Watahala soil series
Soil profile: Profile of Watahala gravelly silt loam. Yellowish red clay begins at a depth of about 70 Centimeters and extends to below a depth 150 centimeters. (Soil Survey of Bland County, Virginia; by Robert K. Conner, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Watahala series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum from chert or cherty limestone over residuum from purer limestone on low hills and ridges in limestone valleys. Permeability is moderately slow to moderately rapid. Slope ranges from 2 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 44 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 57 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over clayey, siliceous over mixed, subactive, mesic Typic Paleudults
Solum thickness and depth to bedrock are more than 60 inches. Depth to the 2Bt horizon ranges from 20 to 50 inches. Coarse fragments are mostly chert, but may include limestone and sandstone and are mostly gravel or cobble size. Percent coarse fragments range from 10 to 45 in individual horizons above the 2Bt, but the control section averages less than 35 percent. Percent coarse fragments range from 0 to 35 in the 2Bt horizon. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the solum, and very strongly acid to strongly acid in the 2Bt horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for the production of timber and related natural resources. Some areas are used for pasture or have been developed for homesites. Some less sloping areas are used for row crops. The overstory in most areas consists of white oak, red oak, eastern white pine, black locust, chestnut oak, yellow-poplar, red maple, black birch, white ash, and black cherry. The understory contains mountain laurel, huckleberry, azalea, flowering dogwood, sassafras, black locust, black gum, wild grape, red maple, multi-flora rose, Virginia creeper, black birch, black berry and ferns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 128 and 147, Appalachian Ridge and Valley areas of Virginia and northern Tennessee. Series is of moderate extent. Soils now within the range of the Watahala series were correlated as Frederick, gravelly phase in several published soil surveys.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/virginia/VA021...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/W/WATAHALA.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Watahala soil series
Soil profile: Profile of Watahala gravelly silt loam. Yellowish red clay begins at a depth of about 70 Centimeters and extends to below a depth 150 centimeters. (Soil Survey of Bland County, Virginia; by Robert K. Conner, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Watahala series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum from chert or cherty limestone over residuum from purer limestone on low hills and ridges in limestone valleys. Permeability is moderately slow to moderately rapid. Slope ranges from 2 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 44 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 57 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over clayey, siliceous over mixed, subactive, mesic Typic Paleudults
Solum thickness and depth to bedrock are more than 60 inches. Depth to the 2Bt horizon ranges from 20 to 50 inches. Coarse fragments are mostly chert, but may include limestone and sandstone and are mostly gravel or cobble size. Percent coarse fragments range from 10 to 45 in individual horizons above the 2Bt, but the control section averages less than 35 percent. Percent coarse fragments range from 0 to 35 in the 2Bt horizon. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper part of the solum, and very strongly acid to strongly acid in the 2Bt horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for the production of timber and related natural resources. Some areas are used for pasture or have been developed for homesites. Some less sloping areas are used for row crops. The overstory in most areas consists of white oak, red oak, eastern white pine, black locust, chestnut oak, yellow-poplar, red maple, black birch, white ash, and black cherry. The understory contains mountain laurel, huckleberry, azalea, flowering dogwood, sassafras, black locust, black gum, wild grape, red maple, multi-flora rose, Virginia creeper, black birch, black berry and ferns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 128 and 147, Appalachian Ridge and Valley areas of Virginia and northern Tennessee. Series is of moderate extent. Soils now within the range of the Watahala series were correlated as Frederick, gravelly phase in several published soil surveys.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/virginia/VA021...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/W/WATAHALA.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit: