LOCATION SENGTOWN TN

Established Series
Rev.JCJ/JLN
04/2011

SENGTOWN SERIES

The Sengtown series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils on uplands. They formed in residuum weathered from cherty limestone. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleudalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Sengtown gravelly silt loam--pasture(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; about 22 percent angular fragments of chert l/2 inch to l inch across; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

E--8 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly silt loam; common fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; weak fine granular structure; friable; common fine roots; few fine pores; about 18 percent angular fragments of chert l/2 inch to l inch across; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)

Bt1--11 to 16 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) gravelly silty clay loam; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and yellowish red (5YR 5/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; about 22 percent fragments of chert l/2 inch to 3 inches across; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--16 to 29 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) gravelly clay; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; about 20 percent angular fragments of chert l/2 inch to 3 inches across; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt3--29 to 42 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) gravelly clay; common fine prominent light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine prominent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4)clay films on faces of peds; about 22 percent angular fragments of chert l/2 inch to 3 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt4--42 to 72 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) gravelly clay; common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8), reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6), and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular and angular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; few distinct reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; about 12 percent angular fragments of chert l/2 inch to 3 inches across; very strongly acid.(Combined thickness of the Bt horizons range from 50 inches to more than 72 inches.)

TYPE LOCATION: Sumner County, Tennessee, 3.46 miles northeast of Portland; 2.63 miles east southeast of Mitchellville on Tennessee Highway 259; 1.8 miles west of the intersection of Ray Road and Tennessee Highway 259; 300 feet southeast of the intersection of North Russell Street and Tennessee Highway 259 in field. USGS Fountain Head Quad (36/37.41N; 86/29.74W)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to limestone bedrock are greater than 60 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid except where limed. Average content of coarse fragments ranges between l5 and 35 percent in the solum. Transition horizons have colors and texture similar to adjacent horizons.

The A and Ap horizons have hue of l0YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 or 4. In some pedons, this horizon has brownish mottles. Texture is commonly gravelly silt loam or gravelly loam, but the range allows silt loam and loam.

The E horizon has hue of l0YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Some pedons have brownish mottles. Texture is gravelly silt loam or gravelly loam.

The Btl horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 or 6. Most pedons have mottles in shades of brown and red. Texture of the fine earth fraction is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay.

The Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons have hue of 5YR, 2.5YR, or 10R value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8. Most pedons have mottles in shades of brown, yellow, and red. Some pedons have a few mottles in shades of gray or white below 40 inches. Texture of the fine earth fraction is silty clay or clay.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sengtown soils are on undulating to very steep uplands. Slopes range from 2 to 60 percent. The soil formed in residuum weathered from cherty limestone. Near the type location, the average annual air temperature is 56.8 degrees F and average annual precipitation is about 50.8 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bewleyville, Dickson, Mountview, Nolin, Hawthorne, Sugargrove, and Sulphura soils. Bewleyville and Mountview soils, on adjacent smoother landscapes, are fine-silty. Dickson soils, on broad undulating ridges, have a fragipan. Nolin soils, on nearby flood plains, are fine-silty. Hawthorne, Sugargrove, and Sulphura soils, on similar positions, are loamy and less than 60 inches deep to rock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Medium to very high runoff. Moderately slow to slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used for pasture, hay, small grain, tobacco, and corn. The remaining areas are in oak-hickory forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Highland Rim of Tennessee. The area is of large extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cheatham County, Tennessee, l987.

REMARKS: Sengtown soils were formerly mapped in the Fullerton and Baxter series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about ll inches (Ap, E horizons).

Argillic horizon - the zone from about ll to 73 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 horizons.

ADDITIONAL DATA: The pedon described has data by the NSSL - pedon 85PO274, S84TN-165-038

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.