LOCATION MONTROSS VA
Established Series
DDR-EPE, Rev MHC
10/2021
MONTROSS SERIES
Soils of the Montross series are very deep and moderately well drained with moderately slow permeability. They formed in fluvial sediments. They are nearly level to gently sloping soils on the Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 41 inches and mean annual temperature is about 58 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, siliceous, subactive, thermic Fragiaquic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Montross silt loam - on a smooth 1 percent slope under mixed hardwoods and pine. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
0i--0 to 2 inches; loose leaves and forest debris.
A--2 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)
E--4 to 13 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 23 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; few distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bt2--23 to 50 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay loam with common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thick platy; very firm and compact in place with 50 percent of the volume brittle when moist; slightly sticky, plastic; few fine roots on faces of plates; few distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--50 to 67 inches; multicolored red (2.5YR 4/8), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), light gray (10R 7/1), and light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) clay; moderate medium platy structure parting to strong very fine subangular blocky; very firm with up to 20 percent of the volume brittle when moist; sticky, plastic; thin very patchy strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of plates; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the B2t horizon is 30 to 55 inches thick)
BC--67 to 77 inches; multicolored red (2.5YR 4/8), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), light gray (10YR 7/1), and light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky, plastic; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Westmoreland County, Virginia; approximately 300 yards southeast of the junction of VA-3 and VA-664, and 200 yards south of VA-3 east of Oak Grove, Virginia.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to 80 inches or more. Depth to a compact layer with platy structure ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Coarse fragments make up 0 to 5 percent of the soil. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid unless limed. Aluminum saturation on the exchange complex is greater than 50 percent.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of lOYR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
The upper part of the Bt horizon or BE horizon where present above the compact layer has hue of lOYR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 through 8. It normally has mottles with chroma of 2 or less. It is silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. The lower part of the Bt horizon and the BC horizon, have hue of lOYR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 through 8, or are multicolored in shades of brown, red, gray, and yellow. They are silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. Structure commonly is platy and the consistence is firm or very firm and compact.
COMPETING SERIES: (This section not checked this date; added activity class) There are no named competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Montross soils are on nearly level to gently sloping surfaces of the Coastal Plain of Virginia. They formed in fluvial sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. The mean annual temperature ranges form 58 to 62 degrees F and the mean annual precipitation rnages from 40 to 46 inches. The elevation at the site location is about 65 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Ackwater,
Aycock,
Emporia,
Lenoir, and
Savannah series. Ackwater soils are on similar landscapes and have a clayey particle-size control section. Aycock soils are well drained and do not have brittle and compact layers. Emporia soils are fine-loamy and are on slightly higher landscapes. Savannah soils have a fragipan. Lenoir soils are clayey and somewhat poorly rained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; moderate permeability above the very firm horizons and moderately slow or slow in the very firm horizons. A water table is at a depth of 1 to 2.5 feet during wet periods from December through April.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Montross soils are used primarily for woodland and some pasture. The woodland is mixed hardwoods and pine. A small acreage is used for cropland. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, barley, and wheat.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Plain of Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Westmoreland County, Virginia; 1980.
REMARKS: These soils have been included with the Atlee series in past mapping.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - from the surface to 13 inches.
b. Argillic horizon - Between 13 and 67 inches.
c. Horizon between 21 and 48 inches has 50 percent of the volume brittle (Fragic Aquic) d. More than 85 percent silt or very fine sand (fine-silty) e. Clay does not decrease by 20 percent before 60 inches. (Palic)
The soil horizon depths were revised on 10/2021 to ensure the description began at the soil surface.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle-size, chemical, and mineralogy data are available for the typical pedon (74VA-193-5) and for 4 other pedons in Prince George County, Virginia. Particle-size data is also available for three satellite pedons in Westmoreland County.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
VA0165 MONTROSS 0- 6 58- 62 180-220 40- 46 25- 250
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
VA0165 NONE 1.0-2.5 PERCHED DEC-APR 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
VA0165 0-13 SIL L 0- 0 95-100 5-15 -
VA0165 0-13 VFSL FSL 0- 0 95-100 5-15 -
VA0165 13-23 SIL SICL CL 0- 0 95-100 20-35 -
VA0165 23-74 SICL CL C 0- 0 90-100 27-45 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
VA0165 0-13 3.6- 5.5 1.-3. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0165 0-13 3.6- 5.5 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 6.0 LOW
VA0165 13-23 3.6- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0165 23-74 3.6- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.06- 0.6 MODERATE
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.