LOCATION SKETERVILLE             VA

Established Series
Rev. SKT-WJE-MHC;DTA
09/2025

SKETERVILLE SERIES

MLRA(s): 136 (mesic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Very deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Moderately well drained
Index Surface Runoff: Medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately low
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
Landscape Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from anorthosite
Slope: 0 to 7 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location) 13 degrees C (55 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location); 1067 milliliters (42 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, mesic Aquultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Sketerville loam, on a 1 percent slope in a hay field. (Colors are for moist soil)

Ap--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; few fine faint very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and few fine distinct yellow (10YR 7/8) mottles; weak fine granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters) (0 to 6 inches) thick)

Bt1--10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few fine roots; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; few medium faint very pale brown (10YR 7/3) iron depletions and few medium faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron-manganese masses; few fine mica flakes; 2 percent blue quartz gravel and anorthosite gravel; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--30 to 107 centimeters (12 to 42 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions and few medium faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron-manganese masses; few fine mica flakes; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 38 to 114 centimeters) (15 to 45 inches.)

Cg1--107 to 132 centimeters (42 to 52 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) clay saprolite; massive; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; common medium distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions and few medium faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) iron-manganese masses; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Cg2--132 to 178 centimeters (52 to 70 inches; white (N 8/0) silty clay loam saprolite; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many medium distinct light gray (N 7/0) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions and few medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) iron-manganese masses; common fine flakes of mica; 10 percent quartz gravel; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Cg horizon is 76 to 127 centimeters ) (30 to 50 inches.)

R--178 centimeters (70 inches); white (N 8/0) hard anorthosite bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Nelson County, Virginia; about 3000 feet northeast 45 degrees of the intersection of Highways VA-778 and VA-676 and 3750 feet southwest 242 degrees of the intersection of Highways VA-676 and VA-677. USGS Piney River, Virginia topographic quadrangle.

Latitude--37.728889
Longitude-- -79.036111
Datum--WGS84

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: 51 to 127 centimeters (20 to 50 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 152 centimeters (60 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 30 to 76 centimeters (12 to 30 inches)
Rock Fragment Content: 0 to 35 percent, by volume, angular rock fragments (0 to 10 centimeters) (0 to 4 inches) of blue quartz and anorthosite, throughout
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to slightly acid in the A and E horizons, extremely acid to strongly acid in the Bt horizon, and very strongly acid to moderately acid in the Cg horizon.

RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam

A horizon, where present:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam

E horizon, where present:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7, chroma of 3 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam

Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 4 to 8.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--It is clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features-- iron depletions with chroma of 2 or less

The C horizon, where present:
Color--hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 5 to 8, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam saprolite
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of brown, olive, or gray and iron accumulations in shades of yellow, brown, or red may be present

Cg horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR through 5Y or is neutral, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 0 to 2
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay saprolite

Cr horizon, where present:
Color--has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y or is neutral, value of 7 or 8, chroma of 0 or 1
Texture--soft anorthosite rock that crushes to sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam

COMPETING SERIES:
There are no known series in this family. Soils in a related family are:
Coolville soils--are deep to acid shale bedrock and have mixed mineralogy
Gustin soils--have mixed mineralogy
Lansdown soils--developed in old alluvium and glacial till derived mainly from shale and have mixed mineralogy
Rarden soils--have less clay in the subsoil and have mixed mineralogy

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont upland
Landform: Flat ridges and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from anorthosite.
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C (52 to 57 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 914 to 1118 millimeters (36 to 44 inches)
Frost-free period: 152 to 183 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Colleen soils--are well drained
Pineywoods soils--are poorly drained.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Moderately well drained
Index Surface Runoff: Medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately low

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Pasture and woodland
Dominant Vegetation: Where wooded--Mixed hardwood and pine

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Virginia
Extent: Small

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nelson County, Virginia, 1987.

REMARKS:
The June 2024 revision changed the location of this series to mesic MLRA 136 from MLRA 148. This was due to boundary line changes in the new Ag. Handbook 296.
The September 2025 revision reformatted the description to semi-tabular. No data was changed.
REVISED = 2/5/92, MHC; 0/2025, DTA


Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon--the zone from 20 to 63 centimeters (8 to 25 inches) (Bt horizon).

SIR = VA0293

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Typical Data Map Unit:
Typical User Pedon ID:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.