LOCATION MORRISON PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Ultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Morrison loamy sand-woodland. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 3 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; 10 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--3 to 14 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; 10 percent rock fragments; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 20 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; few faint clay films on faces
of peds; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--20 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery sandy clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm slightly sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and pores; common distinct black coatings on faces of peds; 15 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--35 to 47 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) channery sandy clay loam; strong fine and medium blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and pores; common distinct black coatings on faces of peds; 20 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt4--47 to 53 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery sandy clay loam; strong fine and medium blocky and subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and pores; common distinct black coatings on faces of peds; 30 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 39 to 52 inches.)
C--53 to 74 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) streaked with yellowish red (5YR 5/6) channery sandy loam; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few faint clay films in pores; 30 percent rock fragments; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Centre County, Pennsylvania; Ferguson Township, State Game Lands, 2 miles northeast of Gatesburg, 0.1 mile north of route T307 and 225 feet east of abandoned railroad.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches. Depth to sandstone bedrock is more than 6 feet. Sandstone, chert or quartzite rock fragments, mostly 1 to 6 inches in size, range from 2 to 20 percent in the A and upper B horizons, increasing to 40 percent in individual horizons of the lower B and C horizons. Reaction, where unlimed, ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the solum, and from strongly acid to moderately acid in the lower part of the B horizon and in the C horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 8. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction.
The B horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Some subhorizon of the B may have hue of 5YR; the redder colors are most common in the middle B horizon. Individual horizons of the B are sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Sand content averages more than 40 percent.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, values of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8. Texture is sandy loam or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: The Athol, Bolton, Bookwood, Brecknock, Carpenter, Culleoka, Door, Dormont, Duffield, Frondorf, Hayter, Lamotte, Legore, Loudonville, Manassas, Mechanicsburg, Myersville, Neshaminy, Penn, Ryder, Washington, Westmoreland, Wheeling and Williamsburg are in the same family. Of these soils only the Hayter and Neshaminy have sola more than 40 inches thick or average more than 40 percent sand. Hayter soils have mottles in the B horizon. Neshaminy soils contain rock fragments dominated by igneous rocks.
Arendtsville, Clymer, Edgemont, Hazleton, Lansdale, Ungers and Vanderlip series are in related families. Arendtsville soils have hues redder than 7.5YR throughout the B horizon. Clymer, Edgemont, Lansdale and Ungers soils have less than 35 percent base saturation. Hazleton soils do not have Bt horizons and have more than 35 percent rock fragments. Vanderlip soils have loamy sand B horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Morrison soils are on nearly level to very steep dissected upland valleys. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent. These soils formed in residuum of weathered sandstone. The mean annual precipitation is 43 inches. Mean annual temperature is 51 degrees F., and the frost free season is 160 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Vanderlip soils along with the Hagerstown, Mertz and Elliber. Hagerstown soils have more than 35 percent clay. Mertz and Elliber soils have greater than 35 percent rock fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to medium. Permeability is moderate to moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: About 25 percent cleared and in general farm crops. Wooded areas contain mixed oak and some pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The valley and ridge physiographic province of Pennsylvania. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Centre County, Pennsylvania, 1907.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 14 inches (A and E horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 14 inches to a depth of 53 inches (Bt horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data are available on two pedons sampled in Centre County, Pennsylvania, S63PA-14-10 and S63PA-14-18.