LOCATION EBAL INEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Ebal silt loam on a 15 percent convex south-facing slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable, many fine, medium and coarse roots; strongly acid, clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
BE--3 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; 10 percent sandstone fragments, 3 percent greater than 3/4-inch in length; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine and medium roots; common discontinuous faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds; 23 percent sandstone fragments, very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--13 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery silty clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine and medium roots; common discontinuous faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds; 38 percent sandstone fragments, very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt is 6 to 15 inches thick.)
2Bt3--21 to 41 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; strong medium angular blocky structure, firm; few fine and medium roots; common discontinuous distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; many prominent medium gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions in the matrix; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt4--41 to 48 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, few fine and medium roots; common discontinuous distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds; many coarse distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions and many coarse prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt5--48 to 61 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay; strong medium angular blocky structure; firm; few fine and medium roots; common dark gray (10YR 4/1) and brown (10YR 5/3) slickensides; many coarse distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bt is 30 to 50 inches.)
2Cr--61 to 80 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) moderately cemented shale; many distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) iron oxidized coatings on shale fragments; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Monroe County, Indiana, about 1 1/2 miles west and 1/4 miles north of Kirksville; 2,060 feet south and 920 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 8, T. 7 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the base of the argillic horizon and depth to a paralithic contact ranges from 50 to 90 inches. Clay content in the particle-size control section averages 35 to 55 percent and sand content averages 10 to 25 percent.
The upper part of the control section (A, Ap horizons) has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is silt loam averaging less than 18 percent clay and 15 to 35 percent sand. Rock fragments average 0 to 10 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The second part of the control section (BE, Bt horizons) has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam and the channery or very channery analogues of these textures. Clay content averages 18 to 30 percent and sand content averages 20 to 35 percent. Rock fragments average 0 to 40 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The third part of the control section (2Bt. 2BC horizons) has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, 5YR, or 2.5YR value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is clay, silty clay, or clay loam. Clay content averages 45 to 60 percent and sand content averages 10 to 20 percent. Rock fragments average 0 to 5 percent. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid.
The lower part of the control section (2Cr) has a hue 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aaron, Alsup, Brookside, Derinda, Losantville, Miamian, Purdin, Vincent, and Winnegan soils. Aaron, Alsup, Derinda, Losantville, and Miamian soils have solums less than 50 inches thick. Brookside soils have more than 5 pecent rock fragments in the lower part of the series control section. Purdin and Winnegan soils contain concentrations of carbonates in the lower part of the series control section. Vincent soils do not have rock fragments in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ebal soils are on summits, shoulders and backslopes of structural scarps and benches, and on hills. The slopes range from 10 to 25 percent. The soils formed in 10 to 30 inches of colluvium from siltstone and the underlying residuum weathered from interbedded shale and sandstone and can be capped with up to 10 inches of loess. The mean annual temperature ranges from 52 to 57 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 46 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adeyville (T), Berks, Caneyville, Gilpin, Hagerstown, Tipsaw (T) and Wellston soils. The well drained moderately deep Adeyville, Berks, Gilpin, and somewhat excessively drained Tipsaw soils are typically on shoulders and backslopes. The well drained, more permeable Wellston soils are on similar topographic positions as Ebal soils. The well drained moderately deep Caneyville, and deep or very deep Hagerstown soils are on hills underlain with limestone berock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is medium to rapid. Permeability is moderate in the upper part of the solum and very slow in the lower part. Depth to an intermittent perched water table is at 2.0 to 3.0 feet from December through April in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in forest. Some areas are used for pasture. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous hardwood trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Indiana. This series is of small extent, mainly in MLRA 120.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monroe County, Indiana, 1979.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil characterization data is available from Purdue Soil Characterization Laboratory: S77IN-105-1-(1-8) (Typical pedon); S80IN93-5- (1-8); S84IN37-2-(1-7); S78IN117-1-(1-6); S81IN175-9-(1-10).