LOCATION CARDINAL OHEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Cardinal silt loam, on a west aspect (260 degrees), convex, 35 percent slope in mixed hardwoods. Elevation of 795 feet msl. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted. When described on August 18, 1994, the soil was moist throughout.)
A-- 0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; many very fine to medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick.)
E-- 4 to 7 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to medium roots; few prominent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) organic coats in root channels; common fine and medium faint very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay depletions on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick.)
BE-- 7 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to medium and few coarse roots; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick.)
Bt1-- 13 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine to medium and few coarse roots; few distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2-- 17 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine to medium and few coarse roots; common distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3-- 22 to 28 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) silty clay loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine and fine roots; many distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium prominent gray (10YR 6/1) areas of iron depletion in the matrix; common fine and medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; common fine black (10YR 2/1) hard iron-manganese oxide concretions in the matrix; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt4-- 28 to 34 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) silty clay; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm; common very fine and fine roots; many distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium prominent gray (10YR 6/1) areas of iron depletion in the matrix; common fine and medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; common fine black (10YR 2/1) hard iron-manganese oxide concretions in the matrix; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizon is 15 to 30 inches.)
BC-- 34 to 43 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) silty clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak thin platy; very firm; few very fine roots; few distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on verticle faces of peds; common fine and medium prominent gray (10YR 6/1) areas of iron depletion in the matrix; common fine and medium black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese oxide concretions between peds; slightly effervescent; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick.)
C-- 43 to 80 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay; many fine and medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) irregularly shaped mottles throughout; massive; very firm; few very fine roots; many light gray (10YR 7/2) carbonate concretions throughout; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Ashtabula County, Ohio; about 3.25 miles southwest of Rock Creek, in Hartsgrove Township, 6,900 feet west of the intersection of State Route 45 and Laskey Road (Township Road 546), then 250 feet north, T. 9 N., R. 4 W.; USGS Windsor, OH topographic quadrangle; Latitude 41 degrees 37 minutes 17 seconds N. and Longitude 80 degrees 53 minutes 27 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to carbonates typically ranges from 30 to 60 inches but can be greater than 80 inches in some pedons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist (5 or 6 dry), and chroma of 2 or 3. Structure is weak or moderate, fine or medium, granular. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
Some pedons have an E or BE horizon that has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Structure is weak or moderate, fine or medium, subangular blocky. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam in the upper part and silty clay loam or silty clay in the lower part. Structure is moderate or strong, fine to coarse, subangular or angular blocky, which parts to weak or moderate, thin or medium, platy in the lower parts of some pedons. Rock fragments range from 0 to 2 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid in the upper part, and strongly acid to neutral in the lower part.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam or silty clay, with strata of silt loam in some pedons. Structure is weak or moderate, medium or coarse, subangular blocky, which parts to weak or moderate, thin or medium, platy in some pedons. Rock fragments range from 0 to 2 percent. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam or silty clay, with strata of silt loam, fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand in some pedons. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent. Reaction is moderately acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Banister, Branchville, Celina, Eudy, Hartville, Jerktail, Loudon, Tarlton, and Whippany soils. The Banister, Hartville, Jerktail soils have a mean annual temperature greater than 52 degrees. The Branchville, Celina, and Loudon soils have more than 2 percent rock fragments in the lower solum. Eudy and Tarlton soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Whippany soils have an elevation of greater than 600 feet above mean sea level.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Cardinal soil is on shoulders, back slopes, and foot slopes of dissected Wisconsin age lake plains and terraces. The soils formed in glaciolacustrine sediments. Slope ranges from 6 to 50 percent. Elevations are from 720 to 1,300 feet mean sea level. The mean annual temperature ranges from 47 to 51 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 43 inches. The frost free period is 133 to 167 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canadice, Caneadea, Darien, Fitchville, Glenford, Otego, Pierpont, Platea, and Stanhope soils. The moderately well drained Glenford soil, the somewhat poorly drained Caneadea and Fitchville soils, and the poorly drained Canadice soil are on adjacent lacustrine terraces. The moderately well drained Pierpont soil and the somewhat poorly drained Darien and Platea soils are on adjacent till plains. The moderately well drained Otego and the poorly drained Stanhope soils are on flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is medium to high. Permeability is moderately slow in the upper part of the solum and slow in the lower part. Depth to an intermittent perched water table is 1.5 to 2.0 feet from December to April in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are wooded. Original vegetation was deciduous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Erie Fruit and Truck Area and Eastern Ohio Till Plain.
MLRA 100 and 139. Distribution is of small extent, about 3,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ashtabula County, Ohio, 2001.
REMARKS:
Soils mapped as Steep land, silty and clayey, in the Ashtabula County soil survey, published 1973, were converted to the Cardinal series during the modernization project of that survey.
Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include: Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 13 inches (A, E, and BE horizons).
Argillic horizon - from a depth of 13 to 34 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizons).
Aquic conditions - begin at a depth of 22 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to pedon AB-128 for characterization data on the typical pedon, samples 26851 - 26861 from Ashtabula County, Ohio; samples analyzed by the Ohio State University Soil Characterization Laboratory, Columbus, Ohio.