LOCATION DANDRIDGE               TN+KY VA

Established Series
Rev. CTC:RPS
11/2021

DANDRIDGE SERIES


The Dandridge series consist of shallow, excessively drained soils. The permeability is moderately slow. These soils formed in residuum of calcareous shale and limestone. They are on highly dissected uplands. Slopes range from 2 to 70 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic, shallow Ruptic-Alfic Eutrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Dandridge channery silty clay loam - forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oe--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed hardwood leaves.

A--1 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) channery silt loam; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 20 percent fragments of shale up to 2 inches in diameter; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

Bw/Bt1--4 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery silty clay loam (Bw part); intermittent pockets of dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very channery silty clay loam with few distinct clay films on faces of peds (Bt part); weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 35 percent fragments of shale up to 3 inches in diameter; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bw/Bt2--8 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery silty clay loam (Bw part); intermittent pockets of dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very channery silty clay with few distinct clay films on faces of peds Bt Part); weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 55 percent fragments of shale up to 3 inches in diameter; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

BC--13 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery silty clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium and few coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 60 percent fragments of shale and limestone up to 5 inches in diameter; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Cr--18 to 36 inches; weathered calcaraeous shale bedrock with a few thin strata of limestone.

R--36 inches; hard calcareous shale bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Tennessee; 0.6 miles east of state highway 92 on Mullins Road and 100 feet north of road in wooded area.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 4 to 15 inches. Depth to soft shale bedrock ranges from 8 to 20 inches and hard bedrock is normally within 40 inches. The reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline. Fragments of shale and limestone range from 10 to 45 percent in the A horizon and 35 to 65 percent in the B and C horizons.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, valve of 4 to 5 and chroma of 2 to 4 or value of 3 and chroma of 1 to 4. The E horizon, where present, has hue 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture of the fine earth is silt loam, silty clay loam or silty clay and rarely loam or clay loam.

The Bw and Bt horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 or 6. Mottles in shades of brown, yellow and red range from none to common. Texture of the fine earth is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay and rarely clay loam. The higher clay content in the Bw horizon is inherited from the parent rock.

The BC horizon or C horizon, where present,has hue of 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6 and chroma of 4 or 6. Mottles in shades of brown, yellow, red or gray range from none to common. Texture of the fine earth is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay and rarely clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: Dandridge is the only series in this family. These are the Armuchee, Colyer, Eden, Inman, Litz, Needmore, and Sulphura series in closely associated families. All of these soils except Colyer lack bedrock within 20 inches of the soil surface. Armuchee and Colyer soils are strongly acid. Eden and Needmore soils have continuous argillic horizons. Inman soils are thermic. Litz soils are strongly acid. Sulphura soils are loamy-skeletal and silicious.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dandridge soils are on highly dissected uplands. Slopes range from 2 to 70 percent. These soils formed in residuum from calcareous shales with thin strata of limestone and calcareous sandstone in places. Average annual temperature ranges from 52 to 57 degrees F. and average annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 50 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Litz and Needmore series and the Whitesburg series. Whitesburg soils are deep, moderately well drained soils on narrow flood plains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The majority of the acreage is cleared and used mainly for pasture. Native vegetation is forest of oak, hickory, beech, maple, elm, and locust.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Appalachian Ridge and Valley in Tennessee and Virginia. The series is of large extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Tennessee; 1936.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 4 inches (Oe and A horizons)

Cambic and argillic horizon - 4 to 18 inches (Bw/Bt horizon)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.