LOCATION GRESHAM OH+PA

Established Series
Rev. DRM-CER
05/2025

GRESHAM SERIES

The Gresham series consists of deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in weathered Illinoian till and in a thin mantle of loess in some areas. These soils are on uplands and have slopes ranging from 0 to 15 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or moderately low above the fragipan and low to very low in the fragipan. Mean annual precipitation is about 965 millimeters, and mean annual temperature is about 10.5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Fragiaqualfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Gresham silt loam - on a 3 percent south facing concave slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap -- 0 to 23 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; about 5 percent pebbles; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters thick)

BEg -- 23 to 33 centimeters; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; considerable sand; thin light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt coatings on faces of peds; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4 and 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)

Bt1 -- 33 to 48 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate very coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; firm; thin patchy grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of peds; many coarse distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; 5 percent coarse fragments and considerable sand; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2 -- 48 to 64 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; firm; very thick continuous light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty coatings and thin patchy dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; common coarse distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; 5 percent coarse fragments; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt3 -- 64 to 84 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thin platy; very firm; thin patchy grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt coatings on faces of prisms but thick on plates; thick continuous dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay films on faces of prisms and thin patchy grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on plates; many coarse distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; 6 percent coarse fragments; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 15 to 64 centimeters.)

Btx1 -- 84 to 112 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; many coarse distinct gray (10YR 5/1) mottles; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; very firm; brittle; thick light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt coatings and moderately thick patchy dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay films on faces of peds; many coarse distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; 8 percent coarse fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Btx2 -- 112 to 132 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure; very firm; brittle; gray (10YR 5/1) with patches of dark gray (10YR 4/1) on faces of peds; common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; 8 percent coarse fragments; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btx horizons is 46 to 147 centimeters.)

BC -- 132 to 168 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; gray (10YR 5/1) coatings on faces of peds; few coarse distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions and few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; 5 percent coarse fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

Cg -- 168 to 185 centimeters; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) channery loam; massive; firm; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and common fine faint brown (10YR 5/3) iron depletions; 15 percent fragments of sandstone; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Knox County, Ohio, Jackson Township; about 850 feet south and 1,450 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 10, T. 5 N., R. 10 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 152 to 305 centimeters. Depth to the top of the fragipan ranges from 51 to 89 centimeters. Coarse fragments, mostly gravel sized subrounded fragments of sandstone and shale, range up to 10 percent in the upper part of the solum and from 5 to 35 percent in the lower part of the solum and substratum. Some pedons have a loess mantle up to 40 centimeters thick.

The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y and value of 4 or 5 moist (6 or 7 dry) and chroma of 2 or 3. Some pedons have an A horizon up to 10 centimeters thick that has value of 3. The Ap or A horizon is silt loam or loam. It is strongly acid to extremely acid except in cultivated pedons that range to slightly acid.
Some pedons have an E horizon up to 20 centimeters thick. It is silt loam or loam. It is strongly acid to extremely acid.

The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 2 to 6, and mottles of high or low chroma. It commonly is loam or clay loam but the range includes silt loam and silty clay loam with considerable sand. It is extremely acid to strongly acid. Some pedons that have a silty mantle up to 40 centimeters thick have 2B and 2C horizons.
Pedons that have a high amount of degradation just above the fragipan have B/E, BE, or E' horizons.

The Btx horizons have hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 to 6, and mottles of high or low chroma. Faces of peds have chroma of 2 or less. The Btx and BC horizons commonly are loam or clay loam and less commonly silt loam or silty clay loam that have a considerable amount of sand; and in the lower part of the Bx and in the BC horizon, gravelly analogues of these textures. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the Btx horizon and increases with increasing depth to medium acid to mildly alkaline in the lower part of the BC horizon.

The C horizon has similar color range as the Btx and BC horizons. It is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or their gravelly or channery analogues. It is medium acid to mildly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abbottstown, Buckingham, Portville, Ravenna, and Venango series in the same family. Abbottstown soils have hue of 5YR or redder in the solum. Buckingham soils formed in colluvium in MLRA 148 and center around redder colors. Portville soils formed in colluvium. Ravenna soils typically have sola less than 150 centimeters thick. Venango soils lack a Bt horizon above the fragipan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gresham soils are on till plains on moraines. The slope gradient commonly is 1 to 6 percent, but the range is 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in weathered glacial till of Illinoian Age and have a low lime content. The till is high in fragments of sandstone and shale. A silty mantle up to 40 centimeters thick is on some areas. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 890 to 1015 millimeters, and mean annual temperature ranges from about 9.5 to 11 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dekalb, Gilpin, Hanover, Loudonville, Muskingum, and Titusville soils. Dekalb, Gilpin and Loudonville soils have bedrock between a depth of 50 and 100 centimeters and are on nearby steeper slopes. The well drained Hanover soils and moderately well drained Titusville soils are in a toposequence with Gresham soils. They are on higher topographic positions or on steeper slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is slow or medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or moderately low above the fragipan and low to very low in the fragipan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for cropland and pasture. Principal crops are corn, hay, and small grains. Mixed hardwoods are in the wooded areas.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, 1939.

REMARKS: An estimated CEC activity class was added at the NSSC request. No further work was done in 2/2006. Gresham was not recorrelated in the update of Columbiana County, OH in 2005. Gresham remains an active series since it is used in 3 other counties in OH and PA.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.