LOCATION CLAIBORNE TN+VA+MOEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, subactive, mesic Typic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Claiborne silt loam--pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium pores; few fine fragments of chert; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
BA--8 to 17 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium pores; 8 percent angular fragments of chert from about 1 to 3 inches in size; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--17 to 28 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common medium pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few fine black concretions; 8 percent fragments of chert ranging from about 1 to 2 inches in size; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--28 to 46 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common medium pores; many distinct clay films on face of peds; 10 percent fragments of chert about 1 inch in size; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--46 to 70 inches; red (2.5YR 4/8) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium dark brown and black concretions; 8 percent fragments of chert about 1 inch in size; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Thickness of the Bt horizon is greater than 40 inches.)
BC--70 to 85 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium dark brown and black concretions and dark brown stains; 15 percent fragments of chert 1 to 3 inches in size; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Hancock County, Tennessee; 0.4 mile northeast of Mt. Zion Church; 50 feet south of sharp bend in gravel road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 60 to 100 or more inches. Depth to limestone bedrock ranges from about 6 to 20 or more feet. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid except the surface layer and upper part of the subsoil is less acid where limed. Fragments of chert range from 0 to 25 percent except some subhorizons below the control section ranges up to 50 percent.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 to 4. The fine earth fraction is silt loam, or loam.
Some pedons have a transitional horizon between the A or E horizon and the Bt horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. In some pedons, the lower part of the Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 6. Some pedons have mottles in shades of red, brown, and yellow in the lower part of the Bt horizon. The fine earth fraction is silty clay loam or clay loam and ranges to clay in the lower part.
Many pedons have a transitional horizon below the Bt horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Claiborne soils are on gently sloping to very steep foot slopes, benches and the colluvial portions of side slopes. Slopes range from 2 to 65 percent. The soils formed in colluvium and the underlying residuum from limestone. Average annual temperature is 54.7 degrees F., and average annual precipitation is 60 inches at a station about 20 miles from the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dunmore, Clarksville, Huntington, Sensabaugh, and Newark series. Dunmore and Clarksville soils are on similar topographic positions. Dunmore soils have clayey subsoils and Clarksville soils are loamy skeletal. The well drained Huntington soils, moderately well drained Sensabaugh soils and the somewhat poorly drained Newark soils are on adjacent floodplains and do not have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium on gentle slopes and rapid on steeper slopes. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is cleared and used principally for pasture and hay with a small acreage of corn, tobacco, and small grains. The native vegetation is hardwood forest consisting chiefly of oak, hickory, beech, elm, yellow poplar, ash, and gum.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys in eastern Tennessee, and in Missouri, and possibly southwest Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Claiborne County, Tennessee; 1939.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 8 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - 17 to 85 inches (Bt horizon)