LOCATION BENTHOLE VA WVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Benthole on a northeast facing forested slope at an elevation of 1,350 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed twig and leaf litter.
A--1 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable, moderately sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few very fine and medium dendritic tubular pores; 20 percent subrounded limestone gravel; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly silty clay loam; moderate very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few very fine dendritic tubular pores; 50 percent subrounded limestone rock fragments (proportionally 60 percent cobbles, 40 percent gravel); neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--20 to 37 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly silty clay loam; moderate very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many prominent clay films on faces of peds; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few very fine dendritic tubular pores; 50 percent subrounded limestone rock fragments (proportionally 60 percent cobbles, 40 percent gravel); slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary.
Bt3-- 37 to 63 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very cobbly silty clay loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few very fine dendritic tubular pores; 55 percent subrounded limestone rock fragments (proportionally 50 percent cobbles, 30 percent gravel, 20 percent stones); moderately alkaline (pH 7.9). (Combined thickness of Bt is 19 to 62 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Scott County, Virginia; located along the North Fork of the Holston River, about 0.86 mile east northeast of the intersection of highways VA-689 and VA-691, Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 17, 374220 mE 4056765 mN. U.S.G.S. Hilton topographic quadrangle; Latitude 36 degrees, 39 minutes, 00 seconds N and Longitude 82 degrees, 24 minutes, 26 seconds; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to more than 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Rock fragments are limestone gravels, cobbles, and stones and range from 5 to 40 percent in the A horizon, 35 to 65 percent in the Bt horizon, and from 35 to 90 percent in the C horizon. Reaction is neutral (pH 6.6 to 7.3) to moderately alkaline (pH 7.9 to 8.4) throughout. Some pedons will effervesce.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam or loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is silt loam, loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
Some pedons have a C horizon, with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is silt loam, loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bloomsdale and Scioto soils. The Conotton, Dorerton, Hawksbill, Leoni, Lutzke, and Oakhill soils are in a related family and may become competitors as their classification is updated to the ninth edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy. Bloomsdale soils formed in loamy and clayey alluvium and flood frequently. Scioto soils have carbonates at 10 to 45 inches and formed in poorly sorted glacial outwash deposits. Conotton soils contain glacial outwash deposits and allow more acid reactions. Dorerton soils are loess over dolostone, and can be deep. Hawksbill soils are deep colluvial soils from Blue Ridge Mountain crystalline materials, also they allow more acid reactions. Leoni and Lutzke soils contain glacial outwash deposits over sandy material. Oakhill soils are moderately deep residuum from diabase and basalt.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Benthole soils formed in colluvium from shattered limestone and limestone soil material along major drains of the Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province. Slope gradients range from 55 to 100 percent. Climate is humid continental. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 55 to 59 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 42 to 46 inches. Surface stones and boulders are common and stony and bouldery phases are recognized.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beech Grove, Carbo, Frederick, and Watahala soils. Beech Grove soils are loamy and very shallow. Carbo soils are very fine and moderately deep. Frederick soils are clayey. Watahala soils are fine-loamy over clayey. All of these soils occur on nearby uplands.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff potential is very high. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Benthole soils are dominantly forested. Species consist of hickory, sugar maple, yellow-poplar, black gum, and sycamore.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 128, 147. Appalachian Ridge and Valley areas in Virginia, and possibly West Virginia and Tennessee. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Scott County, Virginia, 2002.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
a. Ochric epipedon: the zone from 1 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
b. Argillic horizon: the zone from 3 to 63 inches. (Bt horizon)
c. 50 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section: the zone from 3 to 23 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data is available on 3 pedons from Russell and Scott Counties, Virginia. S99VA-167-1, S99VA-169-31, S99VA-169-32.