LOCATION SHERANDO VA
Established Series
Rev. DDR, DGF
02/2022
SHERANDO SERIES
Soils of the Sherando series are very deep and well drained to somewhat excessively drained. They formed in stratified material on alluvial-colluvial fans, benches, and sideslopes. Permeability is moderately rapid. Slopes range from 0 to 65 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 37 inches. Mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, active, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Sherando sandy loam - forested (Colors are for moist soil.)
O--0 to 1 inches; leaves, twigs and partially decomposed organic matter.
A--1 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, weak coarse granular structure; friable; many roots; 10 percent gravel; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
E--3 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam; weak coarse granular structure; friable; many roots; 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
BE--7 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; 20 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1--16 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very gravelly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; 55 percent gravel and cobblestones ; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 25 inches thick)
Bw2--31 to 46 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) very gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky and weak fine granular structure; friable; common roots; 60 percent gravel and cobblestones; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 24 inches thick)
C1--46 to 56 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) extremely gravelly sandy loam; massive; friable; common roots; 70 percent gravel and cobblestones; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)
C2--56 to 76 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) extremely gravelly loamy sand; massive; very friable; few roots; 70 percent gravel and cobblestones; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Augusta County, Virginia; one-half mile north of intersection of U.S. Forest Service Roads 42 and 43, 100 yards west of Road 43 on a 270 degrees bearing; 4 miles south of Stuarts Draft in George Washington National Forest.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 6 feet. Content of rock fragments in individual horizons of the particle-size control section ranges from 20 to 75 percent but the weighted average is more than 35 percent. These commonly consist of rounded or angular quartzite and sandstone gravel and cobbles. The soil is extremely acid through moderately acid in the A horizon, unless limed, and is very strongly acid or strongly acid in the B and C horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 through 4. The A horizon is sandy loam or fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 through 6. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The B horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. The B horizon has faint and distinct clay bridging between sand and grains and coatings on individual sand grains in some pedons.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or6, and chroma of 4 through 8. The C horizon is loamy sand or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: The
Wallen Series is the only other known series in the same family. Wallen soils have bedrock at depths ranging from 20 to 40 inches. Series in other closely related families are the
Chenango,
Dekalb, Hazelton,
Riverhead, and
Tunkhannock. All of these soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sherando soils are nearly level to very steep soils on alluvial and colluvial fans, benches, and sideslopes. Slopes are mostly between 2 and 15 percent with an extreme range of 0 to 65 percent. These soils formed in stratified water sorted materials usually washed from soils underlain by quartzite, shale, and sandstone. Mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F and mean annual precipitation is about 37 inches near the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Drall and
Hazleton soils on the higher uplands and the
Laidig soils on the lower sideslopes and benches. Drall soils have a very channery loamy sand control section. Hazleton soils lack stratified water sorted material and have mixed mineralogy. Laidig soils have a fragipan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained to somewhat excessively drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly forested. Native vegetation is pitch pine, chestnut oak, red maple, and sassafras; understory of huckleberry and green brier.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Augusta County, Virginia, 1977.
REMARKS: The major diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are the alluvial E horizon from 3 to 7 inches and the cambic horizon from 16 to 46 inches.
CEC class based on similar soils and laboratory data.
The 1/2006 revision updates this soil to the 9th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy (2003). The CEC activity class placement is based on similar soils. Class placement may be revised in the future when additional laboratory data becomes available.
Competing series, pedon descriptions (including horizon nomenclature and/or descriptive terms), and other sections on the OSD were not revised.
Previous revision date: 3/85
2/2022 revision: O had 1 to 0 inch depths, corrected to be 0 to 1 in horizon depths then added 1 inch to all horizon depths throughout the typical pedon. WJN
ADDITIONAL DATA: Mechanical analysis (U.S. Forest Service,hydrometer method, Profile No. 162) and chemical analysis (V.P.I. Soil Testing Laboratory) available for samples of horizons of typifying pedon.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.