LOCATION SUSANNABERG VIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, vermiculitic, isohyperthermic, shallow Typic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Susannaberg clay loam. (Colors for moist conditions.)
A--0 to 2 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay loam; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; friable; common fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; few medium wormcasts; about 10 percent, by volume, pebbles, cobbles, and stones; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--2 to 9 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; few medium wormcasts; about 10 percent, by volume, pebbles; many fine soft masses of iron and manganese; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
BC--9 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; many fine and medium wormcasts; about 30 percent, by volume, pebbles; common medium and coarse soft masses of iron and manganese; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--15 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/5) weathered igneous bedrock.
R--21 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) unweathered igneous bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: St. John Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. About 0.2 mile north on a jeep trail that exits from North Shore Road, about 0.3 mile east of access road to Cinnamon Bay Campground, and about 150 feet north of a jeep trail on a side slope. West St. John topographic quadrangle; lat. 18 degrees 21 minutes 12 seconds N.; long. 64 degrees 45 minutes 24 seconds W.; PRD 1940.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to weathered igneous bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Depth to unweathered igneous bedrock is more than 20 inches. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral throughout the profile.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles, cobbles, and stones ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles and cobbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The BC horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Content of pebbles and cobbles ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
The Cr horizon is weathered igneous bedrock.
The R horizon is unweathered igneous bedrock.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Susannaberg soils are on summits and side slopes of volcanic hills and mountains. They formed in material weathered from basic volcanic rock. Slopes range from 12 to 90 percent. The climate is tropical semiarid. The average annual air temperature ranges from 76 to 82 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cramer, Dorothea, Fredriksdal, Maho Bay, Southgate, and Victory soils. All are on similar positions. Cramer, Maho Bay, Southgate, and Victory soils have mixed mineralogy. In addition, Victory soils are moderately deep. Dorothea soils are very deep. Fredriksdal soils have clayey-skeletal particle-size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for residential development. Where protected, the vegetation consists of natural successional forest species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: St. Thomas and St. John Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands. They are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St John Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, 1995.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Cramer series.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon - zone from 0 to 9 inches (A and Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - zone from 2 to 15 inches (Bw and BC horizons).
Paralithic contact - the contact at 15 inches (Cr horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - St. John Island, U.S. Virgin Islands; S91VI-20-8. Addtional characterization data - St. John Island; S91VI-20-14.
MLRA: 271.
SIR: VI0022.