LOCATION SHELMADINE              PA

Established Series
Rev.GDM-JRH
05/2025

SHELMADINE SERIES

The Shelmadine series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils formed in pre-Wisconsin glacial till or periglacial materials. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is low. Mean annual precipitation is 1040 millimeters. Mean annual temperature is 9.5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Fragiaquults

TYPICAL PEDON: Shelmadine silt loam - cropland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 23 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; 10 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 25 centimeters thick)

Btg--23 to 56 centimeters; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; continuous faint clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; 10 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.(18 to 61 centimeters thick)

Btx1--56 to 97 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) channery silty clay loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; brittle, firm and very firm, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and many medium prominent gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions in matrix; many very coarse prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions on faces of peds; common iron and manganese coatings and concretions; 15 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.(25 to 50 centimeters thick)

Btx2--97 to 117 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) channery loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak thick platy; brittle, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few faint clay films in pores; many medium distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulation and many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; common distinct iron and manganese coatings and concretions; 20 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 36 centimeters thick)

C--117 to 163 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) channery loam; massive; friable and firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) masses if iron accumulation and common distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; common dark coatings; 20 percent rock fragments; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Carbon County, Pennsylvania; Franklin Township, 2 miles northeast of Lehighton.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 100 to 150 centimeters and depth to the fragipan ranges from 46 to 76 centimeters; bedrock is below 150 centimeters. Rock fragments of shale, angular or subrounded sandstone or quartzite, up to 5 inches in diameter, range from 5 to 25 percent in the solum and 15 to 80 percent in the C horizon. The soil ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid throughout, where unlimed. The most common clay mineral is illite but the soils contain significant amounts of vermiculite and kaolinite.

The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 1 or 2.Some pedons have an A horizon with value of 2 through 4, and an E horizon with value of 4 through 7. Texture is loam or silt loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 1 through 4 with common to many high chroma mottles. Faces of peds have coatings with chroma of 2 or less. The Bt horizon is silt loam or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction and contains 22 to 35 percent clay and 45 to 65 percent silt in the particle-size control section. It has weak or moderate fine to coarse subangular or angular blocky structure of medium or coarse prismatic structure parting to subangular blocky. Some pedons have a BA or BE horizon.

The Btx horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. Mottles and coatings on faces of peds are similar to the Bt horizon. Texture is silt loam, loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. It has moderate
very coarse prismatic structure parting to thick or medium platy or medium blocky structure. It is firm or very firm and brittle.

The C horizon ranges from gray to brown and contains few to many gray and strong brown mottles. It is silt loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction and is massive or has weak medium platy structure.

COMPETING SERIES: The Lamington series is in the same family. Lamington soils formed in old alluvium derived from red Triassic aged materials and have redder colo9rs in the Btx horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nearly level to moderately sloping soils on upland flats, depressions, drainageways and stream heads. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soil formed in pre-Wisconsin age glacial or periglacial material derived from shale, siltstone, and sandstone. The climate is humid temperate; mean annual precipitation ranges from 860 to 1220 millimeters, mean annual air temperature ranges from 7 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free season from ranges 130 to 170 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Shelmadine soils are a member of the drainage sequence which includes the well drained Allenwood soils, moderately well drained Hanover and Watson soils, and somewhat poorly drained Alvira soils. The well drained Berks or Gilpin soils and moderately well drained Comly soils are on nearby uplands.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Shelmadine soils are poorly drained and have low saturated hydraulic conductivity. The potential for surface runoff is high to very high.

USE AND VEGETATION: About 40 percent is cleared and in cropland and pasture. Woodland is mainly mixed northern hardwoods.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Glaciated portions of Northern Appalachian Ridges in Eastern Pennsylvania and fringes of Glaciated Allegheny Plateau in western Pennsylvania. MLRA's 127, 139, 140, and 147. The series is of moderate extent, around 60,000 acres.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, 1939.

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 23 centimeters (Ap horizon).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 23 to 56 centimeters (Btg horizon).
3. Fragipan - the zone from 56 to 117 centimeters (Bxg horizon).

The CEC activity class placement is based on laboratory data. Class placement may be revised in the future when laboratory data are reviewed or become available.

5/2025 revision converted to metric, updated horizon nomenclature and terminology, and updated competing series. A new typical pedon with better location information should be selected. Previous revision dates: 8/86

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.