West Virginia Symbols, State Soil

Adopted in 1997

The state soil is Monongahela Silt Loam, adopted by concurrent resolution in 1997, making West Virginia the 12th state to have an official state soil. The name “Monongahela” is derived from a Native American word meaning “high banks or bluffs, breaking off and falling down in places.” The series was established in Greene County, Pennsylvania, in 1921.

The Monongahela series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in old alluvium derived largely from acid sandstone and shale on terraces. Permeability in the fragipan is moderately slow or slow. Slope ranges from 0 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 45 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 51 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Fragiudults

TYPICAL PEDON: Monongahela silt loam - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine, and very fine roots throughout; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

BA--7 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and very fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)

Bt--12 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; weak to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and very fine roots; few fine distinct clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)

Btx1--22 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse platy; firm; few fine distinct clay films on prism faces; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) iron concentrations and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)

Btx2--31 to 42 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse platy; very firm, brittle;few fine distinct clay films on prism faces; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) iron concentrations and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)

Btx3--42 to 52 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cobbly loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse platy; very firm, brittle; numerous fine pores; few fine distinct clay films on prism faces;many distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) iron concentrations and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions; 25 percent sandstone cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

C--52 to 65 inches; mixed strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and light gray (N 7/ ) clay loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) crushed; massive; firm; 35 percent weathered shale, sandstone fragments and cobbles; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Randolph County, West Virginia; 2.7 miles east of Beverly, 100 feet north of church on north boundary of Randolph County 4-H Camp. USGS Beverly East topographic quadrangle; Latitude 38 degree 49 minutes 20 seconds N. and Longitude 75 degrees 51 minutes 33 seconds W. NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 72 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 18 to 30 inches. Volume of rounded gravel and cobbles dominantly is 0 to 15 percent but ranges from 0 to 30 percent above the fragipan, from 0 to 35 percent in the fragipan, and from 10 to 40 percent in the C horizon. Unless limed, the soil is strongly acid or very strongly acid throughout.

The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, values of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. In undisturbed areas, an A horizon less than 5 inches thick is present and ranges from dark brown (10YR 3/3) to dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4). Texture of the A and Ap horizons is silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth material.

The BA horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth material is silt loam.

The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth material is silt loam, loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam.

The Btx horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, values of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. Redoximorphic features have hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 8. The expression of the fragipan is evident to strong. Texture of the fine-earth material is silt loam, loam, or sandy clay loam, but in some pedons is clay loam or fine sandy loam.

The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth material is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: Beltsville is the only other series in this family at this time. Beltsville soils have rock fragments that are dominantly quartz. These soils are formed in Coastal Plain Sediments

The Annandale, Califon, Delassus, Hanover, Landisburg, Meckesville, Tonti, Trego, and Watson series are in a related family and may become competitors as their classification is updated.Annandale soils do not have low chroma redoximorphic features within 40 inches of the surface. Califon soils have coarse fragments dominantly of granitic gneiss. Delassus soils formed in loess and underlying residuum. Hanover and Watson soils have some angular rock fragments. Landisburg and Tonti soils contain chert fragments throughout. Meckesville and Trego soils have 5YR or redder hues in the fragipan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monongahela soils formed in old alluvium from soils derived largely from acid sandstone and shale. Thickness of the alluvium ranges from 40 inches to 70 inches or more. These soils are on terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 25 percent. The climate is humid temperate with average annual precipitation of 35 to 55 inches and average annual air temperatures of 45 to 57 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Allegheny, Zoar, Tygart, and Purdy soils on terraces, and Gilpin, Culleoka, Peabody, Dekalb, Berks, Weikert, Westmoreland, Dormont, and Upshur soils on upland positions. Allegheny soils do not have a fragipan, Zoar is finer textured, Tygart and Purdy are more poorly drained. All upland associates do not have a fragipan and are shallower to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff potential is negligible to very high. Permeability above the fragipan is moderate, and in the pan it is moderately slow or slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas have been cleared of the original hardwood forest and used for pasture, cultivated crops, and industrial and residential sites.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The series is of large extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Greene County, Pennsylvania, 1921.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (Ap and BA horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 12 to 52 inches (Bt and Btx horizons).
Fragipan - the zone from 22 to 52 inches (Btx horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available on the typifying pedon, S62-WVa 42-5(1-7).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.