LOCATION BLAGO KY+VA WVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Umbraquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Blago silt loam -- cultivated (Colors are for moist soil)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many roots; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A--7 to 15 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 24 inches.)
Btg1--15 to 24 inches, gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; faint clay films on prism faces; few fine red (2.5YR 5/6) Fe concretions (1 - 5 mm across); common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) soft iron masses coating prism faces; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Btg2--24 to 45 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm, few fine roots; faint clay films on prism faces; few fine and medium red (2.5YR 5/6) Fe concretions (2 - 15 mm) across; common fine and medium prominent red (10R 4/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft iron masses coating prisms; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness is 14 to 40 inches.)
2Cg--45 to 56 inches; variegated gray (10YR 6/1), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) channery silty clay; massive; very firm; 20 percent shale channers; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
R--56 inches; fissile black shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Madison County, Kentucky in the Berea; 3/4 mile northwest of the junction of Kentucky Highway 595 and US Highway 25; 50 yards west of Kentucky Highway 595 and 325 yards southeast of the base of Dead Horse Knob on Berea College Farm; USGS Berea Quadrangle; 37 degrees, 34 minutes, 53.4 seconds N. latitude and 84 degrees, 17 minutes, 41.1 seconds W. Longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 40 to 60 inches. Depth to siltstone or shale bedrock (commonly black highly fissile shale) is 40 to about 100 inches. Sandstone, siltstone, or shale fragments range from 0 to 10 percent in the solum and from 0 to 40 percent in the C horizon. Reaction is strongly to extremely acid, unless limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or N, value of 3 or less, and chroma of 3 or less. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The Bg horizon (where present) has hue of 2.5Y, 5Y or N, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is silty clay loam or silty clay.
The Btg horizons have hues of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or less with redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, red and gray. Texture is clay, silty clay or silty clay loam.
The Cg or 2Cg horizons have hues of 10YR to 5Y, values of 4 to 6, and chromas of 2 or less or are variegated without dominant hue or chroma. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, red and gray are common thoughout and are interspersed with lithochromic mottling derived from weathered black shale. Fine-earth texture is silty clay or clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. The Mullins and Purdy series are in closely related families. Both Mullins and Purdy soils lack umbric epipedons. Mullins soils are fine-silty and have a fragipan.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blago soils are in ponded or depressed areas on uplands and stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in alluvial sediments deposited over highly weathered black fissile shales. Mean annual temperature ranges from 50 to 56 degrees Fahrenheit with a mean of 56 degrees. Annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 52 inches with a mean of 42 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Berea, Colyer, Lawrence, Robertsville, Muse and Trappist soils. Berea and Trappist soils are moderately deep. Colyer soils are shallow. Lawrence and Robertsville soils have fragipans. None of these soils have an umbric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained with slow permeability. Runoff is negligible in concave areas and medium on slopes greater than 1 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in pasture or hay. Some artificially drained areas are used for growing corn, soybeans and small grains; and a few areas remain in woodlaond. Native forests have water tolerant hardwoods such as willow, alder, elderberry, beech, gums, pin oak, water oak, swamp oak, red maple and box elder.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Knobs region of Kentucky, similar areas in southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. Extent is small.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Muskingum County, Ohio; 1925.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon - 0 to 15 inches (Ap, A).
Argillic horizon - 15 to 45 inches (Btg1, Btg2)
Lithic contact at 56 inches.