LOCATION STONECOAL VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, nonacid, mesic Typic Udorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Stonecoal on a southeast facing slope in a barren area at an elevation of 1900 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
C1--0 to 31 inches; black (10YR 2/1) extremely channery sandy loam; massive; firm, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 65 percent hard shale and siltstone channers, 10 percent sandstone channers, 3 percent sandstone flagstones, and 2 percent coal; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--31 to 39 inches; black (10YR 2/1) extremely channery sandy loam; massive; firm, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 70 percent hard shale and siltstone channers, 5 percent sandstone channers, 3 percent sandstone flagstones, 2 percent coal; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C3--39 to 68 inches; black (10YR 2/1) extremely channery loamy sand; massive; firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; 75 percent hard shale and siltstone channers, 3 percent sandstone channers, and 2 percent coal; moderately alkaline. (Combined thickness of the C horizon is 60 inches or more)
TYPE LOCATION: Russell County, Virginia; Castlewood District; 1.2 miles north-northeast of intersection of VA 615 and VA 616; USGS Carbo Quadrangle; Latitude 36 degrees, 57 minutes, 30 seconds N and Longitude 82 degrees, 11 minutes, 35 seconds W; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is greater than 5 feet. Channers of shale, siltstone, sandstone, and coal range from 15 to 80 percent throughout the profile and average 35 percent or more in the particle-size control section. The control section averages 4 to 15 percent clay. Hard shale and siltstone fragments constitute more than 55 percent of the total rock fragments. Reaction is moderately acid to strongly alkaline throughout.
Some pedons have an A and AC horizon that was formed by stockpiling natural surficial soil and spreading this material over the land surface. The A and AC horizons are from 2 to 30 inches thick and have hue of 10YR or N2.5/0, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam or loam.
The C horizons are neutral or have hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is sandy loam, loamy sand or fine sandy loam. In some pedons, thin strata, or pockets of loam are present.
COMPETING SERIES: Fiveblock is the only series in this family at this time. Fiveblock soils formed in a mixture of soil material and material that weathered from underlying bedrock in areas that have been surface mined for coal. The Barkcamp, Bethesda, Cedarcreek, Enoch, Fairpoint, Itmann, Janelew, Kaymine, Morristown, Myra, Pinegrove and Swell series and the tentative Laguardia series are in related families. Barkcamp and Enoch soils are in siliceous families and are well drained. Enoch soils contain more than 15 percent clay in the control section and a pH less than 3.5. Bethesda and Cedarcreek contain more than 18 percent clay in the control section and are well drained. Fairpoint and Kaymine soils contain more than 15 percent clay in the control section and are well drained. Itman soils are in an acid family and more than 50 percent of the fragments are carbolithic. Fiveblock soils are derived from the strip mining of coal. Janelew, Morristown and Myra soils are in a calcareous family. Sewell soils are in an acid family. Laguardia soils formed in a thick mantle of construction debris intermingled with anthrotransported soil materials. The transported construction debris may consist of pieces of plastic, glass, rubber, bricks, lumber, asphalt, coal ash, unburned coal, gypsum board, concrete, and steel. Pinegrove soils average less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are in a have a sandy particle-size class.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stonecoal soils formed in nonacid spoil from mine sites which consists of a mixture of fine-earth material and and weathered fragments of bedrock. The fine earth material is from fragments of bedrock which have been crushed by machinery and weathered. Stonecoal soils are on nearly level to gently sloping benches, gently sloping to strongly sloping footslopes, and steep to very steep hillsides. Elevations range from about 1500 to 3500 feet above sea level. Slope gradients range from 0 to 80 percent. Climate is humid continental. near the type location mean annual air temperature ranges from 52 to 56 degrees F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 50 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Berks, Bethesda, Cedarcreek, Fiveblock, Gilpin, Itmann, Kaymine, Lily, Matewan, Pineville and Sewell soils. The Berks and Matewan soils have cambic horizons and formed in residuum on undisturbed uplands. Gilpin and Lily soils have argillic horizons and formed in residuum on undisturbed uplands. Lily soils are also siliceous. Pineville soils have argillic horizons and formed in colluvium on undisturbed uplands. Itman soils are in an acid family and more than 50 percent of the fragments are carbolithic. Cedarcreek, Sewell, and Bethesda soils formed in acid regolith from surface mining of coal. Fiveblock and Kaymine soils formed in nonacid regolith from surface mined areas.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. The potential for surface runoff is negligible on benches, very low on footslopes and low on side slopes. Permeability is moderately rapid or rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are generally barren or support sparse populations of various grasses, annuals, and hardwoods such as black birch, sycamore, yellow-poplar, and black oak. Reclaimed areas support grasses, legumes, black locust, and other plants commonly used in surface mine reclamation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 125. In Virginia, and possibly Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES PROPOSED: Russell County, Virginia, 2002. Source of name is a small creek in Russell County.
REMARKS: (1)These soils were formerly mapped as mine dumps; Udorthents, dumps, low base; Udorthents, dumps, very low base; and Udorthents, carbonaceous, low base. (2)Lithochromic mottles have inherited their colors from rocks. (3)The CEC activity class placement is based on similar soils such as Fiveblock, Itmann and Sewell. (4)Alternative names are Gravellick or Bonaventure.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Rock fragments of hard shale and siltstone make up more than 55 percent of the total rock fragments in the particle-size control section. (10 to 40 inches; C1, C2 and C3 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Additional data is available from Virginia Tech.