LOCATION SUGARHOL VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Sugarhol silt loam - on a 6 percent convex south-facing slope in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oa-- 0 to 1 inch; highly decomposed leaf litter.
A-- 1 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches).
E-- 2 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches).
BE-- 3 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; 2 percent rounded pebbles; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick).
Bt1-- 11 to 34 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent rounded pebbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2-- 34 to 53 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) silty clay; many distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) and many prominent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) lithochromic mottles; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent rounded pebbles; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt3-- 53 to 61 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; common prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) lithochromic mottles; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent rounded pebbles; very strongly acid. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 40 to 70 inches).
TYPE LOCATION: Bath County, Virginia; about 0.80 mile southwest of the junction of VA-600 and VA-603 and 200 feet south of Forest Service Road 1736; latitude 37 degrees 59 minutes 10 seconds N. and longitude 79 degrees 58 minutes 15 seconds W.; Falling Spring Quadrangle, Virginia.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to bedrock are more than 60 inches. Rounded pebbles and cobbles of sandstone and quartzite range from 0 to 15 percent in the A, E and BE horizons, and from 0 to 35 percent in the Bt horizons. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through strongly acid unless limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 through 4 and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is silt loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Ap horizon (where present) has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The E or EB horizons have hue of 10YR and 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is silt loam or loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BE horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 6. Texture is silt loam, loam or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BA horizon (where present) has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 through 6. Texture is silt loam, loam or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture is clay, silty clay, silty clay loam and clay loam in the fine-earth fraction. Lithochromic mottles in shades of red, reddish brown and light yellowish brown may be present below a depth of 30 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: The Frederick, Macedonia, and Monteagle series are in the same family. Frederick soils formed in limestone residuum and are generally redder in the upper Bt horizon. Macedonia soils formed in residuum from cherty limestone and calcareous shale in the Ozark Mountains and have more angular chert fragments. Monteagle soils formed in sandstone residuum and have angular fragments of sandstone and sandier textures in the subsoil. Canmer, Doniphan, and Lucketts soils are in related families. Canmer soils form in old alluvium with redder hues in the upper Bt and are underlain by limestone. Doniphan soils formed in residuum from cherty limestone and calcareous shale in the Ozark Mountains and have more angular chert fragments. Lucketts soils form in colluvium from greenstone and quartzite over calcareous conglomerate in the Triassic Basin.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sugarhol soils are on mid- and high-level stream terraces. Slopes range from 2 to 35 percent. The soils form in old alluvium derived primarily from materials weathered from shale, siltstone, sandstone, quartzite and some limestone. Mean annual air temperature is 51 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 42 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cottonbend, Nicelytown, Zoar, and Purdy soils. Cottonbend and Nicelytown soils have less clay in the subsoil and have siliceous mineralogy. Zoar soils are moderately well drained. Purdy soils are poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to rapid. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for woodland. Some areas are used for cropland. Major crops are hay and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Predominantly shale and some limestone valleys in Virginia and possibly West Virginia and Maryland. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bath County, Virginia, 2003.
REMARKS: Soils now within the range of the Sugarhol series were previously mapped as Shottower.
Physical and chemical properties from Virginia Tech Univ. Soil Characterization Lab and mineralogy data from the NSSL for the TYPE LOCATION pedon (S94VA-017-19) and four supporting pedons (S93VA-017-10, S94VA-017-07, S94VA-017-17 and S94VA-017-20).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 11 inches (A, E and BE horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 11 to 61 inches (Bt horizon).
3. Palic feature - no significant decrease in translocated clay content within 60 inches of the top of the argillic horizon.
MLRA = 128