LOCATION WILDELL WV+VA
Established Series
JWB-TAD/Rev.MDJ
05/2014
WILDELL SERIES
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Wildell (highly organic) silt loam, in a forested area of Mandy-Wildell complex, 35 to 55 percent slopes, at an elevation of about 1000 meters (3320 feet). (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi--0 to 6 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); slightly decomposed plant material derived mainly from the leaf litter of red spruce trees; common fine and medium and many very fine roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.1); abrupt smooth boundary.
Oe--6 to 13 centimeters (2 to 5 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moderately decomposed plant material derived mainly from the leaf litter of red spruce trees; common very fine, fine, medium, and course roots throughout; ultra acid (pH 3.0); abrupt wavy boundary.
Oa/A--13 to 23 centimeters (5 to 9 inches); 80 percent reddish black (2.5YR 2.5/1) highly decomposed plant material derived mainly from the leaf litter of red spruce trees (Oa), and 20 percent very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) silt loam (A); weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 3 percent siltstone channers; ultra acid (pH 2.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the O horizon is 3 to 41 cm (1 to 16 inches); thickness of the A horizon is 00 to 10 cm (0 to 4 inches)).
E--23 to 29 centimeters (9 to 12 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/3) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots throughout; 3 percent siltstone channers; this horizon is continuous across 80 percent of the face of the sampled pedon; ultra acid (pH 3.4); clear broken boundary. (3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 inches) thick).
Bhs/Bh--29 to 37 centimeters (12 to 15 inches); 30 percent brown (7.5YR 4/3) and 25 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) silty clay loam (Bhs); 45 percent black (7.5YR 2.5/1) silty clay loam (Bh); weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; weakly smeary; common medium and very coarse and few very fine roots throughout; 3 percent siltstone channers; this horizon is continuous across 85 percent of the face of the sampled pedon; extremely acid (pH 3.5); clear broken boundary.
Bs/Bhs--37 to 50 centimeters (15 to 20 inches); 60 percent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) and 30 percent brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam (Bs); 10 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) silty clay loam (Bhs); weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; weakly smeary; few fine, common medium, and few very fine roots throughout; 5 percent siltstone channers; extremely acid (pH 3.9); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the spodic materials (any combination of Bh, Bhs, or Bs horizons) is 15 to 51 cm (6 to 20 inches).
Bw--50 to 64 centimeters (20 to 25 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) channery silt loam; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and very fine, common medium and coarse roots throughout; 5 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4), moist, organic stains on all faces of peds and 5 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4), moist, organic stains on bottom surfaces of rock fragments; 30 percent siltstone channers; extremely acid (pH 4.3); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 51 cm (4 to 20 inches) thick).
BC--64 to 77 centimeters (25 to 30 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery silt loam; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots throughout; 50 percent siltstone channers; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); clear wavy boundary. (00 to 30 cm (0 to 12 inches) thick).
C--77 to 98 centimeters (30 to 39 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) extremely channery silt loam; massive; firm; organic stains on bottom surfaces of rock fragments; 75 percent siltstone channers; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (00 to 30 cm (0 to 12 inches) thick).
R--98 centimeters (39 inches); fractured siltstone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION:
County: Pocahontas County.
State: West Virginia.
USGS Quadrangle: Wildell, West Virginia.
Latitude (Decimal Degrees, NAD 83): 38.714672 north
Longitude (Decimal Degrees, NAD 83): 79.752156 west
Directions to the pedon: Travelling along Forest Service (FS) Road 35, about 2.9 kilometers east of the junction of FS Road 44 and FS Road 35 (site of the former town of Wildell), then about 90 meters SW of Snorting Lick Run.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the top of the spodic horizon: 8 to 36 cm below mineral surface (3 to 14 inches).
Depth to the base of the spodic horizon: 20 to 81 cm below mineral surface (8 to 32 inches).
Solum Thickness: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches).
Depth to Bedrock: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches).
Depth Class: Moderately deep.
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Greater than 183 cm (72 inches).
Depth to Lithologic Discontinuity (if present): 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches)
Rock Fragment content: 0 to 60 percent, by volume, in the O, A, and E horizons; 10 to 60 percent, by volume, in the Bhs, Bs, and Bw horizons; 30 to 90 percent, by volume, in the BC and C horizons. The weighted average of the rock fragments in the control section is greater than 35 percent by volume.
Soil Reaction: Ultra acid to very strongly acid, unless limed.
Other Soil Features: In most pedons, the horizons in the upper part of the solum have been mixed by tree throws, soil creep, or a combination of these processes. The upper solum commonly contains mixed or combined horizons and horizons with broken or irregular boundaries. Rarely are horizons in the upper solum homogeneous. Therefore, the properties described in the Range of Individual Horizons can and should be applied to discrete parts of intermingled horizons.
