LOCATION BROOKSHIRE TN+NCEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Brookshire loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many roots; 10 percent fragments of dark sandstone and phyllite up to 2 inches across; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
A2--3 to 8 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many roots; 10 percent fragments of phyllite and dark sandstone up to 2 inches across; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; few coatings and streaks of dark brown (10YR 3/3); weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; 10 percent fragments of phyllite and dark sandstone up to 2 inches across; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw2--16 to 36 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; 12 percent fragments of phyllite and dark sandstone up to 2 inches across; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 15 to 45 inches)
C--36 to 52 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly loam; massive, friable; few roots; 25 percent soft and hard fragments of dark sandstone and phyllite up to 4 inches across; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--52 to 58 inches; partially weathered dark sandstone or weakly metamorphosed quartzite; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam soil material coating fragments of rock and extending into cracks; soft part of rock crushes into brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam.
R--58 inches; hard sandstone rock.
TYPE LOCATION: Monroe County, Tennessee; on road from Tellico Plains to Stratton Meadow; at junction of Sugar Cove Branch and Meadow Branch; 200 feet east of gravel road along abandoned logging road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum ranges from 30 to 55 inches and depth to bedrock from 40 to 70 inches. Fragments of phyllite, slate, sandstone, or quartzite range from 10 to 35 percent by volume throughout, but the amount normally increases with depth. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 to 3. The fine earth fraction is loam or silt loam. Structure is weak or moderate, fine or medium granular.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 3 and chroma of 3. Texture is silt loam or loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. The fine earth fraction is loam or silt loam. Structure is weak or moderate, medium subangular blocky.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. The fine earth fraction is loam or silt loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jeffrey, Porters, Tusquitee and Unaka series in the same family and the Barbourville, Crossville, Cutshin, Haywood, Transylvania and Zenith series in similar families. Jeffrey and Unaka soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Barbourville and Cutshin soils have an umbric epipedon 10 to 20 inches thick and are fine-loamy. Crossville soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock and have siliceous mineralogy. Haywood and Transylvania soils have umbric epipedons more than 20 inches thick. Porters soils formed in residuum and are 40 to 60 inches to hard bedrock. Tusquitee soils contain rock fragments dominated by igneous and metamorphic crystalline fragments such as granite, mica gneiss and schist. Zenith soils have siliceous mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brookshire soils are on the lower parts of very steep mountainsides. Slopes range from about 7 to 65 percent. Elevation ranges from about 2,000 to 4,800 feet above sea level. The soil formed in local alluvium moved downslope from soil material formed from slate, arkosic sandstone, graywacke, phyllite, and probably granite, conglomerate, and quartzite in some places. These soils are in areas having about 54 inches average annual rainfall and about 50 degrees to 55 degrees F. average annual temperature.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Jeffrey, Transylvania, Unaka series and the Ditney series. Ditney soils have A horizons with value of 4 or more and are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate and moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Practically all is in forest. The main tree species are yellow birch, black cherry, yellow poplar, hemlock, white pine, northern red oak, ash, silverbell, and dense understory of striped maple, wild hydrangea, and ferns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Unaka Mountain Range in Tennessee and North Carolina, and possibly Virginia. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monroe County, Tennessee; 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are;
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 8 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - from 8 to 36 inches (Bw horizon)
Additional remarks - These soils were probably included in the Tusquitee series in previous mapping.