LOCATION MASSANUTTEN VA
Established Series
Rev. EPE-LWH-JHW
02/2022
MASSANUTTEN SERIES
Soils of the Massanutten series are moderately deep and well drained. They formed in residuum from sandstone on mountain sideslopes and footslopes. Slopes range from 0 to 65 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, subactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Massanutten channery silt loam, on an east-facing 15 percent slope in cut-over woodland. (Colors are for moist soil)
Oe--0 to 2 inches; loose leaves, twigs and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) highly decomposed organic matter.
A--2 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) channery silt loam; very weak very fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 15 percent red sandstone channers; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
BA--4 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery silt loam; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and medium and coarse roots; common fine and medium discontinuous pores; 15 percent red sandstone channers; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium and few coarse roots; many fine, common medium and few coarse discontinuous pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent red sandstone channers; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bt2--13 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) channery silt loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common fine and many medium roots; few fine and medium discontinuous pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 30 percent red sandstone channers; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 16 to 34 inches)
C--23 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely channery loam; massive; 65 percent sandstone channers; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
R--26 inches; hard red sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Shenandoah County, Virginia; 5 miles east of U.S. 11 on VA-675; 0.8 mile south of intersection of fire trail and VA-675, 500 feet east of fire trail in the George Washington National Forest.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 18 to 36 inches and depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments make up 0 to 30 percent of the solum and 0 to 70 percent of the C horizon. The soil ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 through 5, and chroma of 1 through 4. It is loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BA horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 5. It is loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons do not have a BA horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. It is silt loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. It is sandy loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Downer,
Phalanx,
Woodmansie, and
Zepp series of the same family. These soils have bedrock at depths of more than 40 inches. The
Jefferson,
Lily,
Lonewood, and
Rigley series are in closely related families. The Jefferson, Lily, and Lonewood soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control sections and the Rigley soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Massanutten soils are on dissected mountain sideslopes and footslopes. The soils formed in residuum from fine- grained acid sandstone. Slopes range from 0 to 65 percent. The mean annual temperature ranges from 48 degrees F to 56 degrees F and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Dekalb,
Gilpin,
Jefferson,
Wallen, and
Weikert series on uplands. The Dekalb and Wallen soils do not have argillic horizons and have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control sections. Gilpin soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Jefferson soils are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock. Weikert soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock and have shale rock fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained with medium to very rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in woodland. Native vegetation consists of Virginia pine, Chestnut oak, northern red oak, and red maple. Small areas are cultivated or in pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Massanutten mountain range in Virginia and possible Kentucky and West Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shenandoah County, Virginia, 1988.
REMARKS: CEC activity data from Shenandoah Co. Verginia NASIS data.
1. These soils have previously been included in the Lily series.
2. The major diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to a depth of 4 inches (A and BA horizons).
b. Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 21 inches (Bt horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle size, chemical, and sand mineralogy data from the site location are available from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
The 12/2005 revision updates this soil to the 9th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy (2003). The CEC activity class placement may have been based on similar soils and not on laboratory data. Class placement may be revised in the future when laboratory data are reviewed or become available.
Competing series, pedon description (including horizon nomenclature and/or descriptive terms), and other sections on the OSD were not revised.
2/2022 revision: Oe had 2 to 0 inch depths, corrected to be 0 to 2 in horizon depths then added 2 inches to all horizon depths throughout the typical pedon. wjn
Previous revision dates: 5/89
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.