and fine grained sandstone. The climate is temperate and humid, with mean annual precipitation of 950 to 1350 millimeters; average annual temperature ranges from 8.5 degrees to 10.5 degrees C., and the frost free growing season is 140 to 190 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Meckesville, Calvin, Klinesville, Leck Kill, and Lehew soils are on nearby landscapes. Calvin, Klinesville, Leck Kill, and Lehew soils lack fragipans and are well drained.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well to somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is negligible to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low.

USE AND VEGETATION: Approximately 30 percent is cleared and in cropland and pasture. Wooded areas are mixed hardwoods, dominantly oaks.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Appalachian ridge and valley, Allegheny Plateau and Mountains and surrounding glaciated areas of Pennsylvania. Also in ridge and valley areas of Maryland, West Virginia, and possibly Virginia. MLRA's 127, 140, 147. The series is of large extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon County, Pennsylvania, 1960

REMARKS: Diagnostic Horizons and Features of this soils:
a. Ochric Epipedon- the horizon from 0 to 8 centimeters
b. Argillic Horizon - the Bt1, Bt2, Btx1 and Btx2 horizons from 13 to 114 centimeters.
c. Fragipan - The Btx1 and Btx2 horizons.
d. Base saturation is greater than 35 percent at a depth of 137 centimeters.
e. Aquic Feature - Redoximorphic accumulations and depletions with chroma of 2 or less occur within 40 centimeters of the mineral soil surface.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Fulton County, Pennsylvania, Soil Survey. PEDON S62-PA-29-12(1-6).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.