LOCATION LEETONIA PA+MD VA WV
Established Series
Rev. NBP-AWD
04/2025
LEETONIA SERIES
The Leetonia series consists of deep and very deep, well to excessively drained soils formed in residuum from sandstone, conglomerate and quartzite. They are sloping to moderately steep soils on ridge tops and side slopes on mountains, ridges, and dissected plateaus. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high. Slope ranges from 0 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1220 mm (48 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 10.5 C (51 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, siliceous, mesic Entic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Leetonia gravelly loamy sand, from an area of Leetonia gravelly loamy sand, extremely stony, 0 to 12 percent slopes in woodland (Colors are for moist soil)
Oi--0 to 5 centimeters; slightly decomposed oak leaf litter.
Oe--5 to 10 centimeters; partially decomposed fibrous organic matter.
A--10 to 15 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) gravelly loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 30 percent coarse fragments; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 13 centimeters thick)
E--15 to 25 centimeters; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly loamy sand; weak coarse granular structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots; 40 percent coarse fragments; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 33 centimeters thick)
Bhs1--25 to 36 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loamy sand; moderate coarse granular structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots; 35 percent coarse fragments; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bhs2--36 to 53 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loamy sand; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 35 coarse fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bh and Bhs horizons is 5 to 38 centimeters thick)
BC--53 to 69 centimeters; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very gravelly sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; 45 percent coarse fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters thick)
C--69 to 137 centimeters; olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) very gravelly sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; 50 percent quartzite pebbles and cobblestones; very strongly acid; diffuse irregular boundary. (20 to 76 centimeters thick)
R--137 centimeters; grayish hard quartzite.
TYPE LOCATION: Mifflin County, Pennsylvania; near Coopers Gap, along Conklin Road 200 meters northwest of intersection with Coopers Gap Road. Latitude 40.7011000, Longitude -77.667700. WGS 84. Coordinates estimated from pedon description.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 43 to 107 centimeters. Depth to bedrock is 100 centimeters or more. Coarse fragments of quartzite or sandstone range from 35 to 65 percent by volume in the control section. These soils are gravelly or very gravelly sand, loamy sand or loamy fine sand throughout with sand coarser than very fine sand ranging from 60 to 80 percent and medium and fine sand being dominant. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to very strongly acid in all horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, values of 2 through 4 and chromas of 0 to 2.
The E horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 10 YR with values of 5 or 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. It has weak platy structure in some pedons and has an irregular lower boundary in a few pedons.
The Bh, Bhs, or Bs horizons have hues of 10YR through 2.5YR with values of 2 through 4 and chromas of 2 through 6. Consistence ranges to slightly sticky when wet due to high content of organic matter. Structure ranges from weak granular to weak blocky. The lower 2 to 7 centimeters of the Bhs horizon can be slightly brittle or intermittently very weakly cemented in some pedons.
Some pedons have a Bw horizon 10 to 40 centimeters thick with hues of 7.5YR through 10YR, values of 5 or 6 and chromas of 4 through 6.
The BC horizon has hues of 7.5YR through 10YR with values of 5 or 6 and chromas of 4 through 6.
The C horizon has hues of 7.5YR or yellower with values of 5 through 7 and chromas of 2 through 6.
COMPETING SERIES: The Leetonia series is the only series currently known to be in this family. The Avery,
Canaan,
Colosse,
Gloucester,
Hinckley,
Manchester,
Quonset, Shapleigh,
Trout River and
Warwick series are in closely related families. Avery soils have an argillic horizon below the spodic horizon and contain less than 35 percent coarse fragments. Canaan and Shapleigh soils have bedrock within 20 inches of the surface, in addition, Canaan soils have frigid soil temperatures. The Colosse and Trout River soils have frigid soil temperatures and mixed mineralogy. The Gloucester, Hinckley, Manchester, Quonset, and Warwick soils lack spodic horizons and have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leetonia soils are sloping to moderately steep soils on narrow to broad ridge tops and side slopes at elevations ranging from 548 to more than 1219 meters. They formed in highly siliceous materials, with low base status, weathered mainly from sandstones, conglomerates and quartzites. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 8.3 to 12.7 C (47 to 55 degrees F). Average annual precipitation ranges from 810 to 1300 millimeters. The average frost-free ranges from 150 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Leetonia soils are found in association with the
Buchanan,
Clymer,
Cookport,
Dekalb, Hazeton, and
Lehew soils. All of these soils lack a spodic horizon and are finer textured.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well to excessively drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly in mixed forest of chestnut oak, black oak, white oak, maple, second growth chestnut, dogwood, white pine, pitch pine and Table Mountain pine. A few small areas are used for crops and pasture. Crops are corn, wheat, oats, buckwheat, potatoes and mixed hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. The series is of moderate extent. Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) 127, 130A, 147.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tioga County, Pennsylvania, 1929.
REMARKS: "The Leetonia Series in Virginia" by Glenn V. Wilson, Soil Science Society of America Proceedings, Vol. 22, No. 6, November-December 1958, pages 565-570.
Leetonia soils at higher elevations may need to be evaluated for potential recorrelation to the frigid Blandburg series.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.