Range of Individual Horizons:
O horizon: An organic horizon in various stages of decomposition is present. This horizon is mainly derived from the leaf litter of red spruce and/or eastern hemlock trees. Combined thickness of the O horizon is 3 to 41 cm (1 to 16 inches).
A horizon (if present):
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 3.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)- silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam.
Other features-this horizon may be highly organic
E horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)-silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, clay loam, or fine sandy loam.
Other features- structure is commonly moderate medium subangular blocky. This horizon may sometimes meet the requirements of an albic horizon. Montmorillonite is the dominate clay mineral in this horizon.
Bh horizon (if present):
Color--hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)- silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam.
Other features--this horizon is weakly or moderately smeary.
Bhs horizon (if present):
Color--hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 3 through 6, or has a value of 4 and chroma of 3.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)- silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam.
Other features-this horizon is weakly or moderately smeary.
Bs horizon (if present):
Color--hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)- silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam.
Other features- this horizon may be weakly smeary.
Bw horizon:
Color--hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 or 6.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)-silt loam or loam.
BC or C horizon (if present):
Color--hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 or 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam or loam.
Mottles (if present)--in shades of brown, yellow, or olive are lithochromic.
2BC or 2C horizon (if present):
Color--hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 through 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, clay loam, or fine sandy loam.
Mottles (if present)--in shades of brown, yellow, or olive are lithochromic.
COMPETING SERIES:
There are no other members of this family. The following series are in related families:
Gauley soils - have more sand in the fine-earth and siliceous mineralogy
Blandburg soils - are very deep and have more sand in the fine-earth
Leetonia soils - are deep, have more sand in the fine-earth, and have a mesic temperature regime
Nipissing soils - are formed in beach deposits
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
MLRA(s) using this series: 127 (Eastern Allegheny Plateau and Mountains), 147 (Northern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys).
Landscape: Mountains.
Landform: Mountain slopes.
Geomorphic Component: Mountaintop, mountainflank.
Hillslope Profile Position: Summit, shoulder, backslope.
Micro-feature: Tree-tip pit, tree-tip mound (cradle knoll micro-relief).
Parent Material Origin: Acid, interbedded shale, siltstone, and fine-grained sandstone.
Parent Material Kind: Residuum and/or creep deposits, often mixed by tree throws.
Slope: 8 to 80 percent.
Aspect: 220 to 30 degrees.
Elevation: 914 to 1341 meters (3,000 to 4,400 feet).
Frost-free period: 90 to 148 days.
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 6.3 to 7.3 degrees C. (43 to 45 degrees F.)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1319 to 1490 mm (52 to 59 inches).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Mandy soils - have weakly expressed spodic properties.
Snowdog soils - are moderately well drained, have a fragipan, and do not have a spodic horizon.
Leatherbark soils - are somewhat poorly drained and do not have a spodic horizon.
Simoda soils - are moderately well drained, have a fragipan, and do not have a spodic horizon.
Madsheep soils - are 5YR or redder in the control section and do not have a spodic horizon.
Paddyknob soils - have more sand in the control section and do not have a spodic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class (Agricultural): Well drained.
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Absent.
Index Surface Runoff: Low or medium.
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high.
Permeability Class (Obsolete): Moderate.
Shrink-swell Potential: Low.
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None.
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None.
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland.
Dominant overstory: Red spruce, eastern hemlock, American beech, black cherry, Frazier magnolia, red maple, sweet birch, yellow birch.
Dominant understory: American beech, red maple, red spruce.
Dominant ground cover: Ferns, greenbrier, wood sorrel.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: West Virginia and Virginia.
Extent: Small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, 2014.
REMARKS: Wildell soils were previously mapped as moist phases of the Berks or Dekalb soil series in out-of-date soil surveys in West Virginia. Wildell soils are found on cool, moist landscapes. They have a perudic or near-perudic soil moisture regime and a frigid soil temperature regime. Although some areas of these soils are currently covered by northern hardwood forests, they are thought to have formed under a canopy that was at least 50 percent conifer (red spruce and/or eastern hemlock).
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Folistic epipedon--the zone from 0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches) (Oi, Oe, Oa horizons).
Spodic horizon--the zone from 29 to 50 cm (Bhs/Bh and Bs/Bhs horizons).
Skeletal feature--Approximately 39 percent (by volume) weighted average rock fragments in the 25 to 98 centimeters (10 to 39 inches) control section.
Series control section--the zone from 0 to 98 centimeters (0 to 39 inches).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the KSSL for the Typical Pedon:
Pedon No. 12N8061. Other valuable reference pedons available from the KSSL: 12N8058, 12N8059. Additional data is available from the USFS Monongahela National Forest Soil Resource program and WVU.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.