LOCATION ELKO NYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, frigid Aquic Fragiudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Elko silt loam, on a 4 percent slope in a wooded area at an elevation of 2,340 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 3 inches; very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1), gray (10YR 5/1) dry silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 10 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary (1 to 3 inches thick).
E--3 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and few coarse roots; 10 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary (0 to 4 inches thick).
Bw--6 to 19 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery silt loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 15 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary (0 to 13 inches thick).
Bt--19 to 26 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few thin discontinuous clay films on ped faces and in pores; common prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron masses and common medium and coarse distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; 15 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary(8 to 12 inches thick).
Btx1--26 to 42 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery silt loam; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm and brittle; prisms are 10 to 20 inches across with gray (10YR 6/1) faces and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) borders, streaks are 1/2 to 1 inch wide; few fine roots along prism faces; common distinct discontinuous clay films on ped faces and in pores; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron masses and common medium and course distinct light pale brown (10YR 6/3) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; 30 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btx2--42 to 64 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very channery loam; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; very firm and brittle; prisms are 10 to 20 inches across with gray (10YR 6/1) faces and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) borders, streaks are 1/4 to 3/4 inch wide; common distinct discontinuous clay films on ped faces and in pores; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron masses and common medium and distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; 35 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary (combined thickness of the Btx horizon is 30 to 48 inches thick).
C--64 to 72 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery loam; massive; firm; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron masses and common medium and coarse prominent gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; 60 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary (10 to 20 inches thick).
TYPE LOCATION: Cattaraugus County, NY in Allegany State Park, town of Red House; 100 feet south of Allegany State Park Rte. 3, and 1,500 feet south west of junction of Allegany State Park Rte. 3 and Allegany State Park Rte. 2; Limestone, NY Quadrangle; 42 degrees 00 minutes 03 seconds N; 78 degrees 43 minutes 29 seconds W NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 35 to 75 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 40 inches but commonly is within a depth of 80 inches. Rock fragments, dominantly channers and flagstones, range from 5 to 35 percent by volume in the surface layer, from 5 to 45 percent in the subsoil, and from 15 to 70 percent in the substratum. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid throughout the soil unless limed.
The A or Ap horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, loam or sandy loam.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is silt loam, loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate subangular blocky or granular. Consistence is very friable or friable.
The Bw horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate subangular blocky or granular. Consistence is very friable or friable
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6, with low and high chroma redoximorphic features in the upper 10 inches of the horizon. Texture includes silt loam, loam, silty clay loam, and subhorizons of silty clay in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is subangular blocky or prismatic. Consistence is friable or firm.
The Btx horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7 and chroma of 2 to 8. It is loam, silt loam, sandy loam, silty clay loam or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is prismatic and/or blocky. Some subhorizons have weak platy structure. Consistence is firm or very firm. Some pedons have a BC horizon that has color similar to the Btx horizon and texture similar to the C horizon. Structure is prismatic or platy, or the material is massive. Consistence is firm or very firm.
The C, CB or BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, silt loam, sandy loam, silty clay loam and clay loam. Consistence is friable or firm. A Cr horizon is present in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
The Simoda, Eldred, and Kinzua series are in related families. Simoda soils lack an argillic horizon, Eldred soils lack a fragipan and Kinzua soils lack a fragipan and redoximorphic features in the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon. Carrollton and Frewsburg soils are related series that have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elko soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping ridgetops, upland depressions and upper side slopes at elevations of 1,800 feet to 3,000 feet. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The soil developed in residuum weathered from interbedded shale, siltstone and fine-grained sandstone. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 40 to 45 F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 45 inches, and the growing season ranges from 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Buchanan, Cookport, Hartleton, Mandy, Rayne, Shongo and Wharton soils are on associated landscapes. Mandy soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Shongo soils are somewhat poorly drained and formed in colluvium. Buchanan, Cookport, Hartleton, Rayne and Wharton are all at a lower elevation and have mesic temperatures regimes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is low to high. Permeability is moderate above the fragipan and moderately slow or slow in the fragipan and substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Small limited areas are used for small grain, hay and pasture. Abandoned land is in native grasses and shrubs with second growth hardwoods. Native vegetation is mixed hardwoods of northern red oak, sugar maple, black cherry, beech, striped maple and white pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Unglaciated areas in the Appalachian Plateau of southwestern New York and northwestern Pennsylvania at elevations above 1800 feet. MLRA 127. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cattaraugus County, New York 1999. The name is from a former township in Cattaraugus County.
REMARKS: The Elko series is being proposed as a frigid equivalent of the mesic Cookport series. The surface 2 to 10 inches in some pedons have a sequence of horizons similar to spodosols. Some pedons have evidence of a silt mantle in the upper 20 inches.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 3 inches (A horizon).
b. Cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 19 inches (Bw horizon).
c. Argillic horizon - the zone from 19 to 26 inches (Bt and Btx horizons).
d. Fragipan - the zone from 26 to 58 inches (Btx1, Btx2 horizons).
e. Aquic subgroup - as evidenced by low chroma redoximorphic features in the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon (Bt horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available for the typical pedon from the National Soil Survey Laboratory. Pedon number S98NY009-02.