LOCATION NESHAMINY PA+DE MD NJEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Neshaminy gravelly silt loam, 8 to 25 percent slopes, extremely bouldery; in a woodland. (Colors are for moist interior soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) slightly decomposed plant material.
A--1 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine to coarse roots throughout; few medium pores; 17 percent subangular gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.(1 to 8 inches thick)
E--3 to 7 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common fine to very coarse roots throughout; few medium pores; 20 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
BE--7 to 16 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine, medium and few very coarse roots throughout; few medium pores; very few clay films on all faces of peds; 22 percent subangular channers; strongly acid, clear wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--16 to 24 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) channery clay loam; moderate medium prismatic structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine, coarse and very coarse roots throughout; few coarse pores; common clay films on all faces of peds; few black (5YR 2.5/1), manganese coatings; 25 percent subangular channers; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--24 to 36 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) channery clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky and prismatic structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common medium and coarse and few very coarse roots throughout; few coarse pores; few clay films on all faces of peds; common black (5YR 2.5/1); manganese coatings; 5 percent subangular stones and 25 percent subangular channers; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt3--36 to 52 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very channery clay loam; moderate medium prismatic structure; friable, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout and few coarse roots around fragments; few very coarse pores; very few clay films on all faces of peds; common reddish black (2.5YR 2.5/1); manganese coatings; 15 percent subangular stones and 30 percent subangular channers; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 20 to 49 inches)
C--52 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very stony sandy clay loam; massive; friable, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few very coarse roots around fragments; few coarse pores; 6 percent subangular channers and 45 percent subangular stones; moderately acid. (0 to 15 inches thick)
R--60 inches; diabase bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Marlborough Township, 2300 feet North of the intersection of Payne Rd and Swamp Creek Rd, on Swamp Creek Rd; 350 feet SE uphill of Swamp Creek Rd in the woods. Perkiomenville Quad. Latitude; 40 degree, 20 minutes 51.6 seconds North; Longitude 75 degree, 26 minutes, 04.3 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 35 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is 48 inches or more. Rock fragments of subrounded diabase and angular quartzite range from 0 to 40 percent in individual horizons of the upper part of the solum and from 0 to 60 percent in the lower part and C horizons. The rock fragment content in the particle control section averages less than 35 percent. Diabase fragments are up to 20 inches in size but quartzite fragments are usually less than 3 inches. The soil, where unlimed, ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid in the upper part of the solum and from strongly acid through slightly acid in the lower part of the solum and in the C horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 through 5 and chroma of 1 through 3. Ap horizon (where present) has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5 and chroma of 2 through 4. A horizons range in texture from silty clay loam to loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6 and chroma of 2 through 4. E horizons range in texture from silty clay loam to loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture is silty clay loam, silt loam, loam, clay loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Sand content usually increases with depth. Structure is subangular blocky or angular blocky.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 4 through 6. The C horizon is variegated in some pedons. It is silt loam, loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: COMPETING SERIES: The Brecknock, Caribel, Fredericktown, Greencreek (T), Penn and Weedmark series are in the same family. The Brecknock series has dominant rock fragments of porcelanite and hornfel channers. The Caribel and Weedmark series receive less than 35 inches of precipitation much of it from snowfall and have hues 5YR or yellower. The Fredericktown series has depths to the base of the argillic horizon of 60 to 100 inches or more and has rock fragments dominated by gravels. The Penn series have sola dominated by red shale rock fragments and colors can range redder than 5YR. The Greencreek series does not have an OSD available.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Neshaminy soils are nearly level to very steep slopes on uplands.. They have developed in materials weathered from diabase and other dark colored basic rocks. The climate is temperate and humid; mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 55 degrees F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 38 to 46 inches, and the frost-free season ranges from 170 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Chester, Brecknock, Legore, Montalto, and Mount Lucas series and the Aldino, Calvert, Chrome, Conowingo, Glenelg, Kelly, Lehigh, Relay, Towhee, and Watchung soils. Aldino, Calvert, and Towhee soils have fragipans. Chrome and Watchung soils have more than 35 percent clay. Conowingo and Kelly soils are mottled in the top 10 inches of the Bt horizon. Glenelg soils have less than 35 percent base saturation. Relay soils do not have 7.5YR or redder hues in the B horizons.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately slow. Runoff ranges from slow to very rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Stony and steep areas are mostly in woodland of mixed hardwoods, dominated by oaks and hickories. Some less steep or non-stony areas are used for cropland, hay, and pasture. Some of the area has been developed for urban or suburban communities.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. Neshaminy soils are extensive, totaling more than 150,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1936.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 16 inches (Oi, Oe, A, E, and BE horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 16 to 52 inches (Bt horizon).
Revised 02/06 JWB. The February 2006 revision adds silt loam to the range of textures in the B horizon, shifts zero datum to the top of the Oi horizon, and adjusts horizon depths accordingly. Competing series and other sections were not revised.
Revised 02/07 JDC. 2006: Updated pedon description and competing series section. Other changes include: changing permeability to Ksat; slope range expanded to 0 to 70 percent; more detail added to pedon description including roots and pores; and textures of Bt and C horizons in RIC defined better.
2008- Pedon description and type location updated.