LOCATION BRINKERTON PA+MD NY WV

Established Series
Rev. RDJ-DJB-JRT
04/2021

BRINKERTON SERIES

The Brinkerton series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils formed in medium textured colluvium derived from acid gray shale and siltstone. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the surface and upper subsoil, and moderately low or moderately high in the fragipan and substratum. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1067 mm, mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Fragiaqualfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Brinkerton silt loam in pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 20 cm; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; few fine irregular faint brown (10YR 5/3) concretions; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Btg1--20 to 36 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular and angular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); gradual wavy boundary.

Btg2--36 to 53 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common distinct clay films and silt coats on faces of peds; many medium distinct gray (N 6/) iron depletions in the matrix; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizon is 13 to 46 cm.)

Btxg1--53 to 74 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy and moderate fine angular blocky; firm, brittle, slightly sticky, plastic; faint gray (5Y 5/1) prism faces; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; few irregular prominent black (N 2/) coatings of manganese; many fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.

Btxg2--74 to 86 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thick platy and moderate medium angular blocky; firm, brittle, slightly sticky, plastic; faint gray (5Y 5/1) prism faces; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; many fine prominent black (N 2/) concretions of manganese accumulation; many fine and medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron accumulation in the matrix; 5 percent rock fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btxg horizon is 20 to 81 cm.)

Btx--86 to 107 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak thick platy and weak medium subangular blocky; firm, brittle, slightly sticky, plastic; prominent gray (5Y 5/1) prism faces; very few faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine prominent black (N 2/) concretions of manganese accumulation; common medium prominent gray (N 6/) iron depletions in the matrix and many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron accumulation in the matrix; 10 percent rock fragments; slightly acid (pH 6.1); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

BC--107 to 165 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) channery silt loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) prism faces; common medium faint grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions in the matrix; 15 percent rock fragments; moderately acid. (0 to 102 cm thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Indiana County, Pennsylvania; East Mahoning Township, about 1.0 mile west of Marion Center. USGS Marion Center, Pennsylvania topographic quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees, 46 minutes, 1.9 seconds N. and long. 79 degrees, 04 minutes, 22.9 seconds W., WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 102 to 165 cm. Depth to bedrock is greater than 152 cm. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 28 to 76 cm. Fragments range from 0 to 10 percent by volume above the fragipan, from 0 to 30 in the fragipan, and from 10 to 80 percent in the C horizon. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in the solum, unless limed, and from strongly through slightly acid in the C horizon.

The A horizon is neutral or has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 3. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.

The Bt horizon is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.

The Btx horizon is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 3. Texture is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.

The BC and C horizons are neutral or have hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 4. Texture is loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Huberly series. Huberly soils have a lithologic discontinuity, and do not have rock fragments in the series control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brinkerton soils are on nearly level to concave toeslopes, footslopes, and around heads of drainageways. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils developed in medium textured colluvium from acid gray shale and siltstone. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 889 to 1270 mm; mean annual air temperature ranges from 8 to 13 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The moderately well drained Comly, the moderately well drained Buchanan and the somewhat poorly drained Portville soils are in the same drainage sequence, on similar landform positions.
Berks, Cavode, Dekalb, Gilpin, Hazleton, Rayne, Weikert, and Wharton soils are on nearby uplands; in summit, shoulder, and backslope hillslope-profile positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the surface and upper subsoil, and moderately low or moderately high in the fragipan and substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for pasture or woodland. Native vegetation is mixed hardwood forest. Where wooded, typical species are northern red oak, sugar maple, and black cherry with some hemlock and white pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and West Virginia. MLRAs 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130A, 139, 140, 144A, 147, and 148. The series is of large extent with approximately 405,000 acres mapped to date.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 1939.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 20 cm (Ap horizon).
Aquic conditions--the zone from 0 to 86 cm (Ap, Btg, and Btxg horizons).
Argillic horizon--the zone from 20 to 107 cm (Btg, Btxg, and Btx horizons).
Fragipan--the zone from 53 to 107 cm (Btxg and Btx horizons).

This revision updates the type location to WGS84 datum, updates the competing series and associated soils sections, and converts measurements to metric. Characterization information has been updated in the additional data section.

Previous revision dates: 09/2003-JSH-GDM-PSP-ART

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory for the following lab sample numbers: 59PA063003 (User Pedon ID 1959PA063003, the typical pedon), 58PA065007 (User Pedon ID 1958PA065007), 58PA065008 (User Pedon ID 1958PA065008), 40A4013 (User Pedon ID S1960WV093002).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.