LOCATION BELLSPUR VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, micaceous, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Bellspur gravelly loam on an 8 percent slope, in hayland (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise indicated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam; brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots and common medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 15 percent subrounded metamorphic gravel and 5 percent subrounded metamorphic cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 1 percent faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine mica flakes; 15 percent subrounded metamorphic gravel and 5 percent subrounded metamorphic cobbles; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--14 to 23 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gravelly fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 1 percent faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine mica flakes; 15 percent subrounded metamorphic gravel and 5 percent subrounded metamorphic cobbles; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw or Bt horizon is 6 to 30 inches thick.)
BC--23 to 28 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gravelly fine sandy loam; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine mica flakes; 15 percent subrounded metamorphic gravel and 5 percent subrounnded metamorphic cobbles; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick.)
C1--28 to 32 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly fine sandy loam; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles; massive; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine mica flakes; 20 percent subrounded metamorphic gravel and 5 percent subrounded metamorphic cobbles; moderately acid; gradual irregular boundary.
C2--32 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) gravelly loamy sand; many medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) mottles; massive; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine mica flakes; 20 percent subrounded metamorphic gravel and 5 percent subrounded metamorphic cobbles; strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the C horizon is 0 to 15 inches thick.)
Cr--35 to 41 inches; soft, felsic gneiss bedrock; moderately cemented; moderate excavation difficulty; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches or more thick)
R--41 to 80 inches; hard, felsic gneiss bedrock; indurated; very high excavation difficulty.
TYPE LOCATION: Patrick County, Virginia; about 2.0 mile northeast of Vesta; 0.9 mile northeast of the intersection of SR-764 and SR-610 on SR-764, 0.5 mile east on Hubbard Lane to top of ridge; 400 feet southwest on ridge in hayland; 150 feet northwest of trail; USGS Stuart, VA topographic quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 44 minutes 37 seconds N. and long. 80 degrees 20 minutes 30 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of Cambic horizon: 5 to 9 inches
Depth to base of Cambic horizon: 15 to 40 inches
Depth to Bedrock: 20 to 40 inches to soft bedrock and 40 to 60 inches to hard bedrock
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Greater than 60 inches
Rock and Pararock Fragment Content: 0 to 35 percent, by volume, in A and B horizons and 10 to 90 percent in the C horizon; mostly gravel and cobble size
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid, unless limed
Organic matter content: 2 to 8 percent in the A horizon, 0.0 to 0.5 percent in the B and C horizons
(Effective) Cation Exchange Capacity: 2 to 15 milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil in the A horizon; 1 to 7 in B horizon; and 0 to 4 in the C horizon
Shrink-swell potential: Low
Mica Content: less than 20 percent, by volume mica flakes in the A horizon, more than 20 percent in the B horizon, and more than 35 percent in the C horizon
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A or Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 or less moist and 5 or less dry, chroma of 1 to 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam; eroded phases include sandy clay loam
Clay content--10 to 27 percent
AB or BA horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam
Clay content--12 to 27 percent
Bt or Bw horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR (2.5YR in some pedons), value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8
Mottles (where present)--shades of red, brown, and yellow
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content--18 to 35 percent
BC horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Clay content--12 to 27 percent
C horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 3 to 8, or is variegated in shades of these colors
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Clay content--10 to 27 percent
Cr layer:
Bedrock kind--soft, felsic to mafic high-grade metamorphic rock such as mica gneiss, amphibolite gneiss, and greenstone
Bedrock hardness--extremely weakly cemented to moderately cemented
Fracture interval--greater than 4 inches
Excavation difficulty--low to high
R layer (where present):
Bedrock kind--hard, felsic to mafic high-grade metamorphic rock such as mica gneiss, amphibolite gneiss, and greenstone
Bedrock hardness--strongly cemented to indurated
Fracture interval--greater than 4 inches
Excavation difficulty--very high or extremely high
COMPETING SERIES: See Remarks.
Cashiers soils--very deep to bedrock
Kibler soils--deep to bedrock
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Mountains, plateaus
Landform: Mountain slopes, ridges, escarpments
Geomorphic Component: Mountain top, mountain flank, interfluves, side slopes, head slopes
Hillslope Profile Position: summits, shoulders, back slopes
Elevation Range: 2600 to 3500 feet in unshaded areas, 1600 to 3500 feet in cool shaded areas (coves, north and northeast slopes)
Frost Free Period: 155 to 195 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 52 to 57 degrees F.
Mean Annual Precipitation: 40 to 65 inches
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Cowee soils--contain less mica
Cullasaja soils--very deep to bedrock and contain less mica
Edneytown soils--very deep to bedrock and contain less mica
Evard soils--very deep to bedrock and contain less mica
Kibler soils--deep to soft bedrock
Pigeonroost soils--contain less mica
Porters soils--deep to hard bedrock and contain less mica
Saunook soils--formed in colluvium and are very deep
Thunder soils--formed in colluvium and are very deep
Trimont soils--very deep to bedrock and contain less mica
Tusquitee soils--formed in colluvium, are very deep, and contain less mica
Widgett soils--moderately deep to hard bedrock, have more than 35 percent rock fragments, and contain less mica
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Permeability: 2.0 to 6.0 inches per hour in the A horizon, 0.6 to 2.0 in the B horizon, 2.0 to 6.0 in the C horizon
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very deep
Index Surface Runoff: Low to high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland, pasture and hayland.
Dominant Vegetation:
Where wooded--yellow poplar, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, red oak, white oak, chestnut oak, post oak, hickory, black gum, red maple, black locust. Understory--dogwood, rhododendron, mountain laurel.
Where cultivated--cabbage, corn, small grain.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Virginia
Extent: Small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Patrick County, Virginia, 2008.
REMARKS: Bellspur soils were previously mapped as Cowee soils. Soil creep is evident in pedons on steep and very steep slopes. Few faint clay films in the B horizon indicate translocation of clay has occurred; however, laboratory data does not support an argillic horizon. Bellspur soils have a dark surface that is too thin for an Umbric epipedon. It is anticipated once the current Humudepts/Dystrudepts taxonomy proposal is approved, Bellspur soils will be reclassified as Humic Dystrudepts.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 8 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon--the zone from 8 to 28 inches (Bt and BC horizons)
Paralithic contact--35 inches (upper boundary of the Cr layer)
Paralithic materials--35 to 41 inches (Cr layer)
Series control section--the zone from 0 to 41 inches
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data are available from NRCS-Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE (Lab Pedon Number: 99P0438; User Pedon ID: 99VA141001).
Data Map Unit ID: 533811
Pedon Record ID: 260229
User Pedon ID: VA141_Bellspur_OSD_grl