LOCATION CLEARBROOK VA PA WVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Epiaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Clearbrook channery silt loam - fescue pasture; on a 3 percent slope (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) channery silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; 25 percent angular shale channers up to 1 inch in length; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very channery silty clay loam; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine pores; thin very patchy clay films; 45 percent angular shale channers up to 2 inches in length; common fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (thickness of the Bt horizon is 5 to 15 inches.)
Btg--14 to 23 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very channery silty clay loam; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; thin patchy clay films; few fine roots; 55 percent angular shale channers up to 3 inches in length; common fine distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) soft masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (thickness of the Btg horizon is 5 to 15 inches.)
Cg--23 to 27 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) extremely channery silty clay loam; massive; friable; slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; 75 percent angular shale channers up to 5 inches in length; common fine and medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) iron depletions; strongly acid. (0 to 20 inches thick).
R--27 inches; soft shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Frederick County, Virginia, .6 mile southeast of U.S. 11, .2 mile northeast of intersection of VA-664 and VA-666, U.S.G.S. Stephenson, VA-WV topographic quadrangle; NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 18 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments of shale range from 10 to 60 percent in the A horizon, 20 to 70 percent in individual horizons of the Bt and Btg horizons, and from 50 to 90 percent in the C horizon. Reaction throughout the soil is strongly acid or very strongly acid, unless limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam or loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 through 4. It is silt loam, loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay in the fine earth fraction.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay in the fine earth fraction.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. It is silt loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay in the fine earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: The Clearbrook series is the only series in the family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Clearbrook soils are nearly level to moderately steep. They are on uplands, along stream heads and in depressions. Slopes are commonly 2 to 7 percent but range from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in residuum from acid shale and sandstone. Mean annual temperature ranges from 48 to 57 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 42 inches. Growing season ranges from 155 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Berks, Blairton, and Weikert soils. The Berks and Weikert soils do not have iron depletions and are on shoulders and sideslopes above and below the Clearbrook positions. The Weikert soils are also less than 20 inches to a lithic contact. Blairton soils occur on similar landscape positions and have fewer rock fragments throughout the soil.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to very high. Permeability is moderately slow. A seasonal high water table commonly is within 1 to 2.5 feet from the surface from December through April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are used for pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs using; 147.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Warren County, Virginia, 1980.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included with Berks and Blairton soils.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1) Ochric epipedon-the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A horizon)
2) Argillic horizon-the zone from 7 to 23 inches (Bt horizons)
3) Skeletal feature-average greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the 7 to 23 inch layer
Cation-exchange activity class assigned based on classification of geographically associated soils.