LOCATION PURDY WV+MD PA TN VA
Established Series
Rev. ART-WFH
04/2025
PURDY SERIES
The Purdy series consists of very deep, poorly drained or very poorly drained soils formed in slackwater-deposited alluvial materials on terraces. Permeability is slow or very slow. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1067 millimeters and Mean annual air temperature is about 10.5 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Purdy silt loam, in a pasture. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 23 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; common medium prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 25 centimeters thick)
BAg--23 to 48 centimeters; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 40 centimeters thick)
Btg--48 to 107 centimeters; dark gray (N 4/0) silty clay; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; continuous distinct clay films on faces of peds; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 34 inches thick)
Cg--107 to 165 centimeters; gray (5Y 5/1) silty clay; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Randolph County, West Virginia; 100 yards west of U.S. Route 250, 0.75 mile north of Dailey.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 71 to 152 centimeters. Depth to bedrock or unconforming substrata is more than 150 centimeters. Reaction, where unlimed, ranges from strongly acid to extremely acid. Redoximorphic features are brown, yellow, or gray in all horizons.
The Ap horizon has a hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or neutral, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 0, 1, or 2. Undisturbed areas have a thin A horizon with value less than 3.5. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam.
The BAg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or neutral, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 0, 1, or 2. Texture is silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or neutral, value of 4 or 6 and chroma of 0, 1, or 2. Texture is generally silty clay or clay, but includes silty clay loam and clay loam. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure, or weak or moderate, medium or coarse prismatic structure parting to subangular blocky.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, neutral, 5GY or greener, value of 4, 5, or 6 and chroma of 0, 1, 2, or 3. Texture is generally silty clay but the range includes clay loam, silty clay loam and clay. Some pedons contain pebbles or cobbles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Armagh,
Delila, and
Lenni series in the same family. The Armagh soils have more than 5 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the series control section and are formed in residuum weathered from acid gray shale. The Delila soils are formed in alluvium weathered from felsic igneous and metamorphic rocks. Lenni soils formed in fluviomarine sediments and have a substratum with a high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Purdy soils are on nearly level to gently sloping terraces. They developed in massive silty clay with occasional lenses of coarser material. The climate is humid temperature; mean annual precipitation ranges from 900 to 1400 millimeters and mean annual air temperature ranges from 9 to 13.8 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained
Berks,
Gilpin and
Weikert series in nearby uplands and the
Blago,
Monongahela,
Tygart and
Zoar series on adjoining terraces. Monongahela and Zoar soils are moderately well drained. Tygart soils are somewhat poorly drained and Blago soils are poorly drained. In addition, the Blago soils have a dark colored surface layer.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly to very poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is negligible to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is low or very low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly pasture. Forests are mainly oaks, red maple, beech and hickory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia. Primarily MLRA's 127, 128, and 147, but also lesser areas in MLRA's 122, 124, and 125. Based on recent project work, it is anticipated that small remaining areas in MLRA 126 in Pennsylvania will be recorrelated to other series as those soil survey areas are updated. Extent is moderate.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Scioto County, Ohio, 1933.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 48 centimeters (Ap and BAg horizons).
b. Argillic horizon - the zone from 48 to 107 centimeters (Btg horizon).
c. Aquic conditions.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.