LOCATION ALVIRA PA
Established Series
Rev. GDM-JJE-AWD
04/2025
ALVIRA SERIES
The Alvira series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in loamy pre-Wisconsin glacial till derived from sandstone, siltstone, shale, and some quartzite. The soils are on glaciated uplands. Slopes are dominantly 0 to 15 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is low. Mean annual precipitation is 1066 millimeters. Mean annual air temperature is 11.5 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Fragiaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Alvira silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap -- 0 to 18 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 30 centimeters thick)
BE -- 18 to 35 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; 10 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters thick)
Btg -- 35 to 53 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in root channels; many prominent continuous light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions on all ped faces; many medium distinct light gray (N 7/0) iron depletions and few fine prominent reddish brown (5YR 5/4) iron concentrations; 10 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 38 centimeters thick)
Btx1 -- 53 to 74 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly silt loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; firm, brittle, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of prisms and few clay films on blocks; iron depleted gray (10YR 5/1) faces of prisms; many medium distinct gray (N 5/0) iron depletions and few fine prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) iron concentrations; 20 percent gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 50 centimeters thick)
Btx2 -- 74 to 140 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak thick platy; firm, brittle, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; continuous distinct clay films on faces of prisms and few on plates; light gray (N 7/0) iron depleted prism faces; many medium distinct gray (N 5/0) iron depletions; 20 percent gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 76 centimeters thick)
Btx3 -- 140 to 183 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam; faces of prisms light gray (N 7/0); many medium distinct gray (N 5/0) mottles and few fine prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) mottles; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to very thick platy; firm, brittle, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; continuous distinct clay films on faces of prisms and in pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Venango County, Pennsylvania; Plum Township, 1/4 mile southeast of village of Sunville, 1000 feet southeast along road T434 from its intersection with route 60063 and 300 feet east into field. USGS Dempseytown, PA quadrangle. Latitude 41.54833, Longitude -79.828888. WGS 84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 150 to greater than 200 centimeters. Depth to the top of the fragipan ranges from 48 to 75 centimeters and depth to bedrock is greater than 150 centimeters. Rock fragments of sandstone, shale, or quartzite range from 5 to 30 percent above the fragipan and from 5 to 50 percent in the fragipan. Illite and vermiculite are the dominant clay minerals, with appreciable amounts of kaolinite and detectable amounts of montmorillinite and interstratified minerals. Reaction of the solum ranges from strongly acid through extremely acid where unlimed.
The Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 through 4. Dry color value is 6 or more. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam or silt loam.
The BE horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 through 6. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 through 7, and chroma of 1 through 6, and include 2.5Y hue with value of 6 and chroma of 2. Coatings on faces of peds have dominant chroma of 2 or less. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.
The Bx horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 through 6. It has light brownish gray, brown, and strong brown mottles. Prism faces range from gray (5Y 6/1), N (7/0) to pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2). Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam to silty clay loam or clay loam.
Some pedons have a BC or C horizon with colors and textures similar to the Bx.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alvira soils are primarily in glaciated upland areas with smooth to slightly concave slopes. Gradients are about 0 to 15 percent. The soils developed in loamy pre-Wisconsin glacial till derived from sandstone, siltstone, shale, and some quartzite similar to the underlying rock. The climate is humid temperate; mean annual temperature ranges from 10 to 13 degrees C.; the frost free season ranges from about 120 to 170 days; mean annual rainfall ranges from 965 to 1170 millimeters.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Allenwood,
Bedington,
Berks,
Comly,
Hanover,
Titusville,
Shelmadine, and
Watson soils. Allenwood, Bedington and Berks soils are free of mottles and do not have a fragipan, and the Berks soils also have shale bedrock within 100 centimeters. Hanover and Watson soils do not have low chroma mottles in the upper 25 centimeters inches of the argillic horizon. Comly soils have more than 35 percent base saturation.
Albrights and
Meckesville soils are on nearby landscapes but have reddish hues.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is slow to medium and permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cropland, pasture and woodland. Wooded areas are in mixed hardwoods, mainly oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Glaciated portions of northwestern and east central Pennsylvania. MLRA's 139, 140, and 147. The series is of large extent, over 140,000 acres.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Union County, Pennsylvania, 1940.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 18 centimeters (Ap horizon).
b. Argillic horizon - the zone from 35 to 53 centimeters (Btg horizon). c. Fragipan - the zone from 53 to 183 centimeters (Bx horizon).
REMARKS: Laboratory data are available on pedons sampled in Venango County, Pennsylvania S66PA 61 4 and Crawford County, Pennsylvania S65PA 20 7.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.