LOCATION CHRISTIANA              MD+DE

Established Series
WDC/Rev. DRPV
11/2015

CHRISTIANA SERIES

MLRA(s): 149A (Northern Coastal Plain)
Depth Class: Very deep
Drainage Class (Agricultural): Moderately well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to low
Landscape: Coastal plain, upland
Parent Material: Clayey fluviomarine deposits
Slope: 0 to 40 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 13 degrees C. (55 degrees F.)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1067 mm (42 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, mesic Aquic Hapludults

TYPICAL PEDON: Christiana silt loam - wooded. (Colors are for moist soil
unless otherwise indicated.)

Oi--0 to 5 cm (0 to 2 inches); slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs and other woody materials.

A--5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches); black (2.5Y 2.5/1) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium, and few coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2.5 to 5 cm [1 to 2 inches] thick)

E--8 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; common medium, few coarse and many very fine roots; few fine vesicular and tubular pores; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
(0 to 15 cm [0 to 6 inches] thick)

BE--15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine vesicular pores; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm [0 to 6 inches] thick)

Bt1--25 to 53 cm (10 to 21 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; sticky, plastic; few very fine to medium roots; many fine vesicular and tubular pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds; common fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and distinct pink (7.5YR 7/4) iron-manganese concentrations; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--53 to 89 cm (21 to 35 inches); yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silty clay loam; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong coarse angular blocky; firm; very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; many very fine vesicular and tubular pores; many fine distinct clay films on faces of peds; many fine prominent light gray (7.5YR 7/1) iron depletions on faces of peds; common medium distinct red (2.5YR 4/6) iron concentrations; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--89 to 125 cm (35 to 49 inches); red (2.5YR 4/6) silty clay; many fine and medium prominent white (5YR 8/1) mottles; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to strong coarse angular blocky; very firm; very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots between peds; few very fine vesicular and tubular pores; many fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and prominent light gray (7.5YR 7/1) clay films on faces of peds; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt4--125 to 160 cm (49 to 63 inches); reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to strong very coarse angular blocky; extremely firm; very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots between peds; common fine distinct reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions; common fine prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) iron-manganese concentrations; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt is 90 to 155 cm [35 to 60 inches])

BC--160 to 251 cm (63 to 99 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to strong very coarse angular blocky; extremely firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 30 percent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions; common medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) iron-manganese concentrations; extremely acid, clear wavy boundary.

TYPE LOCATION: Prince Georges County, Maryland, on property of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center; approximately 1 mile east-southeast of the intersection of Baltimore Washington Parkway (Route 295) and Powder Mill Road (Route 212); about 2,850 feet south along Springfield Rd. from its intersection with Powder Mill Road (State Route 212), 300 feet east of Springfield Road, at a point approximately 1780 feet south of Powder Mill Road (State Route 212). USGS Laurel Maryland topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 01 minutes 39.0 seconds N, and longitude 76 degrees 50 minutes 05.0 seconds W, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the top of the Argillic horizon: 2.5 to 46 cm (1 to 18 inches)
Depth to the base of the Argillic horizon: 140 to 254 cm (55 to 100 inches)
Solum Thickness; 135 to 318 cm (53 to 125 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 152 cm (60 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches), November to April
Rock Fragment content: 0 to 20 percent, by volume, mixed gravel, and ironstone fragments, throughout the pedon
Soil Reaction: extremely acid to strongly acid, except where limed

RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:

A or Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2.5 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, fine sandy loam, or loam; clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay in eroded pedons

E horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam

BE horizon:
Color--hue of 10R to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam

Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 10R to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silty clay, clay, silty clay loam or clay loam
Redoximorphic features (if they occur)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow,
or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, gray, or white
Mottles (if they occur)--in shades of pink, gray, and white

BC horizon:
Color--hue of 10R to 10YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay
Redoximorphic features (if they occur)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow,
or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, gray, or white
Mottles (if they occur)--in shades of pink, gray, and white

C horizon:
Color--hue of 10R to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay
Redoximorphic features (if they occur)--iron masses in shade of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, gray, or white
Mottles (if they occur)--in shades of pink, gray, and white

COMPETING SERIES: None

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Coastal plain, upland
Landform: Flat, knoll, hillock
Hillslope Profile Position: Summits, shoulders, backslopes
Geomorphic Component: Interfluves
Parent Material: Clayey fluviomarine deposits
Slope: 0 to 40 percent
Elevation: 46 to 107 meters (150 to 350 feet)
Frost-free period: 190 to 250 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C. (52 to 58 degrees F.)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1016 to 1195 mm (40 to 47 inches)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Aura soils--are coarse-loamy, and have a fragipan
Aquasco soils--are somewhat poorly drained, and have a fragipan
Beltsville soils--are moderately well drained, and have a fragipan
Croom soils--are well drained, and loamy-skeletal
Elkton soils--are poorly drained, and fine-silty
Fallsington soils--are poorly drained, and fine-loamy
Keyport soils--are mixed mineralogy
Muirkirk soils--have sand or loamy sand to a depth of more than 51 cm (20 inches)
Othello soils--are poorly drained, and fine-silty
Russett soils--are fine-loamy with mixed mineralogy
Sassafras soils-- are well drained, and fine-loamy
Sunnyside soils--are fine-loamy with clayey textures at depths of more than 152 cm (60 inches)

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class (Agricultural): Moderately well drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very thin to thin, moderately deep, and common
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None
Index Surface Runoff: Moderate to Very high
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to low
Permeability (obsolete): Moderately slow to slow
Shrink-swell Potential: Moderate

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Urban development, woodland, and cropland
Dominant Vegetation: Where cultivated--corn, hay. Where wooded--white oak, red oak, Virginia
pine, the understory is dogwood, huckleberry, laurel, azalea, green brier and poison ivy.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
Distribution: Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, and possibly northern Virginia
Extent: Moderate, but locally important

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: New Castle County, Delaware, 1940, Christiana River Project.

REMARKS:

Reclassification of Christiana series from fine, kaolinitic, mesic Typic Paleudults to fine, kaolinitic, mesic Aquic Hapludults, is proposed as a result of field studies in conjunction with soil survey updates in Maryland that indicate areas mapped Christiana are predominantly moderately well drained Aquic Hapludults.

Previous revisions: 11/2002-WDC

Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 inches) (Oi, A, E and BE horizons)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 25 to 160 cm (10 to 63 inches) (Bt horizons)
Aquic conditions--periodic saturation beginning at a depth of 53 cm (21 inches)
Other soil features identified with this pedon:
Series control section--the zone from 0 to 160 cm (0 to 63 inches)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data are available from the NSSL for this pedon: 94MD033002
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID: #538526
OSD User Pedon ID: 94MD033002

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.