LOCATION CRAMER VIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, active, isohyperthermic, shallow Typic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cramer gravelly clay loam. (Colors are for dry conditions.)
A--0 to 9 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly clay loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; common medium interstitial pores; many medium worm casts; about 30 percent, by volume, pebbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--9 to 14 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) gravelly clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores, many medium worm casts; about 30 percent, by volume, pebbles; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--14 to 19 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) gravelly clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, sticky, plastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine and medium tubular pores, many medium worm casts; about 20 percent, by volume, pebbles; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 8 to 13 inches)
Cr--19 to 32 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) weathered igneous bedrock; common fine roots; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
R--32 to 60 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) unweathered igneous bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Approximately 1.8 miles northwest of the Annaly intersection of VI-63 and VI-78 and about 100 feet north of VI-63 (Scenic Road) on south aspect. Site is about 1.3 miles northeast of the Hams Bay Gut quarry on VI-63. Frederiksted topographic quadrangle; lat. 17 degrees 45 minutes 50 seconds N., long. 64 degrees 51 minutes 58 seconds W.; PRD 1940.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to weathered igneous bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Depth to unweathered igneous bedrock ranges from 15 to 36 inches. Reaction slightly acid or neutral in the A horizon and moderately acid or slightly acid in the Bw horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 2 or 3. Mottles in shades of brown range from none to common. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles and cobbles ranges from 10 to 60 percent, by volume.
The Bw horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 and 4, chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles and cobbles ranges from 10 to 30 percent, by volume.
The Cr horizon is composed of weathered igneous bedrock.
The R horizon is composed of unweathered igneous bedrock.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cramer soils are on summits and side slopes of volcanic hills and mountains. They formed in material weathered from extrusive volcanic rocks. Slopes range from 2 to 90 percent. The climate is tropical semiarid. The average annual air temperature ranges from 76 to 82 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Annaberg, Dorothea, Fredriksdal, Maho Bay, Southgate, Susannaberg, and Victory series. All of these soils are on similar positions of volcanic uplands. Annaberg, Maho Bay, Southgate, and Victory soils have less than 35 percent in the particle-size control section. In addition, Southgate and Victory soils do not have a Mollic epipedon. Dorothea, Fredriksdal, and Susannaberg soils have vermiculitic clay mineralogy. In addition, Dorothea soils are very deep to bedrock and are associated with the Louisenhoj geologic formation.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slowly permeability.
VEGETATION AND USE: Most areas of this Cramer soil are in rangeland. A few small areas are in pasture or small-scale tropical fruit production. Some areas are being converted to commercial and residential development.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: U.S. Virgin Islands. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Croix Island, U.S.Virgin Islands, 1965.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon - zone from 0 to 9 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - zone from 9 to 19 inches (Bw horizon).
Paralithic contact - the contact at 19 inches (Cr horizon).
Lithic contact - the contact at 32 inches (R horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands; S64VI-10-6. Sample by NSSL, Lincoln NE., 9/1964.
MLRA: 271.
SIR: VI0005.