LOCATION POCONO PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, mesic Typic
Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Pocono gravelly sandy loam - woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oa--1 to 0 inch; black (N 2/0) decomposed litter.
A--0 to 1 inch; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) gravelly loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many roots; 30 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
E--1 to 5 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam; weak coarse granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many roots; 35 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 11 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many roots; some clay bridging of sand grains; 40 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 24 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, plastic; common roots; few faint clay films in pores and bridging of sand grains; few faint black coatings; 50 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bt3--24 to 36 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, plastic; common roots; common faint clay films in pores, on rock fragments, and bridging sand grains, 50 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
Bt4--36 to 57 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; common faint clay films in pores and on faces of peds; few black coatings; 45 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
BC--57 to 65 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, plastic; common faint clay films in pores and on rock fragments; 45 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; Hazle Township, 3/4 mile southwest of village of Japan along route 40004.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Rock fragments of mostly gravel size conglomerate, quartzite or sandstone ranges from 15 to 40 percent in the A horizon, from 10 to 70 percent in individual horizons of the B, and averages from 35 to 50 percent in the top 20 inches of the argillic horizon. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid throughout the soil, unless limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. Texture is loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The B horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture is loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction commonly with less than 20 percent clay. Structure is commonly blocky or subangular blocky. Some pedons have thin Bx or Bh horizons and some pedons have unconforming reddish, clay loam 2Bt2 horizons below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: The Grimsley and Joppa series are in the same family. The Grimsley soils have Bt horizons with greater than 20 percent clay in the fine-earth fraction. Joppa soils have sola that are 20 to 40 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pocono soils are on gently sloping to steep with topography slopes of about 0 to 25 percent. The soils developed in residuum or glacial till from acid sandstone and conglomerate. The climate is humid and temperate. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 36 to 44 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 50 degrees F., and the growing season ranges from 120 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Alvira, Buchanan, Dekalb, Hazleton, and Shelmadine soils. The Alvira, Buchanan, and Shelmadine soils have fragipans and mottled horizons. Dekalb and Hazleton soils do not have Bt horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Dominantly in poor quality woodlands of chestnut oak, black oak, aspen, birch, pitch pine, blueberry, mountain laurel, and ferns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Pennsylvania anthracite coal region. The series is estimated to be of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 1974.
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 about 1 inch (A horizon).
2. Albic horizon - the zone from 1 inch to a depth of about 5 inches (E horizon).
3. Argillic horizon - the zone from about 5 inches to a depth of about 57 inches (Bt1 horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data, including mineralogy, are available for the typifying pedon S71-PA-40-20 and also for pedon S71-PA-40-19.