LOCATION FAIRYSTONE VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, parasesquic, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Fairystone channery loam on a 13 percent slope, in woodland (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise indicated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) channery loam; brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak medium granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; 15 percent channers, 5 percent fine gravel; few fine mica flakes; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
BAt--5 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) channery loam; common medium distinct red (2.5YR 4/6) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; 30 percent channers; few fine mica flakes; most sand grains coated and bridged with clay; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 17 inches; red (2.5YR 4/8) very channery clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; 45 percent channers; common fine mica flakes; few faint clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Ct--17 to 24 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) extremely channery clay loam; massive; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine through coarse roots; common fine mica flakes; 75 percent channers and 10 percent flagstones; strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick.)
Cr--24 to 31 inches; soft, dark gray felsic schist bedrock; fractured at interval less than 4 inches apart along nearly vertical structural or bedding planes; moderately cemented; moderate excavation difficulty; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick.)
R--31 to 80 inches; hard, dark gray felsic schist bedrock; indurated; very high excavation difficulty.
TYPE LOCATION: Patrick County, Virginia; near Fairy Stone Lake, about 0.9 mile north of the intersection of SR-822 and VA-57 on SR-822; 100 feet east of road in woodland; USGS Philpott Lake, VA quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 46 minutes 44 seconds N and longitude 80 degrees 5 minutes 43 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of the Argillic horizon: 2 to 10 inches
Depth to the base of the Argillic horizon: 15 to 40 inches
Depth to Bedrock: 20 to 40 inches to soft and hard bedrock
Thickness of Argillic horizon: 10 to 35 inches
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Greater than 72 inches
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid, except where limed
Rock and Pararock Fragment Content: 0 to 50 percent, by volume, in the A and upper B horizons, 35 to 60 percent in the lower B horizons, and 60 to 90 percent in the C horizons
Organic matter content: 2 to 8 percent in the A horizon, 0.0 to 0.5 percent in the B and C horizons (See Remarks.)
(Effective) Cation Exchange Capacity: 2 to 15 milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil in the A horizon; 1 to 7 in B horizon; and 1 to 6 in the C horizon
Shrink-swell potential: Low
Mica content: 0 to 20 percent, by volume mica flakes in the A horizon, 0 to 30 percent in the B and C horizons
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A or Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 3 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--very fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam; eroded phases include clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--10 to 35 percent
Bat, BA, or AB horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content--15 to 40 percent
Upper Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 4 to 8
Mottles (where present)--shades of red, brown, and yellow
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--clay loam, silty clay, or clay, with more than 30 percent silt, more than 40 percent silt plus very fine sand, or less than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand
Clay content--27 to 50 percent
Lower Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 10R to 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 to 8
Mottles-shades of red, brown, and yellow in some pedons
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--clay loam, silty clay, or clay, with more than 30 percent silt, more than 40 percent silt plus very fine sand, or less than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand
Clay content--30 to 60 percent
BC, BCt, CB, or CBt horizons (where present):
Color--hue of 10R to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 6, chroma of 4 to 8
Mottles Where present)--shades of red, brown, and yellow
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content--15 to 45 percent
C or Ct horizon (where present):
Color--hue of 10R to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 3 to 8, or is variegated in shades of these colors
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay
Clay content--10 to 40 percent
Cr layer (where present):
Bedrock kind--soft, felsic schist and phyllite, graphitic in places
Bedrock hardness--extremely weakly cemented to moderately cemented
Fracture interval--less than 4 inches, many rock faces are clay stained
Excavation difficulty--low to high
R layer:
Bedrock kind--hard, felsic schist and phyllite, graphitic in places
Bedrock hardness--strongly cemented to indurated
Fracture interval--greater than 4 inches
Excavation difficulty--very high or extremely high
COMPETING SERIES:
None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont
Landform: Ridges, hillslopes
Geomorphic Component: Interfluves, side slopes, head slopes
Hillslope Profile Position: Summits, shoulders, back slopes
Elevation Range: 900 to 1300 feet
Frost Free Period: 175 to 205 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 52 to 57 degrees F.
Mean Annual Precipitation: 40 to 65 inches
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Buffstat soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments and deep to bedrock
Bugley soils--lithic contact less than 20 inches from the mineral soil surface
Fairview soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments, felsic crystalline rock, less than 30 percent silt and very deep to bedrock
Gobblintown soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments
Littlejoe soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments and deep to bedrock
Meadowfield soils--less clay in the skeletal part, felsic crystalline rock
Minnieville soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments, mafic crystalline rock, less than 30 percent silt and very deep to bedrock
Penhook soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments and very deep to bedrock
Strawfield soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments
Westfield soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments, felsic crystalline rock, less than 30 percent silt and deep to bedrock
Woolwine soils--less than 35 percent rock fragments, felsic crystalline rock, and less than 30 percent silt
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Permeability: 0.6 to 6.0 inches per hour in the A horizon and 0.6 to 2.0 in the B and C horizon
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very deep
Index Surface Runoff: Low to high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland, small acreage in pasture, lawns, and gardens
Dominant Vegetation: Where wooded--scarlet oak, chestnut oak, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, and white oak.
Understory--mountain laurel, flowering dogwood, sourwood, and red maple
Where cultivated--corn, tobacco, small grain, and hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Virginia
Extent: Small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Patrick County, Virginia, 2008.
REMARKS: Fairystone soils were previously mapped as inclusions in Littlejoe, Buffstat, and Bugley soils. These soils have relatively thin argillic horizons, many less than 10 inches thick. They are tentatively classified as Typic Hapludults; however, the type location is borderline to Inceptic Hapludults. Additional investigation is needed to accurately determine the predominance of the argillic horizon thickness and a new type location may be needed. Levels of total carbon are high due to the influence of graphitic parent materials; however organic matter from plant residue is thought to be similar to adjacent soils. Where Cr layers are present, fracture intervals are too close to qualify for paralithic contact.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 5 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon--the zone from about 7 to 17 inches (Mid and lower BAt horizon and Bt horizon)
Lithic contact--hard bedrock contact at 31 inches (R horizon)
Series control section--the zone from 0 to 31 inches
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data are available from NRCS-Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE (Lab Pedon Number: 99P0441; User Pedon ID: 99VA141004). Additional data: (Lab Pedon Number: 99P0440; User Pedon ID: 99VA141003)
Data Map Unit ID: 533842
Pedon Record ID: 263696
User Pedon ID: VA141_Fairystone_OSD_cnl