LOCATION PENNVAL PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Pennval silt loam, extremely stony, on an 18 percent slope - woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Oe-0 to 1 inch; black (10YR 2/1) partially decomposed organic debris, very strongly acid.
A--1 to 2 inch; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many, very fine roots; 10 percent subrounded sandstone gravel rock fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary (1 to 3 inches thick).
E--2 to 5 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common, fine roots; 10 percent subrounded sandstone gravel rock fragments strongly acid; smooth clear boundary (2 to 4 inches thick).
Bt1--5 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly silt loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common, very fine and fine and few medium roots; very few distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 25 percent subrounded sandstone gravel rock fragments; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--13 to 29 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly silt loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few, very fine, fine medium and coarse roots; few distinct clay films of faces of peds and in pores; 30 percent subrounded sandstone gravel rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt3--29 to 43 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) gravelly silt loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few fine and medium roots; common distinct clay films of faces of peds and in pores, many manganese or iron-manganese masses; 30 percent subrounded sandstone gravel rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt4--43 to 73 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and red 2.5YR 4/6) gravelly clay loam; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many prominent clay films on faces on peds and in pores; common manganese or iron manganese masses; 25 percent subrounded sandstone gravel rock fragments; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary (combined thickness is 33 to 73 inches thick).
3C--73 to 88 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) extremely channery clay loam; weak coarse subangular structure; friable nonsticky and nonplastic; 90 percent angular shale channers; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
3R--88 inches, shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Clinton County, Pennsylvania; Porter Township 1.2 miles south of Route 64, 150 feet east of LR 2002; USGS Madisonburg, Topographic Quadrangle, Latitude 40 degrees, 59 minutes, 43 seconds N. and Longitude 77 degrees, 31 minutes, 36 seconds W; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 80 inches and depth to the 2Bt horizon, where present, is about 25 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The particle-size control section averages 20 to 30 percent clay. Rock fragment content ranges from 5 to 20 percent in the surface layers 10 to 30 percent in the subsoil and 20 to 90 percent in the substratum. Clay films are common on rock fragments. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid throughout unless limed.
The A Horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The E Horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Bt Horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is silt loam or silty clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
The 2Bt Horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is silt loam, silty clay loam or clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
The C Horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is silt loam, silty clay loam or clay loam in the fine earth fraction
Some pedons have a Cr horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brasstown, Junaluska, and Sauratown soils. All these soil series formed in residuum from medisedimentary rocks.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pennval soils are sloping to moderately steep soils formed in colluvium and are on footslopes of valley ridges. Slope gradients range from 15 to 35 percent. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 48 to 55 degrees F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 41 inches, frost free days range from 140 to 165 days, and elevation ranges from 700 feet to 1400 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Laidig, Buchanan, Berks and Weikert soils are on associated landscapes. Laidig and Buchanan soils have fragipans. The Berks and Weikert soils have bedrock within 40 inches of the surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well Drained. The surface runoff potential is moderate to high. Permeability is moderate in the upper solum and moderately slow to moderately rapid in the lower solum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used for woodland. Natural vegetation is mixed hardwoods.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the Ridge and Valley Province of Pennsylvania, MLRA 147. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES PROPOSED: Clinton County, Pennsylvania, 2000
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 5 inches (A and E horizons).
b. Argillic horizon - the zone from 5 to 73 inches (Bt1, Bt2, 2Bt3 and 2Bt4).