LOCATION SKETERVILLE VA
Established Series
Rev. SKT-WJE-MHC
06/2024
SKETERVILLE SERIES
The Sketerville series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, slowly permeable soils on uplands in the Northern Piedmont province. They formed in residuum of anorthosite. Slopes range from 0 to 7 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 42 inches. Mean annual air temperature is about 55 degrees F.
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 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; few fine faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) 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 6 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 12 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay; few medium faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) mottles; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, plastic; few fine roots; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent blue quartz gravel and anorthosite gravel; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--12 to 42 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay; common medium distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and few medium faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 15 to 45 inches.)
Cg1--42 to 52 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay saprolite; common medium distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and few medium faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles; massive; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Cg2--52 to 70 inches; white (N 8/0) silty clay loam saprolite; many medium distinct light gray (N 7/0), light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine flakes of mica; 10 percent quartz gravel; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Cg horizon is 30 to 50 inches.)
R--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.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 50 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Angular rock fragments (0 to 4 inches) of blue quartz and anorthosite range from 0 to 35 percent throughout the soil. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through slightly acid in the A and E horizons, from extremely acid through strongly acid in the Bt horizon, and from very strongly acid through moderately acid in the C and Cg horizons.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The A horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 4 to 8. Low chroma mottles are present due to a seasonal high water table. It is clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
The C horizon, where present, is saprolite with hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Cg horizon is saprolite with hue of 10YR through 5Y or is neutral, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay in the fine earth fraction.
The Cr horizon, where present, is neutral or has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 7 or 8, and chroma of 0 or 1. It is 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,
Gustin, Lansdown, and
Rarden series. These soils have mixed mineralogy. Coolville soils are deep to acid shale bedrock. Rarden soils have less clay in the subsoil. Lansdown soils developed in old alluvium and glacial till derived mainly from shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sketerville soils are on convex ridges and sideslopes in the Northern Piedmont province. Slope gradients range from 0 to 7 percent. These soils developed in residuum of anorthosite. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 36 to 44 inches and mean annual soil temperature ranges from 52 to 57 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Colleen and
Pineywoods series. Colleen soils are well drained and Pineywoods soils are poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for pasture and woodland.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Piedmont upland in Virginia. Series is of small extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: AUBURN, ALABAMA
SERIES PROPOSED: Nelson County, Virginia, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 8 to 25 inches (Bt horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Ranges for morphology, chemistry, particle-size distribution, and mineralogy are based on 6 pedons.
SIR = VA0293
MLRA = 148
REVISED = 2/5/92, MHC
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.