LOCATION CATLETT VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic, shallow Ultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Catlett gravelly silt loam- cutover forest (Colors are for moist soil)
0i--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed hardwood leaves, pine needles and twigs.
A--1 to 2 inch; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 30 percent light gray (10YR 7/1) angular hornfel fragments very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--2 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; 30 percent light gray (10YR 7/1) angular hornfel gravel; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 13 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and medium and few coarse roots; common fine vesicular pores; few faint clay films, 40 percent light gray (10YR 7/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) angular hornfel gravel; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
C--13 to 18 inches; multicolored in shades of brown, yellow and gray extremely gravelly silt loam; massive; friable; common fine and medium roots; common fine vesicular pores; 60 percent light gray (10YR 7/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) angular hornfel gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary.
Cr--18 to 27 inches; partially weathered light gray (10YR 7/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) hornfel and granulite with 10 percent C horizon material in crevices.
R--27 inches; hard light gray (10YR 7/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) hornfel and granulite.
TYPE LOCATION: Prince William County, Virginia; 55 feet west of Aden Road and about 500 feet south of junction of Route 28 and Aden Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to the paralithic contact ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Depth to soft bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Rock fragment content of gray, yellow and brown hornfel and granulite range from about 5 to 65 percent in the A horizon and from 35 to 75 in the B and C horizon. It is very strongly acid through moderately acid.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 1 through 3. It is silt loam or loam in the fine earth fraction.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 3. It silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or is neutral, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 0 through 8. The low chroma is inherent from parent rock. The texture is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or is neutral, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 0 through 7. The low chroma is inherent from parent rock. The texture is silt loam or loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Cr horizon is partially weathered granulite that can be dug with hand tools.
The R is hard hornfel and granulite.
COMPETING SERIES: The Nestoria series is the only series in the same family. They are developed from red beds and have red hue in the solum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Catlett soils are on rolling ridges and short sideslopes in the more dissected landforms of the Culpeper basin. These soils formed in residuum from Triassic and Jurassic gray brown and yellow hornfel and granulite of the Culpeper basin of the Piedmont Plateau. Slopes range from 2 to 50 percent. Mean annual temperature ranges from 53 to 57 degrees F and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 38 to 44 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Albano, Kelly, and Sycoline soils. Albano and Kelly soils have plastic fine textured B horizons and are more than 20 inches to Paralithic contact. Sycoline soils have less than 35 percent Rock fragments in the control section and have thicker sola.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used largely for growing pasture with a minor acreage used for growing small grain, hay, and corn. About 60 percent is in woodland consisting of Virginia pine, eastern red cedar, flowering dogwood, oaks, and hickory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Virginia in the Culpeper basin of the Piedmont Plateau of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Culpeper County, Virginia, 1948.
REMARKS: Type location moved to Prince William County in 1982. The original type location was inconsistent with the Catlett concept. Lab data is available from the VPI & SU Lab.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon-zone from 0 to 7 inches (Oi, A, and E horizons)
2. Argillic horizon-zone from 7 to 13 inches (Bt horizon).
3. Base saturation-between 35 and 60 percent at 18 inches.
4. Paralithic contact-at 18 inches.
5. Lithic contact-at 27 inches.
SIR=VA0047, VA0114 (GRAVELLY), VA0093 (STONY)
MLRA=148
REVISED=7/30/91, MHC
REVISED = 2/18/2004, MAV added active ce activity class.