LOCATION FLETCHERVILLE VA

Established Series
DGS, DRH
09/2016

FLETCHERVILLE SERIES

The Fletcherville series consists of deep, moderately well drained soils formed in residuum of greenstone schist on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Permeabiltiy is very slow. Slopes range from 2 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 41 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 54 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Oxyaquic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Fletcherville on a southwest facing slope in pastureland at an elevation of 530 feet above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)

Ap--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam; weak fine granular structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and many medium roots; many fine low-continuity tubular and many medium moderate-continuity tubular pores; 2 percent subangular coarse greenstone gravels; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Bt--6 to 18 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many fine low-continuity tubular and many very fine low-continuity tubular pores; 40 percent discontinuous faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), moist, clay films on all faces of peds; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

Btss--18 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; few very fine roots; 15 percent discontinuous distinct slickensides on vertical faces of peds; 15 percent fine distinct light gray (2.5Y 7/1), moist, iron depletions; strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary.

C--32 to 42 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and bluish gray (5B 6/1) clay loam; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 10 percent coarse subangular greenstone gravels; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

Cr--42 to 46 inches; weathered greenstone schist bedrock.

R--46 inches; greenstone schist bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Fauquier County, Virginia; approximately 3,875 feet west of the junction of Highways VA-643 and VA-670 and 5,250 feet east-southeast of the junction of Highways VA-802 and VA-744; USGS Warrenton topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 41 minutes 50.32 seconds north and 77 degrees 47 minutes 26.79 seconds west. NAD27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the base of the argillic is 20 to 40 inches. The depth to the paralithic and lithic contact ranges from 40 to 60 inches. It is moderately acid to neutral throughout.

The Ap or A horizons have a hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 8. It is loam, silt loam or silty clay loam. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

Some pedons have an AB or BA horizon, with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. It is loam. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

Some pedons have an E horizon, with hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

Some pedons have a Btg horizon, with hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is clay or silty clay. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

The Btss horizon has a hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. Redoximorphic features have hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 8 and chroma of 1 to 3. It is silty clay or clay. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

Some pedons have a BC horizon, with hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 5 through 7 and chroma of 4 through 8. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 10 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

The C horizon has a hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, 10BG or 5B, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 1 to 8. It is silt loam, loam, clay loam, silty clay loam or clay. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 50 percent greenstone and quartz gravels.

The Cr horizon is partially weathered greenstone schist that can be dug with hand tools.

The R horizon is hard greenstone schist.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fletcherville soils formed in residuum of greenstone schist and are on summits, shoulders and backslopes of headslopes on ridges on the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean air temperature ranges from 53 to 57 degrees F, mean annual precipitation ranges from 38 to 44 inches, frost free days range from 165 to 203, and elevation ranges from 250 to 850 feet above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fauquier, Alanthus, Catoctin, Pignut, Middleburg, Rohrersville, Aldino and Myersville soils. Alanthus and Fauquier soils are very deep and well drained. Myersville soils are deep and well drained. They are on summits, shoulders and backslopes of side slopes and nose slopes. Middleburg soils are very deep and well drained. They are in swales and drainageways. Catoctin and Pignut soils are moderately deep and well drained. They are on steeper backslopes of side slopes. Rohrersville soils are very deep and poorly drained soils in concave lowlands and along small drainageways. Aldino soils are moderately well drained and have a fragipan. They are on summits, shoulders and backslopes of side slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is medium to high. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and very slow in the lower part of the series control section. In undisturbed areas, the depth to the top of the seasonal high water table ranges from 1.5 to 3 feet for some time in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used largely for pastureland with a minor acreage used for growing small grain, hay and corn. Approximately sixty percent is in woodland consisting of Virginia pine, eastern red cedar, flowering dogwood, oaks and hickories.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 130A, 130 and 136 in Virginia. The soils are of limited extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES PROPOSED: Fauquier County, Virginia, 2000

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1) Ochric epipedon: 0 to 6 inches (Ap horizon)
2) argillic horizon: 6 to 32 inches (Bt and Btss)
3) base saturation: greater than 60 percent at 42 inches
4) paralithic contact: 42 inches (Cr horizon)
5) lithic contact: 46 inches (R horizon)

2016 update was to change the status to Established.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.