LOCATION SHADY TNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, subactive, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Shady loam on a 3 percent slope--pastured. (Colors are for moist soil).
Ap--0 to 9 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 2 percent pebbles; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 18 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--18 to 28 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay loam; moderate medium subangular block structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few black stains; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Thickness of the Bt horizon ranges from 15 to 40 inches)
BC--28 to 39 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) gravelly sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; 15 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C--39 to 61 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) gravelly sandy loam; massive; very friable; 20 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Carter County, Tennessee, along Dry Creek Road (State Highway 361), 1.2 miles from Okalona Road (State Highway 377) 200 feet west of the road; USGS Johnson City, TN topographic quadrangle; lat. 36 degrees 16 minutes 37 seconds N. and long. 82 degrees 17 minutes 35 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid except where the soil has been limed. Gravel and cobbles make up less than 15 percent of the A and B horizons and about 5 to 60 percent of the BC and C horizons. Content of mica flakes ranges from none to common. Some profiles have redoximorphic features below 40 inches.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 3 or 4. Where both the value and chroma are 3, the horizon is less than 7 inches thick. Texture is loam or fine sandy loam.
Some pedons have a transitional horizon between the A and Bt horizons and some pedons have a transitional horizon between the Bt and C horizons.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 8. A hue of 5YR occurs in the lower parts of the Bt horizon in some pedons. Texture is sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam. Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown, yellow and red.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 5 and chroma of 3 to 6. The fine earth texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam or stratification of these textures. Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown, yellow or gray.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buckhead, Pinoka, and Rawlings series. The Cheaha, Montonia, Rion, Salacoa (T), Sherwood, State, Sugargrove, and Wickham series are in closely related families. The formerly competing Fruithurst, Rome, Sherless, and Tidings series have not been updated to the current edition of Soil Taxonomy. Buckhead, Rawlings, and Rion soils formed in residuum from felsic igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Southern Piedmont. Additionally, Rawlings soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. The Cheaha, Fruithurst, Sherless, Sherwood, and Tidings soils have a lithic or paralithic contact within 60 inches of the soil surface. Montonia soils formed in residuum from high-grade fine-grained metamorphic rocks and have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Pinoka soils formed in residuum from Triassic sandstone, mudstone, or conglomerate. Rome soils have solum thickness greater than 60 inches. State and Wickham soils form in materials weathered from Piedmont and Coastal Plain sediments. Additionally, Wickham soils have Bt horizons with hues of 5YR and 2.5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shady soils are on low stream terraces in the Southern Appalachians Ridges and Valleys MLRA. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in loamy alluvium weathered from sandstone, limestone, and shale. In some areas adjacent to MLRA 130 Shady soils formed in alluvium influenced by crystalline rocks. The average annual air temperature ranges from 57 to 61 degrees F and the average annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 52 inches per year.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Shady soils are geographically associated with Elk, Etowah, Pettyjon, Steadman and Waynesboro soils. Elk soils, on adjacent low stream terraces, are fine-silty and are less acid throughout. Etowah soils, on high stream terraces , have sola greater than 60 inches thick and have hue of 5YR or 2.5YR in the Bt horizon. Pettyjon soils, on flood plains, do not have an argillic horizon. Steadman soils, on flood plains and low stream terraces, are moderately well drained and do not have an argillic horizon. Waynesboro soils, on high stream terraces, are clayey and have hue of 5YR or 2.5YR in the Bt horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to medium and permeability is moderate. Flooding frequency ranges from none to occasional.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Shady soils are cleared and used to produce corn, soybeans, small grains and hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys (MLRA 128) in Tennessee and possibly Georgia and Alabama. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grainger County, Tennessee; 1996.
REMARKS: Shady soils were previously included in the Sequatchie series. Since some areas of Shady soils are mapped adjacent to MLRA 130, alluvium in these areas may be influenced by crystalline rocks. Mica flakes are often present in these areas.
Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 9 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - from 9 to 28 inches (Bt horizon)
SIR=TN0229 MLRA=128
Revised 03/96-NTH,RPS; 09/96-NTH,DHK; 04/2000-NTH,MKC