LOCATION WHITEFORD MD+PA VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Whiteford channery loam in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) channery loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and common medium roots; 22 percent channers; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches)
AB--4 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky parting to moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; 6 percent channers; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches)
Bt1--15 to 22 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; 12 percent channers; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--22 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; few prominent discontinuous clay films in root channels and pores; 14 percent channers; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 10 to 20 inches).
BCt--35 to 50 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) extremely channery silty clay loam; weak thin platy structure; friable; few prominent discontinuous clay films on rock fragments; 66 percent channers; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (10 to 25 inches).
C--50 to 72 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely channery silt loam; common medium prominent olive (5Y 5/3) and bluish gray (5B 5/1) mottles around stones; thick platy structure; friable; few distinct discontinuous strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron stains on rock fragments; 68 percent channers; very strongly acid. (0 to 30 inches).
TYPE LOCATION: Frederick County, Maryland; 1/4 mile west of the intersection of Renner and Creger Roads and 800 feet south of Renner Road in the Midway area. Latitude 39 degrees, 33 minutes, 56 seconds; Longitude 77 degrees, 17 minutes, 35 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 20 to 50 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Flat fragments of slate and/or phyllite range from 0 to 25 percent in the solum and 30 to 70 percent in the C horizon. Most fragments are less than 6 inches in length, but a few are as long as 15 inches. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid unless the soil is limed, and acidity commonly increases with depth.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4, It is loam or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The A and E horizons were present has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4, with value of 3 confined to the A horizon. It is loam or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The AB horizon has horizon of 10YR through 5YR, value of 3 through 5, chroma of 3 through 6. It is silt loam or loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. It is silty clay loam or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The BC horizon has hue of hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 through 6. It is silty clay loam or silt loam in the fine earth fraction.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 10R, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 3 through 6. It is silt loam or silty clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: Allegheny, Allenwood, Chetwynd, Drapermill, Frankstown, Gilpin, Gilwood, Glenelg, Leck Kill, Murrill, Queponco, Reybold, Rhodiss, Tate, and Ungers series are members of the same family. None of the competing series contain fragments of slate in the control section. Allegheny soils are terrace positions and formed alluvium derived from sandstone, siltstone and shale. Allenwood, Chetwynd and Leck Kill soils are formed from glacial till. Drapermill and Glenelg soils are formed from micaceous schist and phyllite. Frankstown soils are formed from siliceous limestone. Gilpin and Gilwood soils are moderately deep and formed from sedimentary rocks. Murrill soils are formed from colluvium of sandstone and shale over limestone. Queponco and Reybold are formed from fluvio-marine sediments. Rhodiss and Tate soils formed in residuum from granite, gneiss and other crystalline rocks. Ungers soils formed from red sandstones and shales.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whiteford soils formed in materials weathered from hard, very dark slates and/or phyllite. They are nearly level to moderately steep soils on ridgetops at higher elevations than most associated soils. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. The climate is temperate and humid. The mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cardiff, Chester, Elioak, Glenelg, Glenville, and Manor soils. Cardiff soils lack argillic horizons and have a dominant hue of 10YR. Chester, Elioak, Glenelg, Glenville, and Manor soils formed in materials weathered from mica schist. These associated soils are at lower elevations than the Whiteford soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Overall permeability is moderate, and runoff is medium to high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for growing general crops. Important areas have been exploited for slate, and some are in non-farm uses. Native vegetation is Virginia pine, black oak, yellow poplar, chestnut oak and mockernut hickory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1940.
REMARKS: Soils series updated to the 8Th Edition of Soil Taxonomy and relocated to Frederick County, Maryland
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 4 inches.
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 15 to 35 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)