LOCATION SHOHOLA PAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Fragiaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Shohola extremely stony loam - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise specified)
A-- 0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) extremely flaggy loam; weak very fine and fine granular structure; very friable, non sticky, non plastic; many fine and medium roots throughout; 35 percent angular sandstone flagstones, 25 percent subangular sandstone channers, and 15 percent angular sandstone boulders; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick.)
Bw-- 3 to 12 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely flaggy loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, non plastic; many fine and medium, and common coarse roots throughout; few fine and medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) areas of iron depletion; 35 percent angular sandstone flagstones, 25 percent subangular sandstone channers, and 15 percent angular sandstone boulders; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick.)
Bg-- 12 to 24 inches; 60 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), and 40 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very flaggy loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, non plastic; many medium and coarse, and common very fine and fine roots throughout; many coarse distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) areas of iron depletion, and common distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of discontinuous iron accumulation on horizontal faces of peds; 25 percent angular sandstone flagstones, 20 percent angular sandstone channers, and 10 percent subrounded sandstone gravels; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick.)
Bxg-- 24 to 36 inches; 70 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), and 30 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very flaggy fine sandy loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; prism diameter about 12 inches and defuse definition; firm, non sticky, non plastic, brittle; few very fine and fine roots in cracks; few very fine and fine vesicular pores; many coarse prominent very pale brown (10YR 8/2), and many fine and medium faint light gray to gray (10YR 6/1) areas of iron depletion and many prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of discontinuous iron accumulation on faces of peds and in pores; common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) areas of continuous iron depletion and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation on horizontal faces of prisms; 35 percent subangular sandstone flagstones, and 15 percent subrounded sandstone gravels; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bx1-- 36 to 45 inches; 75 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), and 25 percent brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly sandy loam; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; many very fine and fine vesicular and tubular pores; common fine and medium plate like soft masses of iron-manganese; many fine and medium faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) areas of iron depletion and common prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of discontinuous iron accumulation on faces of peds and in pores; common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) continuous areas of iron depletion and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation on horizontal faces of prisms; 25 percent subrounded sandstone gravels; 5 percent subangular sandstone flagstones; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bx2-- 45 to 72 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; many fine and medium vesicular and tubular pores; many fine and medium plate like soft masses of iron-manganese; few prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of discontinuous iron accumulation and common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) areas of continuous iron depletion on horizontal faces of prisms; 25 percent subrounded sandstone gravels; 5 percent subangular sandstone flagstones; strongly acid. (Combined thickness of Bx horizon is 35 to over 52 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Pike County, Pennsylvania; Delaware Township; West on Silver Lake Rd. from Dingmans Ferry to Five Mile Meadow Rd., North on Five Mile Meadow Rd. to first gravel road on right. North on gravel road 1.5 miles to second stream crossing, 80 feet northest of culvert. Edgemere, PA USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude 41 degrees, 16 minutes, 44 seconds N., Longitude 74 degrees, 58 minutes, 33 seconds W. NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches. The depth to bedrock is 6 to 15 feet. Coarse fragments range from 35 to 75 percent by weighted volume in the profile, and range 25 to 80 percent by volume in individual horizons. In areas that have been cropped the surface stones can range less than 35 percent. The soil reaction ranges from extremely acid to very strongly acid in the upper part and from strongly acid to very strongly acid in the fragipan. In areas that are limed, soil reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
The A horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 4, and chroma of 0 to 3. The texture is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam. A horizons have weak fine and medium granular structure.
The B horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. The texture of the B is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam. Structure is weak to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky.
The Bx horizons have hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam. Structure is weak to moderate very coarse prismatic, parting to moderate to strong medium, coarse or very coarse platy or subangular blocky, or it is massive within the prisms.
Some pedons have Cd horizons with hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Textures are loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other members within this family.
Dalton, Eire, Morris, Rexford, Scriba, Volusia, and Wallington soils are closely related. The Eire and Volusia soils are in the fine-loamy family. Morris, Rexford, and Scriba soils are in the coarse-loamy family. Dalton and Wallington soils are in the coarse-silty particle-size family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shohola soils are in drainage ways and structural benches below seep areas. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Shohola soils formed in loamy till, mainly from areas of sandstone, and shale. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 50 inches and is evenly distributed throughout the year. Mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 52 degrees F., and the growing season ranges from 110 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Chippewa, Mardin, Norwich, Edgemere, Wellsboro, Wurtsboro, and Volusia soils are derived from the same material. The Mardin, Wellsboro, and Wurtsboro soils are very deep, moderately well drained soils with fragipans on nearby convex toeslopes. The Edgemere soils are very deep, poorly drained on depressional areas and along streams and drainageways. Morris and Volusia soils are very deep, somewhat poorly drained, fragipan soils on directly adjacent footslopes. The Chippewa and Norwich soils are very deep, very poorly drained fine-loamy soils with less than 35 percent stones on similar landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Shohola soils are somewhat poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to very high. Internal drainage is very slow. Permeability is moderate in the upper part of the solum and very slow in the fragipan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are wooded, and used for timber. Few areas have been cleared at one time for use as pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New York, Northeastern and eastern Pennsylvania. The Series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pike County, Pennsylvania, 1995.
REMARKS: Series proposed for the skeletal areas formerly mapped Volusia that have low clay contents <18 %.
Diagnostic Horizons and features:
Ochric Epipedon - A horizon from surface to 3 inches.
Cambic Horizon - Bw and Bg horizons
Fragipan - From 24 to 72 or more inches.
CEC activity class is estimated from data on similar parent materials.