LOCATION ELKTON MD+DE NJ VA
Established Series
JEB/Rev. JAK
11/2015
ELKTON SERIES
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquults
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
DEPTH CLASS: Very deep
DRAINAGE CLASS: Poorly drained
PERMEABILITY: Slow in the solum and moderately slow to rapid in the substratum
SURFACE RUNOFF: Slow to ponded
PARENT MATERIAL: Silty eolian material underlain by loamy alluvial or marine sediments
SLOPE: 0 to 2 percent
MEAN ANNUAL AIR TEMPERATURE (type location): 56 degrees F.
MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION (type location): 45 inches
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Elkton silt loam, on a smooth 0 percent slope in woodland. (Colors are for a moist soil.)
Oi/Oe--0 to 3 inches; undecomposed and partially decomposed leaves and twigs from loblolly pine; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
A--3 to 4 inches; dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine and few fine and medium random tubular pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Eg--4 to 9 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak coarse granular; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine, and few fine and medium random tubular pores; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
BEg--9 to 13 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) silt loam; moderate coarse blocky and subangular blocky structure; firm; moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine, and very fine roots; common very fine, and few fine random tubular pores; few prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining soil pores and root channels; common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) irregularly shaped iron accumulations; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Btg1--13 to 27 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silty clay loam; strong medium and coarse blocky structure; firm; sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common very fine, and few fine random tubular pores; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining soil pores; common coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) irregularly shaped iron accumulations; extremely acid; diffuse boundary.
Btg2--27 to 43 inches; gray (N 5/0) silty clay loam; weak thick platy structure parting to strong coarse blocky; firm; very sticky, moderately plastic; few fine roots; common very fine, and few fine random tubular pores; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining soil pores; common coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) irregularly shaped iron accumulations; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizon is 20 to 45 inches.)
2BCg--43 to 68 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) very fine sandy loam; massive; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) irregularly shaped iron accumulations; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Dorchester County, Maryland; approximately 6.0 miles west of Cambridge, 0.5 mile west of Lloyds, about 40 feet into woods north of Rt. 343: lat. 38 degrees 35 minutes 32 seconds N. and long. 76 degrees 11 minutes 32 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: Greater than 40 inches
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 60 inches
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 0 to 12 inches, November to May
Depth to Lithologic Discontinuity: 30 inches or more
Rock Fragments: 0 to 5 percent, by volume throughout the profile, mostly fine pebbles
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid, throughout the profile, unless limed
Other Features: Averages 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 1 to 3, or is neutral with value of 3 to 6
Texture--silt loam, mucky silt loam, or loam
Eg horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture--silt loam
Btg horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 7
Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay
Cg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 7
Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
2Ab horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3, or is neutral with value of 4 to 7
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
2BCg horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 7
Texture--very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
2Cg horizon (if it occurs is at depths greater than 40 inches):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 7
Texture--sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
COMPETING SERIES:
Knowlton soils--formed in strongly acid alluvium derived from soils formed in black fissile shale, sandstone, siltstone, gray shale, limestone and dolomite
Othello soils--poorly drained mineral soils that have a fine-silty particle-size control section with 18 to 27 percent clay and sola less than 40 inches thick, on higher landforms
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Coastal Plain
Landform: Low-lying uplands, lowlands, and ancient floodplains
Elevation: 2 to 200 feet
Parent Material: Silty eolian material underlain by loamy alluvial or marine sediments
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 52 to 58 degrees F.
Mean Annual Precipitation: 42 to 48 inches
Frost Free Period: 190 to 210 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Othello soils--poorly drained mineral soils that have a fine-silty particle-size control section with 18 to 27 percent clay and sola less than 40 inches thick, on higher landforms
Fallsington soils--have a fine-loamy particle-size control section, on similar landforms
Leonardtown soils--have a fragipan, on similar landforms
Honga soils--very poorly drained and have organic materials at a depth of 16 to 51 inches, on lower-lying landforms
Kentuck soils--very poorly drained and have an umbric epipedon, on lower-lying landforms
Keyport soils--moderately well drained and have a fine particle-size control section, on higher landforms
Mattapex soils--moderately well drained, on higher landforms
USE: Mostly woodland. Adequately drained areas are cropped to corn, soybeans, and small grain crops. Some areas are grazed, but there is little improved pasture.
VEGETATION: Native vegetation in the overstory is red maple, sweetgum, willow oak, blackgum, and loblolly pine. Common understory species are greenbrier, American holly, waxmyrtle, and sweetbay.
DISTRIBUTION: Coastal Plain of Maryland,
Delaware, and New
Jersey, and New Jersey
EXTENT: Moderate
SERIES ESTABLISHED:
Cecil County, Maryland, 1900
REMARKS: These soils were previously classified as having a clayey particle-size control section.
Diagnostic horizons and other diagnostic soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 10 inches (A, Eg, and BEg horizons)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Btg1 and Btg2 horizons)
Aquic conditions--the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 80 inches is continuously saturated (endosaturation)
SERIES INTERPRETATION RECORD(S): MD0052, MD0151 (VERY WET)
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
MD0052 ELKTON 0- 5 52- 58 190-210 42- 48 2- 200
MD0151 ELKTON 0- 2 54- 58 190-210 42- 48 2- 8
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
MD0052 NONE 0-1.0 APPARENT NOV-MAY >60
MD0151 NONE - APPARENT - >60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
MD0052 0-10 SIL L 0- 0 100-100 11-25 5- 10
MD0052 0-10 SL 0- 0 95-100 11-20 5- 10
MD0052 0-10 SICL 0- 0 100-100 27-35 5- 10
MD0052 10-24 SICL 0- 0 100-100 27-35 5- 15
MD0052 24-40 SICL SIC 0- 0 100-100 27-45 5- 15
MD0052 40-65 VFSL FSL 0- 0 95-100 10-20 2- 10
MD0151 0- 6 MK-SIL SIL 0- 0 100-100 14-25 5- 20
MD0151 6-15 SIL 0- 0 100-100 20-27 2- 5
MD0151 15-40 SICL SIC 0- 0 100-100 27-45 5- 15
MD0151 40-65 CL VFSL L 0- 0 100-100 18-35 5- 15
MD0151 65-72 FS LFS 0- 0 85-100 3-10 2- 5
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
MD0052 0-10 3.5- 5.5 1.-4. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
MD0052 0-10 3.5- 5.5 1.-4. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
MD0052 0-10 3.5- 6.5 1.-4. 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW
MD0052 10-24 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.06- 0.2 MODERATE
MD0052 24-40 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.00- 0.2 MODERATE
MD0052 40-65 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.2- 20 LOW
MD0151 0- 6 3.5- 5.5 3.-10 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
MD0151 6-15 3.5- 5.5 .5-1. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
MD0151 15-40 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.06- 0.2 MODERATE
MD0151 40-65 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW
MD0151 65-72 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 2.0- 20 LOW
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.