LOCATION EDNEYTOWN SC+GA NC TN VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Edneytown sandy loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi--0 to 1 inches; decomposing forest litter (mostly leaves and twigs) from laurel, chestnut oak, white pines, and sourwood.
Oe--1 to 2 inches; black decomposed forest litter.
A--2 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots, few large roots; few fine flakes of mica; few fine pores; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
E--4 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; few large roots; few fine flakes of mica; few fine pores; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 17 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky; slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots, few large roots; few fine flakes of mica; few small fragments of quartz; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--17 to 31 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine flakes of mica; common distinct clay films of faces of peds; few fine pores; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt is 10 to 35 inches.)
BC--31 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; few fine distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine flakes of mica; few fine pores; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 22 inches thick)
C1--38 to 53 inches; mottled brown (10YR 5/3) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam saprolite; few fine distinct yellow (10YR7/6) mottles; massive; very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine flakes of mica; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--53 to 62 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand saprolite; common medium distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) and few medium distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) mottles; massive; very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine flakes of mica; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Oconee County, South Carolina, Sumter National Forest Area, 10.5 miles northeast of Stumphouse Ranger Station; from junction of Walhalla National Fish Hatchery Road and South Carolina Highway 107, go generally north of Highway 107 for 0.65 of a mile then turn southeast onto a logging road and go 0.3 mile generally south on logging road to curve in road and then go at 180 degrees for 625 feet to site.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the argillic horizon is 10 to 35 inches. Solum thickness is 20 to more than 40 inches. Depth to paralithic contact is more than 60 inches. The A and E horizons are extremely acid to moderately acid except where surface layers have been limed, and the B and C horizons are very strongly acid or strongly acid. Content of flakes of mica is few or common throughout. Content of coarse fragments ranges from 0 to 35 percent throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Where value is 3 or less, the horizon is less than 7 inches thick. It is loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 6 or 8. It is fine sandy loam, loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam. Some pedons have non-redoxamorphic mottles in shades of white, brown, yellow, and red.
The C horizon is multicolored or has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand. Some pedons have non-redoxamorphic mottles in shades of brown, white, yellow, and red.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Clymer, Edgemont, Gladstone, Joanna, Millstone, Pennval (T), Pigeonroost, Shelocta, Syenite, and Wist (T) series. There are approximately 42 closely related series in different CEC classes or with no CEC class currently assigned. Clymer soils are deep to a lithic contact of sandstone. siltstone, or shale. Edgemont soils formed in residuum weathered from quartzite rocks and contain fragments of those rocks. Gladstone soils have 5YR color in the Bt and are found in the Highlands sections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Joanna soils have redder hues throughout the solum and formed in Triassic materials. Millstone soils formed in alluvium on stream terraces of the Ohio River and have thicker argillic horizons. Pennval and Shelocta soils formed in colluvium from shale, siltstone, and sandstone and contain fragments of these rocks. Pigeonroost soils have a paralithic contact between 20 and 40 inches. Syenite soils have a lithologic discontinuity of loess over residuum. Wist soils formed from fluvial marine sediments containing glauconite on the Northern Coastal Plain.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Edneytown soils are on gently sloping to very steep ridges and side slopes of low and intermediate mountains of the Blue Ridge (MLRA 130). Slopes are typically between 15 and 50 percent but range from 2 to 95 percent. Elevation ranges from about 1,200 to 4,500 feet. They formed in residuum affected by soil creep in the upper part and weathered from felsic to mafic high-grade metamorphic or igneous rocks such as granodioritic gneiss, and hornblende gneiss. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 38 to 80 inches, the mean annual temperature ranges from 47 to 59 degrees F, and the average frost free season ranges from 160 to 205 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the Pigeonroost, series, these are Ashe, Chestnut, Cleveland, Clifton, Cowee, Edneyville, Fannin, Huntdale, Peaks, Plott, Porters, Rabun, Saluda, Thunder, Toecane, Trimont, Tusquitee, Unaka, and Walhalla series. Evard and Cowee soils are 5YR or redder. Clifton soils have a fine particle size class. Ashe, Chestnut, Cleveland, Edneyville, Plott, Porters, and Unaka soils do not have an argillic horizon. Peaks soils are in a loamy-skeletal particle size family. Saluda soils have a paralithic contact with weathered bedrock at less than 20 inches. Rabun soils have argillic horizon with value 3 or less and are in a fine particle-size class. Saunook, Trimont, Thunder, Toecane, and Tusquitee soils have thick surface horizons with Humic features. Huntdale, Plott, Porters, and Unaka have umbric epipedons. All these soils formed on ridges and side slopes except Saunook, Thunder, Toecane, and Tusquitee soils which are on colluvial benches, toe slopes, and fans. Also, Huntdale, Plott, Porters, Trimont, and Unaka soils are on ridges and side slopes of cooler, north to east aspects.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, permeability is moderate in the subsoil and moderately rapid in the underlying material. Runoff class is low on gentle slopes, medium on strong or moderately steep slopes, and high on steeper slopes. Runoff is much lower where forest litter has little or no disturbance.
USE AND VEGETATION: Forested to oak, hickory, and pine. Understory of native grasses, wild grape, rhododendron, mountain laurel, and dogwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Blue Ridge (MLRA 130) of South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Oconee County, Sumter National Forest Area, South Carolina; 1982.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly mapped as Edneyville. Edneyville is presently described without an argillic horizon and normally occurs at higher elevations.
The 1/98 revision places the Edneytown series in an active CEC activity class per the 7th Edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy (1996). The CEC activity class placement is based on sample pedon S90-NC-121-007 and on placement of similar soils such as Pigeonroost and Edneyville. Horizon depths and runoff class were also revised at this time.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 6 inches (Oi, Oe, A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 6 to 31 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
MLRA: 130 SIR(s): SC0005, SC0128 (VERY STONY), SC0142 (GRAVELLY)
Revised: 2/92-ECH-RLV; 1/98-DHK; 5/01, 2/02-MKC