LOCATION VANDERGRIFT PA+OH WV

Established Series
Rev. AWD-WRK-ART
04/2025

VANDERGRIFT SERIES

The Vandergrift series consists of deep and very deep, moderately well and somewhat poorly drained soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from interbedded calcareous and noncalcareous, red and gray shale, siltstone, and limestone. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low to low. Mean annual precipitation is 1016 millimeters (40 inches). Mean annual temperature is 10.5 degrees C (51 F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Vandergrift silty clay loam - in an area of Vandergrift-Gilpin complex, 15 to 35 percent slopes, in woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 20 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) silty clay loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine roots; 2 percent indurated sandstone gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 centimeters thick)

BA--20 to 41 centimeters; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 centimeters thick)

Bt1--41 to 56 centimeters; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) silty clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse angular blocky; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--56 to 94 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse angular blocky; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint diagonal slickensides; many medium and coarse prominent light gray (2.5Y 7/1) iron depletions and common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; common medium black (10YR 2/1) manganese films on ped faces; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--94 to 109 centimeters; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) silty clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse angular blocky; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine roots; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint diagonal slickensides; many coarse prominent gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions on ped faces; few fine black (N 2/0) manganese films on ped faces; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt4--109 to 147 centimeters; dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) silty clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse angular blocky; firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint diagonal slickensides; many coarse prominent gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions on ped faces; 10 percent very weakly coherent shale parachanners; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 60 to 135 centimeters)

C1--147 to 180 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) parachannery silty clay loam; massive; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few faint clay films; common black (N 2/0) manganese films; 25 percent very weakly coherent shale parachanners; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.

C2--180 to 221 centimeters; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; massive; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; 10 percent very weakly coherent shale parachanners, slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 1.6 mi W of U.S. 30 on main Racoon Creek State Park Rd. in lot on left 200 ft from blacktop on E edge of lot. USGS Hookstown, PA topographic quadrangle. Latitude 40.5030556, Longitude -80.390833

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 90 to 152 centimeters. Depth to bedrock is 100 to more than 200 centimeters. Rock fragments of dominantly soft shale, siltstone, and sandstone are 0 to 10 percent in the solum and range from 0 to 90 percent of the C horizon. Illite, kaolinite, and vermiculite clay minerals are rather evenly distributed with a relatively high amount of interstratified montmorillonite. The soil, unless limed, ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid in the A horizon, very strongly acid through slightly acid in the B horizons, and strongly acid through slightly alkaline in the C horizon.

The A horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. Dry color value is 6 or more. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The B horizon has hue of 10R through 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 6 with hue of 7.5YR restricted to BA horizons. Redoximorphic features are in hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 5 through 7, and chroma of 1 through 8. Texture is silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay in the fine-earth fraction. Structure is angular blocky but some pedons have subangular blocky and prismatic structure. Some pedons display faint slickensides. Consistence is firm or very firm and slightly through very sticky.

The C horizon has hue of 10R through 10YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 6. Texture is silt loam to clay in the fine-earth fraction.

The clay shale or siltstone bedrock ranges from light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) through brown (10YR 4/3) to dark red (10R 3/6) and is calcareous in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: Guernsey is the only other series in this family at this time. Branchville, Cardinal, Celina, Eudy, Hartville, Jerktail, Licking, Loudon, Tarlton and Whippany are closely related but in the active CEC class. None of these soils have hue of 5YR or redder in the solum. Whippany soils have hue of 5YR or redder only in the lower part of the B horizon, but it is not dominant.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vandergrift soils are on hilltops, hillsides, benches, and footslopes with dominant slope of 3 to 8 percent, but ranges from 0 to 25 percent. These soils often are on relatively narrow, contour oriented, areas and are commonly in a complex with Wharton, Cavode, or Ernest soils. The soils weathered from material derived from interbedded calcareous and noncalcareous, red and gray shale, siltstone, and some limestone. The climate is humid and temperate; mean annual precipitation ranges from 900 to 1100 millimeters; mean annual air temperature ranges from 9.5 to 11.5 degrees C; and the growing season ranges from 140 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The competing Guernsey, Cavode, Ernest, Gilpin, Upshur, Weikert, and Wharton soils are nearby. All of these soils except Upshur do not have reddish hues. Upshur soils do not have low chroma iron depletions in the solum.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well and somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is moderate to rapid. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low to low.

USE AND VEGETATION: About half is in woodland, and the remainder is cleared and in cropland, idle or urban land. Woodlands are mixed hardwoods mainly oak, hickory, maple, tulip poplar, and walnut.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Pennsylvania, southeastern Ohio and West Virginia. MLRA 124 and 126. The soils of this series are of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 1965.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 41 centimeters. (Ap and BA horizons).
b. Argillic horizon - the zone from 41 to 147 centimeters (Bt horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data are available on four pedons sampled in Pennsylvania. Sample numbers are S72PA4-2 (this typical pedon), S68PA-3-9, S72PA2-2, and S72PA4-1.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.