LOCATION HAPPYLAND VA
Established Series
Rev. JHS, DF
10/2021
HAPPYLAND SERIES
The Happyland series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in schist, phyllite, metamonzonite and gneiss in the Northern Piedmont. Permeability is slow. Slope ranges from 3 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 43 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 56 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Happyland gravelly loam in woods at 310 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed plant material.
Oa--2 to 4 inches; highly decomposed plant material; common fine roots and common medium roots.
A--4 to 8 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots and common coarse roots; common fine moderate continuity tubular and common medium moderate continuity tubular pores; 25 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt1--8 to 12 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common medium roots and common coarse roots; common fine moderate continuity tubular and common medium moderate continuity tubular and common coarse high continuity tubular pores; many discontinuous distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay bridging between sand grains; 10 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--12 to 18 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium roots and common coarse roots; few medium moderate continuity tubular and common very coarse high continuity tubular pores; many continuous distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay films on all faces of peds; 7 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--18 to 32 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots and common medium roots and common coarse roots; few fine low continuity tubular pores; very many continuous distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay films on all faces of peds; 7 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; very strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.
BC--32 to 46 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) loam; massive; firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; few patchy distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay films on all faces of peds; 3 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
C1--46 to 78 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4), pale yellow (2.5Y 8/3), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy loam; massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; 5 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; very strongly acid.
C2--78 to 86 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), pale yellow (2.5Y 8/3), and yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy loam with red (2.5YR 4/6), yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) clay threads; massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 7 percent subangular metaquartzite gravels; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Culpeper County, Virginia; from Richardsville, 2.7 miles east on Route 619. Site is in woods, 125 feet north-northwest of intersection of Route 619 and Route 683; Richardsville, Virginia USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangles Latitude: 38 degrees, 24 minutes, 6.34 seconds north. Longitude: 77 degrees, 40 minutes, 57.17 seconds west. NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the argillic is 10 to 40 inches. The thickness of the solum is 20 to 55 inches. The particle-size control section averages 18 to 35 percent clay.
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 30 percent. Rock fragments are mainly rounded medium and coarse metaquartzite gravels and cobbles. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid, unless limed.
Some pedons have an Ap horizon that has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 20 percent. Rock fragments are mainly subangular medium and coarse metaquartzite gravels. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid, unless limed.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 35 percent. Rock fragments are mainly subangular medium and coarse metaquartzite gravels and cobbles. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid, unless limed.
The Bt horizons have hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 30 percent, mainly subangular medium and coarse metaquartzite, schist or phyllite gravels and cobbles. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid. Some pedons may have lower subhorizons with hue of 2.5YR or variegated colors.
The BC horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, or variegated 2.5YR to 2.5Y; value of 5 or 6, or variegated 2 to 8; and chroma of 6 to 8, or variegated 1 to 8. It is loam, silt loam or clay loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 50 percent, mainly subangular medium and coarse schist or phyllite gravels. Reaction is very strongly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, or variegated 2.5YR to 2.5Y; value of 4 to 7; or variegated 2 to 8; and chroma of 6 to 8, or variegated 1 to 8. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 50 percent, mainly subangular medium and coarse schist or phyllite gravels. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES:
Drapermill,
Pfafftown, and
Rhodhiss soils. Drapermill soils are moderately deep to lithic contact. Pfafftown soils develop in alluvium. Rhodhiss soils develop in residuum of acid crystalline rock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Happyland soils formed in residuum from schist, phyllite, metamonzonite and gneiss in the mesic portion of the Southern Piedmont. Happyland soil are on summits, shoulders, and backslopes of side slopes, head slopes and nose slopes of ridges. Slope gradients range from 0 to 45 percent. Mean annual air temperature 55.7 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 36.47 to 48.39 inches, frost free days range from 237 to 185 days, and elevation ranges from 100 feet to 400 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Penhook,
Yellowbottom, and
Drapermill soils. Penhook and Yellowbottom soils have a higher clay content in the subsoil and are on similar landscape positions. Drapermill soils are on steeper side slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff potential is medium to high. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and moderately slow to slow in the lower parts of the series control section. In undisturbed areas, the depth to the top of an apparent seasonal high water table is greater than 60 inches in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are mainly in woodlands. Small areas have been cleared for cropland, hayland, and pasture. Native vegetation is mixed hardwoods, but much has been harvested and replanted to pine.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 136 (mesic) and 148. The soils are of small extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Culpeper County, Virginia, 2006.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1) ochric epipedon - from 0 to 8 inches (Oi, Oa and A horizons)
2) argillic horizon - from 8 to 32 inches (Bt horizons)
The soil horizon depths were revised on 10/2021 to ensure the description began at the soil surface.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID--411476
Benchmark Status: No
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.