LOCATION RARITAN PA+MD NJ VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Fragiudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Raritan silt loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes - cropland. (Colors are for moist interior soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; common medium pores; 4 percent rounded gravel; moderately acid, abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
BA--10 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; common medium pores; 4 percent subrounded gravel; moderately acid, abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--12 to 18 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; common medium pores; few clay films on faces of peds; 3 percent subrounded gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--18 to 30 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots throughout; few medium pores; many clay films on faces of peds; 1 percent fine distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2), iron depletions on faces of peds; 8 percent subrounded gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 14 to 24 inches)
Btx--30 to 51 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam; moderate medium prismatic parting to moderate coarse platy structure; very firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; brittle; common clay films on faces of peds; 4 percent medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), masses of oxidized iron and 10 percent medium distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2), iron depletions on vertical faces of peds; 10 percent subrounded gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 27 inches thick)
C--51 to 62 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) and reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure; very firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few clay films on all faces of peds; common distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2) iron depletions; 15 percent subrounded gravel; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Douglass Township, 0.3 miles southeast of the junction of Smith Road, and Congo Road on Smith Road, 56 feet north of electric pole #9 in the field. Sassamansville Quad. Latitude 40 degrees, 19 minutes, 21.3 seconds North; Longitude 75 degrees, 36 minutes, 00.0 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 42 to 56 inches. Depth to unconforming material is more than 40 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 20 to 30 inches. Depth to bedrock ranges from 5 to 20 feet. The amount of water rounded gravel in the solum ranges from 0 to 15 percent and from 0 to 50 percent in the C horizon. The solum and substratum range from very strongly acid through moderately acid, unless limed.
The Ap horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. In undisturbed areas a thin A horizon has a value of 2 through 4 and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is silt loam, loam or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is typically weak or moderate fine or medium granular. Consistence is friable. Reaction varies with cultural practices.
The BA and Bt horizons have hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 through 6. Btx horizons and redox features have hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 through 6. Low chroma of redox features occur at depths less than 16 inches or in the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon. Texture is typically loam, silt loam, or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction but the range includes silty clay loam and sandy clay loam. Structure is weak to moderate medium subangular blocky. Consistence is friable to firm becoming very firm and brittle with depth. Structure of the fragipan is typically weak to moderate very coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky or moderate coarse platy.
The C horizon has color similar to the B horizon but tending to be lower in value and chroma. Texture of the stratified sediments range from silty clay loam to gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: Cookport, Glenville, and Kedron series are in the same family. All of these soils lack rounded rock fragments and unconforming C horizons of sand, silt, and gravel. In addition, Cookport soils have hues of 7.5YR or yellower and have a solum less than 48 inches thick and Glenville soils have hues of 7.5YR or yellower and contain mica.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Raritan soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping stream terraces, usually above present overflow. Slopes range from 0 to about l5 percent. The soils are formed in alluvium sediments from reddish, noncalcareous shale, siltstone and sandstone uplands. The climate is humid temperate with mean annual precipitation of 38 to 46 inches, mean annual air temperatures of 50 to 55 degrees F., and a frost-free season of 150 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Raritan soils are in a drainage sequence with well drained Birdsboro and poorly drained Lamington. Well drained Klinesville, Lewisberry and Penn and moderately well drained Readington and Reaville are some of the more important soils on nearby uplands. Well drained Bermudian, moderately well drained Rowland, somewhat poorly drained Bowmansville and poorly drained Knauers are on adjacent flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well and somewhat poorly drained with medium runoff and moderately slow saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely cleared and in general farm crops with considerable acreage in urban and industrial use. Woodlands are oak type mixed hardwoods.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Piedmont and Valley and Ridge Physiographic Provinces in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Upper Raritan River Area, New Jersey, 1937.
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 12 inches (Ap and BA horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 12 inches to a depth of about 51 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
3. Fragipan - the zone from 30 inches to a depth of about 51 inches (Btx horizon).
Rev 2/2002 GDM-EAW. 2008: Pedon description and type location updated.