LOCATION SPOTSYLVANIA VA
Established Series
Rev. JHE, NAM
10/2021
SPOTSYLVANIA SERIES
Soils of the Spotsylvania series are deep and well drained with moderate permeability. They formed in medium and fine textured Coastal Plain sediments and residuum from granite, gneiss or schist. They are on uplands and slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 107 cm and mean annual air temperature is above 15 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Spotsylvania fine sandy loam on a convex slope of 4 percent under mixed pine and hardwood forest.
Oi--0 to 8 cm (0 to 3 inches); partially decomposed, pine needles, oak leaves and twigs.
A--8 to 13 cm (3 to 5 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR3/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 2 percent rounded quartz pebbles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)
E--13 to 25 cm (5 to 10 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) fine sandy loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 2 percent rounded quartz pebbles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)
Bt1--25 to 56 cm (10 to 22 inches); yellowish brown (10YR5/6) clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; few thin clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent rounded quartz pebbles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)
Bt2--56 to 87 cm (22 to 34 inches); strong brown (7.5YR5/6) clay; common medium and coarse faint yellowish red (5YR5/6) and brownish yellow (10YR6/8) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine and medium roots; continuous thin clay films on faces peds; 2 percent rounded quartz pebbles; stone line 5 cm thick at the lower boundary with 15 percent rounded and subrounded quartz pebbles up to 5 cm in diameter; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 60 cm thick)
2Bt3--87 to 112 cm (34 to 44 inches) ; yellowish red (5YR5/6) clay; common medium and fine faint yellowish brown (10YR5/6) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; continuous thin clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent angular quartz pebbles; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 50 cm thick)
2BCt--112 to 145 cm (44 to 57 inches); yellowish red (5YR5/6) clay; common medium and coarse faint yellowish brown (10YR5/6) and few medium and coarse prominent white (10YR8/1) mottles; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium clay films; common fine flakes of mica; 2 percent weathered feldspar fragments; 2 percent angular quartz pebbles; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 36 cm thick)
2C--145 to 196 cm (57 to 77 inches); multicolored red (2.5YR5/8), strong brown (7.5YR5/6), white (10YR8/1) and brownish yellow (10YR6/8) sandy clay loam; weathered granite gneiss; massive; friable; few medium and thick clay flows into upper part; common fine flakes of mica; 10 percent weathered feldspar fragments; 2 percent angular quartz pebbles; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATON: Spotsylvania County, Virginia; 5 km south southeast of Spotsylvania. About 2.4 km north of State Route 606 and about 1.6 km east of Snell on the east side of private drive 60 meters east of State Route 722.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 100 to more than 150 cm. Depth to the lithologic discontinuity ranges from 50 to 100 cm. Depth to hard bedrock is more than 180 cm. Reaction is strongly or very strongly acid unless limed. The upper material contains up to 15 percent of rounded and sub- rounded quartz pebbles and the II material contains up to 15 percent of angular feldspar fragments and some pedons contain a few angular quartz fragments. Stone lines commonly are present at the contact between the B2 and IIB2 horizons.
A horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 through 5 and chroma of 2 through 4. E horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 through 8. Ap horizons, when present, have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Textures of A and E horizons are fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam.
Bt1 and Bt2 horizons have hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Textures of the Bt1 horizons are clay loam, loam, or sandy clay loam and the Bt2 horizons are clay loam or clay. 2Bt horizons have hue of 5YR, 715YR or 20YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8 and commonly contain high chroma mottles. Textures of the 2Bt horizons are clay loam or clay. Flakes of mica are few many in the IIB horizons.
C horizons are multicolored and commonly are in shades of red, brown, yellow, and white. They are very strongly weathered gneiss, schist, and granite that easily crush to sandy clay lom, loam, or sandy loam textures.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Appling, Argaon,
Cecil,
Chestatee,
Georgeville,
Herndon,
Hulett,
Madison,
Mayodan,
Nankin,
Pacolet, and
Wedowee series in the same family. All of these soils lack a lithologic discontinuity. The
Christian,
Culpeper, and
Lodi series are in closely related families. All of these lack a lithologic discontinuity. In addition, the Christian, Culpeper, and Lodi soils are mesic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Spotsylvania soils are on nearly level to moderately steep uplands. Slopes are dominantly 2 to 7 percent but range from 0 to 25 percent. The upper solum formed in loamy or clayey sediments often of Coastal Plain origin, and the lower solum formed in material that weathered from granite, gneiss, and schist. The climate is humid with mean annual precipitation of about 107 cm and a mean annual temperature above 15 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Appling,
Cecil,
Faceville,
Fluvanna, and
Louisburg soils. All of these soils lack lithologic discontinuity.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Spotsylvania soils are used for growing corn, small grains, hay and pasture. Wooded areas are mixed species of oak, hickory, pine and poplar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Virginia, and possibly North Carolina and South Carolina. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chesterfield County, Virginia, 1974.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly mapped in the Chesterfield series which was made inactive. The soil horizon depths were revised and edited on 10/2021 to ensure the description began at the soil surface.
TABULAR SERIES DATA
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
VA0080 SPOTSYLVAN 0- 25 59- 64 185-220 35- 45 250- 800
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
VA0080 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
VA0080 0-10 FSL SL L 0- 0 80- 95 5-27 -
VA0080 10-22 CL SCL L 0- 5 75- 95 20-40 -
VA0080 22-57 C CL 0- 5 75- 95 35-55 -
VA0080 57-77 SCL L SL 0- 5 70- 95 10-35 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
VA0080 0-10 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 6.0 LOW
VA0080 10-22 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
VA0080 22-57 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 MODERATE
VA0080 57-77 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.