LOCATION SINDION VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Fluvaquentic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sindion loam--on a 1 percent concave slope in a corn field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam; brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick.)
A--10 to 21 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam; brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick.)
Bw1--21 to 31 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and black (10YR 2/1) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; 30 percent manganese concretions; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bw2--31 to 41 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay loam; many medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) Fe depletions; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; 2 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon below 24 inches ranges from 6 to 55 inches.)
Cg--41 to 65 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) very cobbly sandy loam; many medium distinct brown (10YR 5/3) Fe depletions and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe masses; massive; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; 40 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Wythe County, Virginia; about 1.3 miles northeast 73 degrees of the junction of Highways US-21 and VA-619 and 1.0 mile west 279 degrees of the junction of Highways VA-619 and VA-707.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches or more. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Gravel and cobbles range from 0 to 35 percent in the A, Ap, and Bw horizons and from 0 to 80 percent in the Cg and C horizons. Some pedons contain few to common flakes of mica. Reaction ranges from slightly acid through moderately alkaline.
The Ap horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
The A horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 2 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 6. It is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
The Bg horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or is neutral, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
The Cg horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or is neutral, value of 2 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam and is often stratified.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 2 to 7, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam and is often stratified.
COMPETING SERIES: Sindion is the only series in this family at the present time. Prior to the 8th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy the Medway and Shaffton were competing series. Both series have a superactive activity class.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sindion soils formed in alluvium derived from limestone, sandstone, phyllite, shale, gneiss, granite, schist and basalt of Precambrian and Cambrian ages on flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Climate is temperate and humid. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 50 to 57 degrees F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 38 to 45 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Allegheny, Austinville, Chavies, Chiswell, Clubcaf, Combs, Cotaco, Frederick, Groseclose, Litz, Marbie, Monongahela, Speedwell, Wheeling, and Wyrick soils. Allegheny, Chavies, Cotaco, and Wheeling soils have argillic horizons and are on stream terraces. Austinville, Frederick and Groseclose soils contain more clay in the subsoil and are on uplands. Chiswell and Litz soils are shallower to bedrock and are on uplands. Combs soils contain less clay in the subsoil and are on similar landscapes. Clubcaf soils are poorly drained and are on similar landscapes. Marbie and Wyrick soils have argillic horizons and are in upland drainageways and depressions. Monongahela soils have a fragipan and are on stream terraces. Speedwell soils are well drained and on similar landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is very low. Permeability is moderate. These soils are subject to flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of these soils are cultivated or in pasture. Corn and hay are the principal crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Valley and Ridge physiographic province in Virginia, and possibly, West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. The area is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wythe County, Virginia, 1989.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 21 inches (Ap and A horizons). Cambic horizon - the zone from 21 to 41 inches (Bw horizon). Fluventic feature - irregular decrease in organic matter content with increasing depth.
Udic moisture regime.
Soils now within the range of the Sindion series were correlated Lindside, Lobdell, and Newark in several published soil surveys.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Morphological, chemical, textural, and mineralogical data are reported in:
Edmonds, W. J., D. D. Rector, D. A. Gall, D. R. Hatch, R. S. Joslyn, and J. C. Baker. 1987. Properties and classification of soils derived from stratified alluvium in the Valley and Ridge Province of Virginia. Va. Agric. Exp. Stn. Bull. 00-0 In press.