LOCATION NASON                   VA

Established Series
Rev. DDR-BES
10/2021

NASON SERIES

Soils of the Nason series are deep and well drained. They are on uplands and formed in material weathered from schist and other fine grained metamorphic rocks. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 43 inches and mean annual temperature is about 63 degree F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, thermic Typic Hapludults

TYPICAL PEDON: Nason silt loam - mixed hardwood forest (Colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 1 inch, partially decomposed deciduous forest litter of leaves and twigs, and partially decomposed organic matter.

A--1 to 2 inch, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)

E--2 to 10 inches, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)

Bt1--10 to 16 inches, yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) silty clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly plastic; slightly sticky; common medium and large roots; few fine faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent quartz gravel; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--16 to 21 inches, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) silty clay; moderate fine medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly plastic, slightly sticky; common medium roots; few fine distinct clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent quartz gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--21 to 29 inches, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) silty clay; few fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles consisting of highly weathered remnants of parent material; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly plastic, slightly sticky; common medium distinct clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent weathered fragments of schist; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt4--29 to 39 inches, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) channery silty clay loam; few medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) and red (2.5YR 5/6) mottles consisting of highly weathered remnants of parent material; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly plastic, slightly sticky; few medium distinct clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent weathered fragments of schist; very strongly acid; irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon ranges from 15 to 45 inches)

C--39 to 51 inches, mottled yellowish red (5YR 4/6), red (2.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery silt loam saprolite; massive; firm in place; 25 percent weathered fragments of schist; very strongly acid; irregular boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

Cr--51 to 63 inches, weathered, partially consolidated fractured sericite schist that can be dug with difficulty with a spade.

TYPE LOCATION: Orange County, Virginia; 2 miles north of Rhoadesville; east of Highway 621 in hardwood forest.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 25 to 50 inches. Depth to soft bedrock ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Rock fragments of quartz and schist range from 0 to 35 percent in the A, Ap, E, and Bt horizons, and 15 to 40 percent in the BC and C horizons. The solum is very strongly acid or strongly acid unless limed.

The Ap horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 through 6. It is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam and eroded areas may be silty clay loam or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR and value of 2 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. Value of 2 or 3 is limited to horizons less than 6 inches thick. It is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam, and eroded areas include silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 2 through 6. It is loam, silt loam or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Mottles in shades of red, brown, or yellow may occur. Texture is silty clay, clay, silty clay loam, and clay loam in the fine-earth fraction with from 35 to 55 percent clay and more than 30 percent silt, or more than 40 percent silt plus very fine sand.

The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 8, and is usually mottled. The fine-earth fraction of the BC horizon is silt loam, loam, silty clay loam or clay loam.

The C horizon is multicolored in shades of brown, red, yellow, gray, or white. It is silt loam or silty clay loam saprolite in the fine-earth fraction.

The Cr horizon is weathered, slightly fractured to highly fractured serecite schist that can be dug with difficulty with a spade. It crushes to silt loam or silty clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Badin, Brockroad, Catharpin, and Tatum series in the same family. Badin soils have a depth to paralithic contact of 20 to 40 inches. Brockroad and Catharpan soils have a lithologic discontinuity within the series control section. Tatum soils have Bt horizons of 10R or 2.5YR hue.

The Alamance, Appling, Georgeville, Herndon, and Pacolet series are similar soils in related families. Alamance soils have fine-silty particle-size control sections. Appling and Pacolet soils have less than 30 percent silt and kaolinitic mineralogy. Georgeville and Herndon soils have kaolinitic mineralogy and do not have a paralithic contact within 60 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nason soils are on nearly level to very steep uplands. Slope gradients are commonly between 2 and 15 percent, but the extreme range is 0 to 50 percent. The soils formed in residuum weathered from sericite schist, phyllites, slates and other fine grained rocks. The mean annual temperature ranges from 57 to 64 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 50 inches. Length of growing season ranges from 195 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Badin and Tatum soils. Also the similar Alamance, Georgeville, and Herndon soils, and the Alamanac, Goldston, Kirksey, Lignum, and Orange series. Alamance and Kirksey soils have less than 35 percent clay in the Bt horizon. Goldston soils have a paralithic contact at less than 20 inches. Lignum soils have iron depletions in the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizons. Orange soils are Alfisols.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: About 75 percent of the soil is in woodland of oaks, hickory, Virginia pine, and shortleaf pine. Cleared areas are used largely for growing corn, small grain, mixed hay, and pasture.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the northern part of the thermic Piedmont Plateau in Virginia. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Orange County, Virginia, 1927.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (A and E horizons)

Argillic horizon - the zone from 10 to 29 inches (Bt horizons)

Paralithic contact at 51 inches.

Revised 10/2021 to ensure soil horizons and description began at the soil surface.

SIR = VA0012, VA0144 (GRAVELLY)

MLRA = 136

REVISED = 7/5/93, MHC

ADDITIONAL DATA:

SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
VA0012 NASON 0- 50 57- 64 195-240 40- 50 250- 900
VA0144 NASON 0- 45 57- 64 195-240 40- 50 250- 900

SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
VA0012 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 40-60 SOFT
VA0144 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 40-60 SOFT

SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
VA0012 0- 10 L SIL 0- 5 75-100 10-27 -
VA0012 0- 10 VFSL FSL 0- 5 65-100 5-20 -
VA0012 0- 10 SICL CL 0- 5 75-100 27-40 -
VA0012 10-39 SICL SIC C 0- 5 75-100 35-50 -
VA0012 39-51 CN-SIL SIL L 0- 5 45- 75 10-25 -
VA0012 51-63 WB - - - -
VA0144 0- 10 GR-L GR-SIL GR-FSL 0- 10 55- 75 6-12 -
VA0144 0- 10 GR-SICL 0- 10 55- 75 28-35 -
VA0144 10-39 SICL SIC C 0- 5 75-100 28-53 -
VA0144 39-51 CN-SIL SIL SICL 0- 5 50- 75 10-35 -
VA0144 51-63 WB - - - -

SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
VA0012 0- 10 4.5- 6.5 1.-3. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0012 0- 10 4.5- 6.5 1.-3. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0012 0- 10 4.5- 6.5 1.-3. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0012 10-39 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 MODERATE
VA0012 39-51 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0012 51-63 - - - 0.00-0.06
VA0144 0- 10 4.5- 6.5 2.-5. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0144 0- 10 4.5- 6.5 2.-5. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0144 10-39 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 MODERATE
VA0144 39-51 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0144 51-63 - - - 0.00-0.06

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.