LOCATION GRIMSLEY           TN+KY VA
Established Series
Rev. HCD, JCJ
07/2003

GRIMSLEY SERIES


The Grimsley series consists of deep, somewhat excessively drained, cobbly or stony soils that formed in colluvium over shale residuum. They are on lower parts of steep hillsides and mountains. Permeability is moderately rapid. Slopes range from 8 to 70 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults

TYPICAL PEDON: Grimsley cobbly loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) cobbly loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

E--2 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots and pores; 40 percent by volume of angular fragments of sandstone ranging from less than 1 inch to 5 inches across and few fragments 20 inches across; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

BA--8 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots and pores; 40 percent by volume of angular fragments of sandstone 2 to 6 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

Bt1--17 to 26 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very cobbly loam; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots and pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 45 percent by volume of angular fragments of sandstone 2 to 12 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--26 to 39 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very cobbly clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent by volume of fragments of sandstone 2 to 12 inches across; very strongly acid. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 25 to 55 inches)

BC1--39 to 47 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very cobbly loam; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and pores; 45 percent by volume of fragments of sandstone 2 to 12 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

BC2--47 to 57 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very cobbly clay loam; few fine yellowish brown mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and pores; 40 percent by volume of fragments of sandstone 2 to 10 inches across; very strongly acid. (0 to 15 inches thick)

R--57 inches; shale rock.

TYPE LOCATION: Fentress County, Tennessee; one mile west of junction of Big Piney Creek and Long Branch; along logging road.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to shale or sandstone bedrock and thickness of solum range from 40 to 60 inches. Amount of fragments of sandstone and shale ranges from 15 to 50 percent in the A horizon and from 35 to 65 percent in the B and C horizons. Cobbles and stones a foot or several feet thick have accumulated on the surface in some of the low places. The dominant size range of fragments is 2 to 12 inches but some are larger. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam or sandy loam.

The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam or sandy loam.

The BE or EB horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is sandy loam or loam.

The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, or rarely sandy loam and contains a weighted average of more than 20 percent clay.

The BC and C horizons, where present, have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, sandy loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam.

The 2Bt or 2C horizons, where present, have hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Joppa, Lostcove, Oriskany, Bendavis, and Bender series. Joppa and Oriskany soils have sola deeper than 40 inches over bedrock. In addition, Joppa soils formed in Coastal Plain sands and gravels. Lostcove soils formed in colluvium of low grade metasedimentary rocks and are deeper than 60 inches over bedrock. Bendavis soils are less than 40 inches over residuum of cherty limestone. Bender soils are less than 40 inches deep and formed in sandstone residuum.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grimsley soils are on middle to lower backslopes and footslopes of mountains and steep hillsides. Slope gradients are 8 to 70 percent. The soil formed in colluvium containing a large amount of gravel, cobbles, and stones over shale residuum. Near the type location, mean annual temperature is 55.4 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is 55.5 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bouldin, Gilpin, Jefferson, Muskingum, Petros and Ramsey series. Jefferson soils are on adjacent sideslopes. Muskingum and Ramsey soils are on higher lying sideslopes of mountains. Jefferson soils do not have as many fragments in the solum as the Grimsley soils. Muskingum soils do not have an argillic horizon and have less than 35 percent coarse fragments. Ramsey soils are less than 20 inches deep over sandstone bedrock. Bouldin soils are on similar landscape positions and are very deep over bedrock. Gilpin soils on adjacent convex slopes are moderately deep. Petros soils are on adjacent convex slopes are shallow. Gilpin and Petros soils are residuum from shale bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Grimsley soils are somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is medium to high and permeability is moderately rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in forest consisting of oaks, hickories, poplar, maples, dogwood, and a few shortleaf and Virginia pines.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Cumberland Plateau and Mountains and the Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys in Tennessee, and possibly in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia. The series is of large extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Anderson County, Tennessee; 1978.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 8 inches (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - from 8 to 39 inches (Bt horizon)

In Tennessee, these soils were mapped and correlated mainly as stony colluvial land types. Some have been included in the Muskingum series.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.