LOCATION NOLO PA+MD WV

Established Series
Rev. AD-ART
01/2022

NOLO SERIES

The Nolo series consists of deep and very deep, poorly drained soils formed in residuum primarily from sandstone but includes some materials from shale and siltstone. Slope ranges from 0 to 12 percent. Permeability is slow. Mean annual precipitation is about 43 inches. Mean annual air temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Fragiaquults

TYPICAL PEDON: Nolo loam - woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oe--0 to 1 inch; black (5YR 2/1) organic mat of partly decomposed leaf litter; extremely acid.

A--1 to 4 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent angular sandstone fragments up to 6 inches in length; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)

E--4 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam; weak medium granular structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

Btg--9 to 19 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few black coatings; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation and dark gray (10YR 4/1) iron depletions; 10 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

Btx1--19 to 29 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) channery sandy clay loam; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) prism faces; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; brittle; very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; common black coatings; many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; 20 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)

Btx2--29 to 47 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) channery sandy clay loam; gray (10YR 6/1) prism faces; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse platy; brittle, very firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; many dark coatings; many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; 25 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

R--47 inches; partly weathered acid gray sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Pennsylvania; Eldred Township, 1.3 miles northeast of Sigel, along Pa. route 949. USGS Sigel, PA topographic quadrangle Latitude 41 degrees 16 minutes 0 seconds N and Longitude 79 degrees 5 minutes 56 seconds W (NAD27).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 55 inches. Bedrock is at 40 to 60 inches or more. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 16 to 30 inches. Rock fragments range from 5 to 20 percent in the solum above the fragipan and from 10 to 35 percent in the fragipan. Reaction throughout soil, unless limed, is very strongly acid or extremely acid.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is silt loam, loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is silt loam, loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Ped interiors have many to common high and low chroma redoximorphic features. Texture is loam, silt loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Sand content is greater than 20 percent in the particle-size control section. Structure is weak or moderate, medium or fine subangular blocky or blocky. Consistence ranges from firm to friable.

The Btx horizon is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y. Prism faces have value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Ped interiors have value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 6. Ped interiors have many to common high and low chroma redoximorphic features. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is weak or moderate very coarse prismatic parting to medium or thick platy or subangular blocky. Consistence is very firm or firm and brittle.

Some pedons have a thin very channery loam C horizon having coarse prismatic or massive structure and firm consistence.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the only series in this family at this time.
The Andover, Cokesbury, Lamington and Shelmadine series were formerly in the same family. The Andover soils formed in colluvium, average 20 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section, and are in the active CEC class. Cokesbury soils have gneiss and schist rock fragments rather than sandstone. Lamington soils have hue redder than 7.5YR and are in a semiactive CEC class. Shelmadine soils formed in pre-Wisconsin age glacial till and have less sand and more silt in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nearly level to strongly sloping broad ridgetops and plateaus. Slope gradients are dominantly less than 5 percent with an extreme range of 0 to 12 percent. The soils formed in brownish gray, acid material weathered mostly from sandstone and includes some materials from shale and siltstone. The climate is humid temperate. Mean annual air temperatures ranges from 47 to 53 degrees F., mean annual rainfall ranges from 36 to 50 inches, and the frost free season ranges from 140 to 170 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Clymer, Cookport, Dekalb, and Hazleton series. Clymer, Dekalb, and Hazleton soils do not have a fragipan. Cookport soils do not have dominant chroma of 2 or less in all horizons between the A horizon and the fragipan.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is neglegible to medium. Some areas are ponded during wet periods.

USE AND VEGETATION: Approximately 90 percent in woodland of mixed hardwoods including maple, mixed oak, hickory and blackgum with some hemlock and white pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA's 126 and MLRA 127.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clarion County, Pennsylvania, 1940.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 4 inches (A horizon).
2. Albic horizon - the zone from 4 to 9 inches (E horizon).
3. Argillic horizon - the zone from 9 to 47 inches (Btg, Btx horizon).
4. Fragipan - the zone from 17 to 47 inches (Btx horizon).

Revision: 1/2022 Oi layer was removed from the typical pedon description because /freshly fallen, or undecomposed leaf litter or simlar undeceomposed material should not be included as a surface layer in the soil description. The typical pedon originally had a top layer described as undecomposed leaf material or similar undecomposed material. This layer was removed from the typical pedon description because freshly fallen, or undecomposed leaf litter or similar undecomposed material should not be included as a layer in a soil description. WJN

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.