LOCATION TARHOLLOW OH-WVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Tarhollow silt loam on 7 percent slope in a wooded area. (Colors, unless otherwise noted, are for moist conditions.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; common medium and many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
A2--2 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; many fine and few medium roots; common distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) coatings on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 2 to 10 inches).
BE--5 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium and common fine roots; few faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 12 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium and common fine roots; common faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--12 to 27 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium and common fine roots; common faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--27 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; few fine light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay depletions on faces of peds; 1 percent pebbles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizon is 15 to 30 inches.)
2Bt4--31 to 34 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery silty clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; common faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions in the matrix; many medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; 20 percent channers; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt5--34 to 44 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; common faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; common distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay depletions on faces of peds; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions in the matrix; 20 percent channers; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bt horizon is 10 to 30 inches.)
2BC--44 to 55 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium distinct pale red (2.5YR 6/2) iron depletions in the matrix; 1 percent channers; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary, (0 to 15 inches thick)
2Cr--55 to 60 inches; soft siltstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Ross County, Ohio; about 7 miles south of Adelphi, in Harrison Township, about 930 feet south and 1740 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 12 T. 10 N., R. 20 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 40 to 72 inches. Depth to bedrock is 40 to 80 inches. Thickness of the loess mantle is 24 to 40 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid to slightly acid. Content of rock fragments ranges from 0 to 5 percent in the A, Ap, and Bt horizon, from 0 to 20 percent in the 2Bt and 2BC horizon, and 0 to 30 percent in the 2C horizon.
The upper part of the control section (A or Ap horizons) has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Some pedons have an A horizon 1 to 5 inches thick that has a value of 3 and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam with 12 to 25 percent clay and less than 15 percent sand.
The second part of the control section (BE horizon) has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam.
The third part of the control section (Bt horizon) has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is silt loam or silty clay loam, with 18 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent sand.
The fourth part of the control section (2Bt horizon) has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. Redox depletions with chroma of 2 or less are few to many. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay and their channery analogues. It has 30 to 55 percent clay and less than 20 percent sand.
The lower part of the control section (2BC and 2C horizons) have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. They are silty clay loam, silty clay, and their channery or gravelly analogues. They have 27 to 45 percent clay and less than 20 percent sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashburn, Blocher, Deuchars, Gallipolis, Jeneva, Percell, and Stonehead series. Ashburn soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Blocher soils have free carbonates in the control section. Gallipolis soils are on stream terraces and do not have residual materials in the control section. Jeneva soils formed in loess, a thin layer of pedisediment, and a paleosol on Illinoin till plains. Percell soils formed in 45 to 70 inches of loess, and the underlying lacustrine sediments. Stonehead soils have less than 10 percent sand in the lower part of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tarhollow soils are on unglaciated uplands on the Allegheny Plateau. They formed in a mantle of loess 24 to 40 inches thick and in the underlying residuum weathered from siltstone, shale, or limestone. Slope ranges from 2 to 20 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 56 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 36 to 44 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aaron, Gilpin, Keene, Wellston, Westmore, and Westmoreland soils. The moderately well drained Aaron soils are on ridgetops and have thinner loess mantles. The well drained Gilpin and Westmoreland soils are on summits and steep sideslopes and have a thinner loess mantle. The moderately well drained Keene soils and the well drained Wellston soils are underlain by sandstone and siltstone on summits. The well drained Westmore soils are on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff potential is moderate to high. Permeability is moderate to moderately slow in the loess mantle and moderately slow to slow in the residuum. An intermittent apparent seasonal high water table is at a depth of 2.5 to 3.5 feet from December to April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Tarhollow soils are cultivated, pastured and wooded. Principle crops are corn, soybeans and hayland.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Central Ohio and Western West Virginia. The soils are of small extent with total acreage of about 5,000 acres and are in MLRA 126.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ross County, Ohio, 1992. The source of the name is from a state forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - from surface to 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons); argillic horizon - from 9 inches to a depth of 44 inches (Bt and 2Bt horizons); the zone where aquic conditions occur is 31 to 55 inches (2Bt4 and 2Bt5 horizons).
Tarhollow soils have been previously included in Westgate, Wellston, and Westmore series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Complete characterization data is available from the Ohio State University Characterization Laboratory, pedon RO-100.