LOCATION DOWNSVILLE MD+PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Typic Paleudults
Typical pedon: Downsville gravelly loam, on a (aspect), convex, 3 to 8 percent slope, in a cultivated field. (colors for moist soil)
Ap--- 0 to 10 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; friable; common fine roots; 25 percent gravel, and 3 percent cobble rock fragments; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
BE--- 10 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; many fine tubular and vesicular pores, common medium tubular and vesicular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble rock fragments; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1-- 18 to 30 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; few fine tubular and vesicular pores; many prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds, and around rock fragments; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2-- 30 to 41 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very gravelly clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular and vesicular pores, few medium tubular and vesicular pores; many prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) continuous clay films on faces of peds and around rock fragments; 40 percent gravels and 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3-- 41 to 87 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few medium vesicular pores, few fine tubular pores; many faint dark red (2.5YR 3/6) continuous clay films on faces of peds and around rock fragments; 40 percent gravels and 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt4-- 87 to 106 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam; moderate fine subangular structure; very friable; few medium vesicular pores, few fine tubular pores; common faint dark red (2.5YR 3/6) continuous clay films on faces of peds and around rock fragments; 35 percent gravels and 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (combined thickness 30 to 110 inches)
BC--- 106 to 118 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) very gravelly sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) discontinuous clay films faces of peds and around rock fragments; 40 percent gravels and 7 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
2C--- 118 to 134 inches; brownish yellow to yellow (10YR 6/8 to 10YR 8/6) loam; moderate medium platy structure inherited from rock; common prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) discontinuous clay films lining fractures between rock fragments; 5 percent channers; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Downsville gravelly loam 3 to 8 percent slope is 50 ft. north of Falling Water Rd. 2,800 ft. south, and 5,300 ft. east of Potomac River.
LATT.39 33'21" LONG.77 52' 02"
RANGE OF CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to 110 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater then 60 inches. Rock fragments of sandstone, shale, limestone, and chert, range form 15 to 40 percent in the Ap and BE horizons, and from 35 to 70 percent in the Bt and BC horizons, and from 3 to 25 percent in the 2C horizon. Rock fragments are gravel, cobble, and channer in size. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral where limed.
The A and Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value 3 through 5, chroma 4 or 6. In wooded areas chroma ranges from 2 through 6. Texture in the fine earth fraction is commonly gravelly loam, but includes sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam, and their gravelly analogous . Gravels range form 15 to 30 percent and cobbles range form 0 to 10 percent. Reaction ranges form slightly acid through neutral where limed and from slightly acid to moderately acid.
The BE horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 10YR, value 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture in the fine earth fraction is commonly loam, but includes sandy loam, fine sandy loam or silt loam and their gravelly analogous. Gravels range form 15 to 30 percent and cobbles range from 5 to 15 percent. Reaction ranges form slightly acid through moderately acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture in the fine earth fraction is commonly clay loam or sandy clay loam, but includes loam and their gravelly analogous. Clay textures are common in the lower portions of the Bt horizon. Gravels range form 35 to 60 percent and cobbles range from 5 to 20 percent. Reaction ranges form very strongly acid to strongly acid.
The BC horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture in the fine earth fraction is commonly clay loam or sandy clay loam, but includes clay and their gravelly analogous. Gravels range form 35 to 60 percent and cobbles range from 0 to 15 percent. Reaction ranges form very strongly acid to strongly acid.
The 2C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture in the fine earth fraction is commonly loam, or silt loam, but includes clay loam and their channery analogous. Gravels and Channers range from 5 to 20 percent. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known soils in this family. Soils in closely relate families are Bouldin, Bodine, Caston, Clarksville, Coulstone, Pailo, Panama, and Pounor. Bodine, Bouldin, Caston, Clarksville, Coulstone, and Panama have a siliceous mineralogy class. Pailo and Poynor soils have a siliceous mineralogy class and are clayey underneath.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Downsville soils are on high stream terraces, approximately 100 to 250 feet above the active flood plain. Topography is dominantly rolling and hilly but ranges from undulating to steep. Slopes range form 0 to 45 percent. These soils formed in old alluvium or unconsolidated material of sandstone, shale, limestone and chert. Limestone rock outcrops are common when this material is overlying limestone bedrock. Sink holes make up approximately 5 percent of the landscape when over limestone bedrock. Mean annual temperature ranges form 50 to 54 degrees F. and annual precipitation ranges from 45 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Monongahela, Tyler, Murrill, Hagerstown, Duffield, Ryder, Opequon, Berks, Calvin, and Weikert. Monongahela and Tyler are moderately well drained and some what poorly drained respectively. Hagerstown, Duffield, Ryder, and Opequon form from limestone residuum. Berks, Calvin, and Weikert formed from shale. Murrill is formed from colluvial material and is fine loamy in the fine earth fraction.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Downsville soils are well drained. Runoff is medium and permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is in cultivated crops such as corn, soybean, small grain, hay crop, pasture, or to a lesser extent truck crops. Forest are oak, hickory, maple, yellow poplar, walnut, locust, and White pine. Some areas are left open for wildlife habitat.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Great Valley, and the Allegheny Plateau of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Total extent is moderate.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES PROPOSED: Washington County, Maryland 1994
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (Ap)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 18 to 106 inches (Bt)
additional data pedon S84MD-043-1
Palic features - 18 to 78 inches