LOCATION CANAAN VALLEY WV
Established Series
MLS, CRS, JWB
06/2018
CANAAN VALLEY SERIES
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Dysic, frigid Sapric Haplohemists
TYPICAL PEDON: Canaan Valley peat, on nearly level area of the valley floor. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi--0 to 16 centimeters (0 to 6 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) peat (fibric material); 90 percent fiber; 80 percent rubbed; ultra acid [pH 2.92]; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 53 centimeters (2 to 21 inches) thick.]
Oa--16 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches); black (10YR 2/1) muck (sapric material); 10 percent fiber; 2 percent rubbed; ultra acid [pH 2.99]; abrupt smooth boundary. [0 to 50 centimeters (2 to 20 inches) thick.]
Oe--30 to 94 centimeters (12 to 37 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) mucky peat (hemic material); 60 percent fiber; 25 percent rubbed; ultra acid [pH 2.88]; diffuse smooth boundary. [30 to 96 centimeters (12 to 38 inches) thick.]
O'a1--94 to 170 centimeters (37 to 67 inches; black (10YR 2/1) muck (sapric material); 15 percent fiber; 5 percent rubbed; ultra acid [pH 3.23]; diffuse smooth boundary.
O'a2--170 to 205 centimeters (67 to 81 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) muck (sapric material); 20 percent fiber; 10 percent rubbed; ultra acid [pH 3.26]; abrupt smooth boundary. [25 to 111centimeters (10 to 44 inches) thick combined O'a horizons.]
TYPE LOCATION:
County: Tucker County
State: West Virginia
USGS Quadrangle: Blackwater Falls
Latitude: 39 degrees, 7 minutes, 2.96 seconds N
Longitude: 79 degrees 23 minutes, 2.36 seconds W
Directions to the pedon: From the junction of State Highway WV-32 and Camp 70 Road at Davis, WV; proceed south on Camp 70 road about 3.6 miles to a parking area. Then by foot; after crossing a foot bridge over the Blackwater River, about 1.9 miles southeast on an old railroad grade (identified as a jeep trail on the USGS quad). The pedon is located about 510 feet south of the trail.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: Organic material thickness is greater than 150 centimeters (59 inches).
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 150 centimeters (60 inches).
Depth Class: Very Deep.
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches).
Soil Reaction: Ultra acid to extremely acid.
Range of Individual Horizons:
Surface tier:
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2, 2.5, or 3; and chroma of 1 through 4.
Organic material: dominantly peat (Oi, fibric material), over mucky peat (Oe, hemic material) or muck (Oa, sapric material); less commonly muck (Oa, sapric material) over mucky peat (Oe, hemic material).
Reaction: ultra acid to extremely acid.
Subsurface and Bottom tier:
Color-hue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2, 2.5, 3, or 4; chroma of 1 through 4.
Organic material: various proportions of mucky peat (Oe, hemic material) and/or muck (Oa, sapric material), but less than 30 centimeters (12 inches) of muck (Oa, sapric material) in the subsurface tier and at least 25 cm (10 inches) of muck (Oa, sapric material) in the subsurface and bottom tier combined.
Reaction: ultra acid to extremely acid.
C horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 2.5YR through 5G; value of 2 through 7; chroma of 1 through 4.
Texture (fine-earth fraction) --sand to clay.
Reaction: ultra acid to very strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES:
There are no competing series.
Mosesprairie series is in a similar family. Mosesprairie formed in organic materials over glaciolacustrine sediments and occur in an isomesic temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
MLRA(s): 127 (Eastern Allegheny Plateau and Mountains)
Landscape: Plateau, river valley, mountains
Landform: Valley floor, depression, swale
Geomorphic Component: Base slope, interfluve, or mountaintop
Hillslope Profile Position: Toeslope
Parent Material: Organic material derived from hydrophytic herbaceous plants; mainly sphagnum moss and sedges.
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 958 to 966 meters (3146 to 3169 feet)
Frost-free period: 90 to 148 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 6.3 to 7.3 degrees C. (43 to 45 degrees F.)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1319 to 1490 millimeters.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Atkins soils--are mineral soils and are poorly drained, and formed in alluvium.
Blago soils--are mineral soils and have a depth class of deep.
Brinkerton soils--are mineral soils, are poorly drained, and have a fragipan.
Lickdale soils--are mineral soils and formed in residuum.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage Class (Agricultural): Very poorly drained.
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very shallow; persistent.
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None.
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None.
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible.
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately high to very high.
Permeability Class (obsolete): Moderate to rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Wildlife habitat and recreation.
Dominant Vegetation: Most areas are in natural vegetation. Overstory vegetation is very sparse with red spruce on hummocks, and occasionally white pine and balsam fir are present. The shrub layer, where present, contains St. Johnswort, northern wild raisin, red chokeberry, black chokeberry, or common winterberry. The dwarf shrubs cranberry and bristly dewberry are very common. The herbaceous layer is dominated by tawny cottongrass, bog goldenrod, northern long sedge, and common rush. Common non-vascular plants consist of sphagnum spp., polytrichum spp.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Peatlands of Canaan Valley, West Virginia and other high elevation peatlands in MLRA 127.
Extent: Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tucker County, West Virginia, 2017.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
1. Peat (fibric material): 0 to 16 centimeters (0 to 6 inches) (Oi horizon).
2. Mucky Peat (hemic material): 30 to 94 centimeters (12 to 37 inches) (Oe horizon).
3. Muck (sapric material): 94 to 205 cm (37 to 81 inches) (O'a1 and O'a2 horizon).
4. Dysic - the pH is less than 4.5 in all parts of the organic material in the control section.
Other soil features identified with this pedon:
Series control section--the zone from 0 to 130 cm (0 to 51 inches)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Results of laboratory analysis of the typical pedon (cited as Profile 5.17 Sapric Haplohemist) as well as other support pedons are reported in: Schaney, Mitzy, L. 2018 (anticipated). Genesis of Peatlands and Histosols within Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Ph.D. Dissertation. West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.