LOCATION PURDY WV+KY MD OH PA TN VA
Established Series
Rev. ART-WFH
09/2001
PURDY SERIES
The Purdy series consists of very deep, poorly drained or very poorly drained soils with slow or very slow permeability. They formed in slackwater-deposited alluvial materials on terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Near the type location, mean annual precipitation is 42 inches, and mean annual temperature is 51 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Purdy silt loam, in a pasture. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; common medium prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
BAg--9 to 19 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
Btg--19 to 42 inches; dark gray (N 4/0) silty clay; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; continuous distinct clay films on faces of peds; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 30 inches thick)
Cg--42 to 65 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) silty clay; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Randolph County, West Virginia; 100 yards west of U.S. Route 250, 0.75 mile north of Dailey.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 28 to 50 inches. Depth to bedrock or unconforming substrata is more than 5 feet. Reaction, where unlimed, ranges from strongly acid to extremely acid. Pedons have brown, yellow, or gray mottles in all horizons.
The Ap horizon has a hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or neutral, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 0, 1, or 2. Undisturbed areas have a thin A horizon with value less than 3.5. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam.
The BA horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or neutral, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 0, 1, or 2. Texture is silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or neutral, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 0, 1, or 2. Texture is generally silty clay or clay, but includes silty clay loam and clay loam. It has weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure, or weak or moderate, medium or coarse prismatic structure parting to subangular blocky.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, neutral, 5GY or greener, value of 4, 5, or 6 and chroma of 0, 1, 2, or 3. Texture is generally silty clay but the range includes clay loam, silty clay loam and clay. Some pedons contain pebbles or cobbles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Armagh and Kinkora series in the same family. The Armagh soils have more than 5 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the series control section. The Kinkora soils are micaceous.
The Albano, Baile, Brinkerton, Cavode, Colemantown, Fallsington, McGary, Othello, Prout, Roanoke, Robertsville, Shrewsbury, Tygart, Tyler and Worsham series are members of related families. The Albano and McGary soils have base saturation more than 35 percent. The Baile, Fallsington, Othello, Prout and Shrewsbury soils have weighted average clay content of less than 35 percent in the control section. The Brinkerton, Robertsville and Tyler soils have fragipans. The Cavode and Tygart soils have chroma 2 or lower in less than 60 percent of the soil volume between the Ap or A and a 30 inches depth. Colemantown soils contain glauconite. The Roanoke and Worsham soils have average annual soil temperature of more than 59 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Purdy soils are on nearly level to gently sloping terraces. They developed in massive silty clay with occasional lenses of coarser material. The climate is humid temperature; mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 50 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 49 to 57 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained Berks, Gilpin and Weikert series in nearby uplands and the Blago, Monongahela, Tygart and Zoar series on adjoining terraces. Monongahela and Zoar soils are moderately well drained. Tygart soils are somewhat poorly drained and Blago soils are poorly drained. In addition, the Blago soils have a dark colored surface layer.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly to very poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is slow or very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly pasture. Forests are mainly oaks, red maple, beech and hickory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia. Extend is small.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sciota County, Ohio, 1933.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
a. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 19 inches (Ap and BAg horizons).
b. Argillic horizon - the zone from 19 to 42 inches (Btg horizon).
c. Aquic conditions.
NOTE: Competing series are expected to change as similar series are evaluated.
SIR = WV0034, (also variant is OH0270.)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.