LOCATION FEEDSTONE VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, mesic Cumulic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Feedstone on a 2 percent slope in a pasture at an elevation of 1,495 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
A1--0 to 9 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; strong fine and medium granular structure; friable, non-sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--9 to 21 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; friable, non-sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
AB--21 to 26 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, non-sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 24 to 40 inches.)
Bw1--26 to 36 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw2--36 to 47 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; common fine faint dark gray (10YR 4/1) redoximorphic depletions and common fine faint reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations of iron masses; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizon is 6 to 36 inches)
BC--47 to 50 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; common fine faint dark gray (10YR 4/1) redoximorphic depletions and common fine faint reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations of iron masses; 2 percent sandstone gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
C--50 to 65 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly sandy loam; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; common fine faint dark gray (10YR 4/1) redoximorphic depletions and common fine faint reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations of iron masses; 35 percent sandstone gravel and 10 percent sandstone cobbles; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Bath County, Virginia; about 1.0 miles south of the junction of Highways VA-625 and VA-678 and 500 feet west of the Cowpasture River. USGS Green Valley topographic quadrangle; Latitude 38 degrees, 6 minutes, 47 seconds N and Longitude 79 degrees, 36 minutes, 59 seconds W; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Gravel and cobbles range from 0 to 15 percent in the A and AB horizons, from 0 to 35 percent in the Bw and BC horizons, and from 10 to 60 percent in the C horizon. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
Some pedons have an Ap horizon, with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
The AB horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. The horizon has redoximorphic features in shades of red and brown, and below a depth of 30 inches in shades of gray.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam. The horizon has redoximorphic features in shades of gray, red and brown.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam. The horizon has redoximorphic features in shades of gray, red, and brown.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Feedstone soils formed in alluvium derived from limestone, sandstone, siltstone, and shale of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian ages and are on flood plains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 3 percent. Climate is temperate and humid. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 48 to 55 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 45 inches, frost free days range from 120 to 170 days, and elevation ranges from 600 to 2,000 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alonzville, Botetourt, Broadway, Caverns, Coursey, Derroc, Gladehill, Gullion, Ingledove, Newmarc, Nomberville, Shottower, and Sugarhol soils. Alonzville, Botetourt, Caverns, Coursey, Ingledove, Shottower, and Sugarhol soils have argillic horizons and are on stream terraces. Broadway, Gullion, and Nomberville soils contain more silt in the subsoil and are on similar landscapes. Gladehill soils contain less clay in the subsoil and are on similar landscapes. Derroc soils contain more rock fragment in the subsoil and are on similar landscapes. Moomaw soils have a fragipan and are on stream terraces. Newmarc soils are somewhat poorly drained and are on similar landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff potential is low. Permeability is moderate to moderately rapid. In undisturbed areas the depth to the top of an apparent seasonal high water table ranges from 24 of 40 inches for some time in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for row crops, hay, and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 128, the Valley and Ridge Physiographic province in Virginia. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bath County, Virginia, 2004
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Cumulic mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 26 inches. (A and AB horizons)
b. Cambic horizon - the zone from 26 to 47 inches. (Bw horizon)
c. Fluventic feature - irregular organic matter content decrease with depth.
d. Redoximorphic features - depletions from 36 to 65 inches.
Soils now within the range of the Feedstone series were correlated as Irongate, Wolfgap and Chagrin soils in several published soil surveys.
This soil was originally classified using the 8th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, as a fine-loamy, siliceous, active, mesic Aquic Cumulic Hapludolls. Using the 9th edition of the keys this pedon no longer makes Aquic because the redoximorphic depletions are at a depth greater than 30 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Morphology, chemistry, particle-size distribution, and mineralogy data are available for this pedon (S98VA-017-4) and two additional pedons (S94VA-017-23 and S94VA-017-22).