LOCATION BELPRE OH
Established Series
Rev. DJB-JRT
05/2021
BELPRE SERIES
The Belpre series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum weathered from calcareous clay shale. These reddish soils are on uplands and have slopes ranging from 0 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1050 mm, and mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Belpre silty clay - on a 20 percent linear, south-facing slope in a shrubby woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 cm; slightly decomposed organic material consisting of leaves, twigs, and other woody debris. (0 to 5 cm thick)
A--2 to 10 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many roots; 2 percent sandstone channers; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)
BA--10 to 21 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm; very sticky, very plastic; common roots; 5 percent sandstone channers; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)
Bt1--21 to 38 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) clay; moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely firm; very sticky, very plastic; few roots; many faint reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) clay films on all faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--38 to 71 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay; strong coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; very sticky, very plastic; few roots; many faint reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films on all faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 25 to 102 cm.)
BC--71 to 92 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak medium angular blocky structure; firm; moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few medium prominent light gray (5YR 7/1) carbonate masses; strongly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 64 cm thick)
C--92 to 115 cm; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) very parachannery silty clay loam; few medium prominent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) lithochromic mottles; massive; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse prominent light gray (5YR 7/1) carbonate masses; 50 percent shale parachanners; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)
Cr--115 to 120 cm; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) weakly cemented calcareous shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Ohio; Warren Township; about 4 miles southwest of Marietta; about 0.75 mile south of Ohio State Route 550, about 2,400 feet north and 1,500 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 15, T. 2 N., R. 9 W.; USGS Fleming, Ohio topographic quadrangle; lat. 39 degrees 23 minutes 14.5 seconds N. and long. 81 degrees 32 minutes 7 seconds W., WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 43 to 127 cm. Depth to free carbonates is less than 76 cm. Depth to paralithic materials is 102 to 178 cm. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent by volume in the A horizon and B horizon, and from 0 to 55 percent in the C horizon.
The Ap horizon or A horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR; value of 2 or 3 (4 or 5 dry); and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The BA horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 3 or 4; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10R, 2.5YR, or 5YR; value of 3 to 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is clay or silty clay. It is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The BC horizon has similar color range as the Bt horizon but may be variegated or have mottles inherited from parent bedrock. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. It is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10R to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 1 to 8, and typically is variegated or has mottles inherited from bedrock. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Cr horizon is calcareous shale, typically interbedded with thin strata of limestone or calcareous siltstone.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Brooke,
Caleast,
Fleming, McAfee, and
Salvisa series. Brooke and Salvisa soils have Bt horizons with hues yellower than 5YR and have a lithic contact at depths of 51 to 102 cm. Caleast soils have Bt horizons with hues yellower than 5YR and have free carbonates at depths of more than 76 cm. Fleming soils are moderately acid or strongly acid in the solum and do not have free carbonates within a depth of 76 cm. McAfee soils have a lithic contact at depths of 51 to 102 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Belpre soils are on summits, backslopes, and benches. Slope gradients range from 0 to 70 percent. The soils formed in residuum weathered from calcareous shale and some thin strata of limestone or calcareous siltstone. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 1041 to 1118 mm, and mean annual temperature ranges from about 10 to 12 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Elba,
Gilpin,
Peabody,
Summitville,
Upshur,
Vandalia, and
Vandergrift soils. Elba soils are on similar topographic positions, and do not have colors redder than 7.5YR. Gilpin soils are on upper shoulder and back slope positions and are moderately deep to brown shale or siltstone. Peabody soils are on convex ridges, shoulders and backslopes and are moderately deep to clay shale and siltstone. Summitville soils are on benches, back slopes, and in narrow bands on foot slopes and are moderately well drained. Upshur soils are on similar topographic positions and do not have a thick, dark surface layer. Vandalia soils are formed in colluvium on foot slopes below areas of Belpre soils. Vandergrift soils are on similar landform positions and are moderately well drained.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Index of surface runoff is medium to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low or moderately high in the solum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Where cultivated, principle crops are corn, soybeans, and hay. Most areas are in pasture or woodland. Native vegetation is mixed hardwood forest. Black walnut is prominent in woodland on Belpre soils.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Ohio; MLRA 126. The series is of small extent, less than 4,000 acres.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Ohio, 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon (mollic colors)--the zone from 2 to 21 cm (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 21 to 71 cm (Bt horizons)
Paralithic contact at 115 cm (top of Cr horizon)
There is no laboratory characterization data for the Belpre series, and CEC activity class was assigned based on similar soils.
This revision moves the typical pedon to an area where Belpre is correlated as a major component, and includes several editorial changes. Competing series, pedon description (including horizon nomenclature and/or descriptive terms), and other sections on the OSD were revised to current (2020) standards.
Recent study of map units correlated to this series has shown Belpre to be less extensive than reported at the time of the series establishment. Belpre typically occurs as a minor component in map units correlated with the Upshur and Peabody soils in the alternating low and high base red clay shale formations of the Dunkard and Monongahela Groups. The layer thickness and color requirements for the Mollic intergrade do not occur in a consistent pattern to warrant use as a major component in many of the areas where Belpre soils were originally mapped. This revision reduces the series extent from about 6000 acres to about 4000 acres.
Previous revision dates: 01/2006-DRM; Rev. DHK
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.