LOCATION HAGERSTOWN MD+IN KY PA TN VA WVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Hagerstown silt loam, on a 2 percent north-facing slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown to dark brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; many roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
B1--8 to 20 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few patchy clay coatings; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
B21t--20 to 32 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm; thick continuous clay coatings on peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
B22t--32 to 41 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; thick continuous clay and manganese coatings; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
B23t--41 to 51 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; frim; patchy clay coatings and manganese stainings; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
B3t--51 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; weak medium
subangular blocky structure; firm; patchy clay coatings; very dark gray (5YR
3/1) stainings; few weathered limestone fragments; neutral; gradual smooth
boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C--60 to 72 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6)
and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; massive; firm; few small limestone
fragments; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Maryland; 0.2 mile north of Hagerstown on Maryland 60, 0.1 mile south of junction of Maryland 60 and county road, 42 feet east of road opposite light pole no. 102.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 72 inches, however, clay content decreases by more than 20 percent if deeper than 60 inches. Depth to hard limestone ranges from 40 to 84 inches or more. In limed soils, the upper part of the solum ranges from strongly acid through slightly acid and the lower part ranges from strongly acid through neutral. Hagerstown soils are low in coarse fragments with less than 15 percent by volume. The weighted average clay content of the textural control section is between 35 and 60 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. Thin A1 horizon has a value of 3. Texture is silt loam, loam, clay loam, and silty clay loam or their cherty and gravelly analogues.
The B1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value or 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture is heavy loam, heavy list loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, clay or silty clay. Thin faint clay films are present in the B1 horizon in a few pedons.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR or 2.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8. Subhorizons of some pedons are 7.5YR. Texture is silty clay or clay, or is silty clay loam in part. Structure is mostly moderate, but is weak or strong in subhorizons of many pedons.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR through 2.5YR, value of 3 through 6, and chroma of 4 through 8; it ranges from being uniform in color to moderately or highly variegated. Texture ranges from loam or silty loam to clay. In many pedons the C horizon is absent or is a very thin transition horizon between solum and bedrock.
COMPETING SERIES: In the same family are the Amos, Bardley, Beasley, Bland, Brashear, Bratton, Briggsville, Brookside, Caneyville, Carbo, Chrome, Derinda, Donahue, Eden, Edenton, Elba, Eldean, Elledge, Faywood, Fredonia, Gatewood, Heitt, Kewaunee, Lowell, Markland, Medary, Miamian, Milton, Ozaukee, Shrouts, Switzerland, Upshur, Vandalia, Vincent, Woodsfield and Wynn series. The Amos, Mrashear, Brookside, Carbo, Gatewood, Markland, and Switzerland soils have Bt horizons no redder than hue 7.5YR in any part. Bardley, Beasley, Bland, Bratton, Briggsville, Caneyville, Chrome, Derinda, Donahue, Eden, Edenton, Elledge, Faywood, Fredonia, Heitt, Lowell, Kewaunee, Medary, Miamian, Milton, Ozaukee and Shrouts soils have sola less than 40 inches thick, or are less than 40 inches to bedrock, or to paralithic contact. Elba and Eldean soils have carbonates within a depth of 30 and 36 inches, respectively. Upshur soils have sola less than 44 inches thick and a Bt horizon with value and chroma no greater than 4, but there is some overlap with Hagerstown in these two differentiate. Vandalia and Woodsfield soils have coarse fragments of shale, siltstone and sandstone. Vincent soils have evidence of varving in the lower part of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hagerstown soils occupy valley floors and the adjacent hills. In some areas rock outcrops are common surface features. Most slopes are less than 15 percent but range up to 45 percent. The soils developed in materials weathered from hard gray limestone of rather high purity. The climate is temperate and moderately humid, with a mean annual temperature of 45 to 58 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation of 30 to 45 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Athol, Baltimore, Benevola, Clarksburg, Duffield, Dunmore, Edom, Elliber, Elk, Frankstown, Frederick, Conestoga, Murrill, and Opequon soils. Athol, Baltimore, Conestoga, Duffield, Elk, Frankstown, Murrill and Wiltshire soils have less than 35 percent clay in the textural control section. Baltimore and Benevola soils have an Ap horizon with a value of less than 3.5. Clarksburg, Dunmore and Frederick soils have a Bt horizon 50 to 75 inches thick that is dominantly kaolinitic in mineralogy. Edom soils have sola less than 40 inches thick. Opequon soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is moderate to rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: General crops, pastures, orchards, and truck crops. Large areas are in nonfarm uses. Native vegetation is mixed hardwoods, including black walnut.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee; possibly Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri. The series is of large extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
REMARKS: Unnamed soils associates or inclusions are represented by pedons with thicker solum than Hagerstown, and a weighted average of more than 60 percent clay in the textural control section.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.