LOCATION DOUBLETOP               VA

Established Series
JRT, JDH/Rev. JRT
07/2013

DOUBLETOP SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, superactive, frigid Typic Humudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Doubletop loam - on a smooth, convex, 11 percent, southeast facing slope at 4560 feet elevation--in woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 8 cm (0 to 3 inches); black (10YR 2/1) loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common fine roots; 5 percent gravel; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

A2--8 to 18 cm (3 to 7 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common fine roots; 5 percent gravel; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness 18-25 cm)

BA--18 to 48 cm (7 to 19 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 5 percent gravel; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bw--48 to 63 cm (19 to 25 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

BC--63 to 94 cm (25 to 37 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gravelly sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 15 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

R--94 cm (37 inches); hard metasandstone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION:
State: Virginia
County: Smyth
USGS Topographic Quadrangle: Whitetop Mountain, VA
Latitude: 36.7 N (NAD 83)
Longitude: 81.555278 W (NAD 83)
Direction to typical pedon: (Jefferson National Forest, between Double Top and Flat Top on Iron Mountain); about 1.65 km (5,400 feet) northwest 320 degrees of the intersection of VA603 and NF828

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: 50 to 100 centimeters.(20 to 40 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: 50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Depth Class: Moderately Deep
Rock Fragment Content: 0 to 35 percent throughout.
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid.

Range of Individual Horizons:
A horizon:
Color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 to 3.
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and loam.

AB and BA horizons:
Color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 8.
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.

Bw horizon:
Color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8.
Texture: sandy loam or loam; in addition, individual subhorizons can be sandy clay loam or clay loam. The particle-size control section averages less than 18 percent clay.

BC horizon:
Color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8.
Texture: sandy loam or loam; in addition, individual subhorizons can be sandy clay loam or clay loam. The particle-size control section averages less than 18 percent clay.

C horizon, where present:
Color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8.
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.

COMPETING SERIES:
There are no known series in the same family

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
MLRA(s) using this series: 130B Southern Blue Ridge
Landscape: Mountain Range
Landform: Mountain Flank
Geomorphic Component: mountain top and mountain flank
Hillslope Profile Position: Summit, shoulder, backslope
Parent Material Origin: Metasandstone and sandstone
Parent Material Kind: Residuum
Slope: 2 to 60 percent
Elevation: above 1219
Frost-free period: 75 to 130 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 4 to 8 degrees C (40 to 47 degrees F).
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1143 to 1520 millimeters

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Madsheep soils are loamy-skeletal and have an ochric epipedon.
Paddyknob are soils loamy-skeletal and have an ochric epipedon.
Lily soils are at lower elevations, are in a mesic soil temperature regime and are fine-loamy and have an ochric epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage Class: Well Drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: none
Index Surface Runoff: medium to very high
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: high
Permeability Class (obsolete): moderately rapid
Shrink-swell Potential: low
Flooding Frequency and Duration: none
Ponding Frequency and Duration: none

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: Mostly forested, wildlife, and recreation
Vegetation: Northern red oak, yellow birch, lack birch, black cherry, sugar maple, eastern hemlock, American beech, and yellow buckeye are common. Common understory plants are service berry, striped maple, American chestnut sprouts, silver bell, witch hobble, rhododendron, blueberry, and smooth blackberry. Trillium, yellow mandarin, wood sorel and New York fern are common forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Virginia.
Extent: Extent is small.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson National Forest, Smyth County, Virginia, 2013

REMARKS: 7/2013 Revision updated the Series Established section and updates this series to the 11th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
a. Umbric epipedon - 0 to 18 cm (0 to 7 inches) (A1 and A2 horizons)
b. Cambic horizon - the zone from 48 to 63 cm (19 to 25 inches) (Bw horizon)
c. Lithic contact - hard metasandstone bedrock at 94 cm (37 inches) (R horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the NSSL for the following pedons:
Laboratory data are available for the type location and a supporting location from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

NASIS Site ID: 278380
NASIS Pedon ID: 277665
NASIS User Pedon ID: Doubletop OSD
NASIS DATA MAPUNIT ID = 540086 (Standard Component Data)

MLRA = 130

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.