LOCATION SHARPCREST WVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Sharpcrest on a 67 percent northeast facing slope under mixed hardwoods at 1200 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed organic matter; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Oe--2 to 3 inches; fibrous mat of moderately decomposed roots and leaves; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A--3 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores and few tubular pores; 5 percent angular and subangular sandstone channers (less than 1 inch across); very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
AB--9 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium granular; very friable; many fine roots and common very fine and coarse roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores and few tubular pores;10 percent angular and subangular sandstone channers (less than 1 inch across); very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--16 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium roots and few very fine and fine roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent angular sandstone channers (2 to 3 inches across); very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--24 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) channery sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium roots and few fine and coarse roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent angular sandstone channers (2 to 3 inches across); very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 12 to 25 inches)
BC--31 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) channery sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium and coarse roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 30 percent angular sandstone channers (2 to 3 inches across); very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
C--38 to 48 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very channery coarse sandy loam; massive; very friable; 45 percent angular sandstone channers (2 to 4 inches across); very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
R--48 inches; hard sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, West Virginia; about 2.2 miles east northeast of Ferrellsburg, 4200 feet south of the confluence of Abbott Fork and Big Ugly Creek; and 1.8 miles north of the intersection of WV State Route 10 and County Route 7; USGS Big Creek Quadrangle; Latitude 38 degrees, 2 minutes, 16 seconds N and Longitude 82 degrees, 3 minutes, 59 seconds W; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 30 to 50 inches and depth to bedrock ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Fragments, most commonly sandstone channers, range from 5 to 20 percent in the A horizon, 5 to 25 percent in the AB or BA horizons, 5 to 35 pecent in the Bw horizon, and 10 to 50 percent in horizons below the Bw. Reaction is extremely to strongly acid throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam.
The AB or BA horizons (where present) have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is sandy loam, loam, coarse sandy loam, and fine sandy loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and coarse sandy loam.
The BC horizon (where present) has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, and loamy sand.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, and loamy sand.
The R horizon consists of unweathered sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: Alticrest and Helechawa are the only other series in this family. Alticrest soils are less than 40 inches to bedrock. Helechawa soils are 40 to more than 60 inches to bedrock and formed in loamy colluvium.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sharpcrest soils formed in loamy residuum weathered from acid sandstone. These soils are on ridgetops, hillsides and less commonly on benches. Elevation ranges from 100 to 1600 feet above sea level. Slope gradients range from 8 to 90 percent but are dominantly 35 to 75 percent. Near the type location mean annual precipitation is about 43 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 53 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dekalb, Hazleton, Jefferson, Lily, and Ramsey series. Dekalb and Hazleton soils are on adjacent ridgetops and are loamy-skeletal. Jefferson soils are on lower hillsides, are fine-loamy, have an argillic horizon, and formed in colluvium. Lily soils are usually on higher, broader, smoother plateaus, are fine-loamy, and have an argillic horizon. Ramsey soils are on adjacent ridgetops and lower positions on hillsides and are less than 20 inches deep to sandstone bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is very low or low on ridges and benches, and medium on hillsides. Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity is moderately high to high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in forest consisting of white oak, scarlet oak, black oak, shortleaf pine, pignut hickory, and maple. A few cleared areas are used for pasture or hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 125, Cumberland Plateau and Mountains in West Virginia, and possibly in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES PROPOSED: Lincoln County, West Virginia; 2005
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 16 inches (Oi, Oe, A and AB horizons)
Cambic horizon - from 16 to 31 inches (Bw horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Sample S02WV043002 is from the type location, also available is S02WV043003.