LOCATION HOGENSBORG VIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, isohyperthermic Sodic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Hogensborg clay loam (Colors are for moist conditions.)
A--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) clay loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; firm, sticky, plastic; many fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; many medium and coarse wormcasts and insectcasts; about 5 percent, by volume, pebbles; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
AB--6 to 13 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; many fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; common pressure faces on peds; many medium and coarse wormcasts and insectcasts; about 5 percent, by volume, pebbles; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bss1--13 to 23 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay; strong medium and coarse prismatic structure; very firm, sticky, plastic; common fine and medium roots that are flattened on primary surfaces; common large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and grooved surfaces; common fine and medium wormcasts; about 5 percent, by volume, pebbles; common fine and medium iron-manganese concretions; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bss2--23 to 31 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay; strong coarse prismatic structure; very firm, sticky, plastic, few fine and medium roots that are flattened on primary surfaces; few large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and grooved surfaces; few fine and medium wormcasts; about 5 percent, by volume pebbles; common fine and medium iron-manganese concretions; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bss horizon is 0 to 20 inches thick)
Bkss1--31 to 43 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay; strong medium and coarse prismatic structure; very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and medium roots that are flattened on primary surfaces; few large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and grooved surfaces; many fine and medium masses of calcium carbonate; few fine and medium wormcasts; about 5 percent, by volume, pebbles; many fine and medium iron-manganese concretions; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bkss2--43 to 62 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay; strong medium and coarse prismatic structure; very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and medium roots that are flattened on primary surfaces; few large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and grooved surfaces; many fine and medium masses of calcium carbonate; few fine and medium wormcasts; about 5 percent, by volume, pebbles; common fine and medium iron-manganese concretions; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkss horizon is 30 to 60 inches or more)
2C--62 to 76 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) gravelly clay loam; massive; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common medium and coarse wormcasts; about 15 percent, by volume, pebbles; many medium and coarse iron-manganese concretions; few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
3C--76 to 88 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; about 10 percent, by volume, pebbles; few medium and coarse iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Approximately 0.5 mile east of St. Luke's Church (Grove Place) and about 300 feet southeast in a pasture. Fredriksted topographic quadrangle; lat. 17 degrees 43 minutes 33 seconds N.; long. 64 degrees 49 minutes 5 seconds W.; PRD 1940.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is more than 60 inches thick. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline throughout the profile. The soil is slightly saline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The AB horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The Bss horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow and brown range from none to common. Content of pebbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The Bkss horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 2 through 6. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow and brown range from none to common. Content of masses and nodules of calcium carbonate range from few to many. Content of pebbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The C or 2C horizon has hue of 5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow and brown range from few to many. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons may have few to common masses and nodules of calcium carbonate. Content of pebbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Fe series in the same family. Fe soils are on similar positions, but have less sodium within 40 inches of the soil surface and are somewhat poorly drained.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hogensborg soils are on alluvial fans and terraces. They formed in clayey sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. The climate is tropical semiarid. The average annual air temperature ranges from 76 to 82 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arawak, Glynn, Hesselberg, and Sion soils. Arawak soils are on higher positions, have loamy-skeletal, carbonatic particle-size control sections, and are shallow to limestone. Glynn soils are on similar positions, have clayey-skeletal, mixed particle-size control sections, and are non-saline. Hesselberg soils are on higher ancient marine terraces, have mixed mineralogy, and are shallow to a root-restricting petrocalcic horizon. Sion soils are on higher side slopes and valley floors, and have coarse-loamy, carbonatic particle-size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this Hogensborg soil are in pasture. Some areas are being used for urban development. On undisturbed areas, vegetation consists of Guinea grass, native grasses, and brush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, 1995.
REMARKS: Characterization pedon S64VI-010-2.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Vertic features - intersecting slickensides in the zone from 13 to 62 inches (Bss and Bkss horizons).
Sodic feature - the zone from 13 to 40 inches has greater than 15 percent exchangeable sodium (Bss1, Bss2, Bkss1, and Bkss2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands; S64VI-10-2. Sample by NSSL, Lincoln, NE., 9/1964.
MLRA: 273.
SIR: VI0010.