LOCATION FAUQUIER VA+MDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Ultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fauquier silt loam - mixed hardwood forest. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) partially decomposed organic matter.
A1--1 to 2 inch; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) silt loam; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (1/2 to 2 inches thick)
A2--2 to 7 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; few weathered rock fragments; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
BA--7 to 11 inches; red (2.5YR 4/8) light silty clay loam; weak and moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; few thin patchy clay films; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 19 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic, slightly sticky; common medium and large roots; few thin clay films; few small weathered fragments of greenstone; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--19 to 31 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few medium roots; continuous clay films; few small weathered greenstone fragments; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--31 to 37 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) silty clay loam with common coarse distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and reddish brown (5YR 4/4); weak and moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic, slightly sticky; few thin patchy clay films; many weathered greenstone fragments; many black streaks; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt is 12 to 36 inches)
C--37 to 63 inches; variegated red (2.5YR 5/6), yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) saprolite from greenstone that easily crushes to silt loam; massive in place; silty clay loam soil material between massive fragments of saprolite; slightly hard, firm, slightly plastic, nonsticky; common pores; many rock fragments; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Fauquier County, Virginia; 2 miles north of Warrenton along U.S. Highway 29.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum ranges from 20 to 50 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid. Rock fragments range from 0 to 25 percent by volume in the upper part of the solum; up to 35 percent in the lower part of the solum, and up to 60 percent in the C horizon. Rock fragments in most pedons consist of small weathered fragments of greenstone rock which commonly break down during mechanical analysis. Some pedons contain few or common mica flakes in the lower B and C horizons.
The A horizon commonly has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4. The A horizon in some pedons has hue of 7.5YR or chroma of 6. A horizon typically is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam and gravelly stony or very stony analogues. The Ap horizon, when present, is 6 to 10 inches
thick.
The E or BA, or BE horizon (where present) commonly has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 7, and chroma of 1 through 4. The E horizon typically is silt loam, or loam and gravelly, stony or very stony analogues.
The Bt horizon dominantly has hue of 2.5YR or 10R, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. In some pedons, hue is 5YR, with value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4 or 6 in some subhorizons. B horizons are silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay.
The BC horizon (where present) has colors similar to the Bt horizons. Textures are clay loam, silty clay loam, silt loam, or loam.
The C horizon is porous saprolite that is easily crushed by hand to silt loam, loam, or less commonly silty clay loam. The material is multicolored, or has hue of 10R through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Montalto, Needmore, Oak Level, Peabody, Rasalo, Spray, and Zion series in the same family. The Needmore, Peabody, and Zion soils are moderately deep to bedrock. The Montalto soils formed in residuum of diabase and gabbro. The Oak Level, Rasalo, and Zion soils are mapped in MLRA 136 (mesic) areas. Also, the Rasalo soils have high shrink swell potential, slow permeability, and browner Bt colors. Also, Oak Level soils formed in clayey residuum of felsic and mafic parent materials. Spray soils formed in Triassic shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Fauquier soils are on undulating to steep uplands with slopes typically between 10 and 25 percent and range from 2 to 50 percent. The soils developed in weathered multicolored chloritic greenstone schist, metabasalt, and similar material. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 50 to 57 degrees F, and average annual rainfall is between 35 and 45 inches. The average length of the growing season is between 145 and 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Catoctin, Highfield, Lew, and Myersville soils. Catoctin soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments and less than 35 percent clay in the textural control section. Highfield soils have less than 18 percent clay in the textural control section. Lew soils formed in colluvium of basic rocks and have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the textural control section. Myersville soils have less than 35 percent clay in the textural control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to rapid runoff; moderate to moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the less sloping soils are cleared and used for crops or pasture. Most of the steeper soils are in forest. Crops include corn, small grains, alfalfa, orchardgrass, lespedeza, ladino clover, and timothy. Forested areas consist of white, red, and black oak; hickory, yellow poplar, black locust, walnut, red maple, Virginia pine, dogwood, blackgum, wild cherry, and redbud.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Ridge Mountains and Northern Piedmont Plateau of Virginia and Maryland. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Frederick County, Maryland, 1940.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 11 inches (Oe, A1, A2, and BA horizons).
b. Argillic horizons - The zone from 11 to 37 inches. (Bt horizons).
6/2004--After some initial confusion as to the proper depth class of the Fauquier series, it has been determined that this soil is dominantly very deep as shown in the type location in Fauquier County, Virginia. The series was originally set up as deep, however this was the practice of that time. At this time, several published NASIS datasets in Virginia need to be checked against the survey publications and corrected to very deep.
SIR = VA0040, VA0129 (Stony)
MLRA = 130, 147, 148
REVISED = 11/23/93, MHC; 2/01 RP; 02/2001, DCH-EPE-MHC;