LOCATION ASSATEAGUE VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Assateague fine sand - forested on 25 percent convex slope. (Colors are for moist soil.)
0--1 to 0 inches; undecomposed and partially decomposed pine needles, hardwood leaves, and twigs.
A--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; few fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
C1--2 to 40 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; few fine roots; moderately acid; gradual diffuse boundary.
C2--40 to 85 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Accomack County, Virginia; approximately 1.5 miles south southeast of the junction of Highways VA-2102 and VA-2113 and 1.7 miles north northwest of Tom's Cove Visitors' Center on Assateague Island.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the sandy A and C horizons is greater than 80 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid through mildly alkaline. Shell fragments are usually absent, but content ranges to 15 percent. Silt plus clay in the control section is less than 5 percent.
The O horizon, where present, is neutral or has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 through 3.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is coarse sand, sand, or fine sand.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 through 8, and chroma of 2 through 8. Low chroma mottles are the result of uncoated sand grains and not due to wetness. It is coarse sand, sand, or fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buncombe, Crevasse, Malden, Tarboro, and Wando series. Buncombe soils have few to many flakes of mica. Crevasse soils have a seasonal water table less than 6 feet. Malden soils have colors redder than 10YR. Tarboro and Wando soils have more than 5 percent silt plus clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Assateague soils are on undulating to steep dunes associated with beaches and salt marshes. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 25 to 60 inches and mean annual air temperature ranges from 57 to 65 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bojac, Carteret, Chincoteague, Fisherman, Magotha, and Molena soils. Bojac and Molena soils have argillic horizons. Carteret, Chincoteague, Fisherman, and Magotha soils are wetter and occupy lower landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; slow runoff; very rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Assateague soils are used for wildlife habitat and recreation. The natural plant community consists of wax myrtle or southern bayberry, loblolly pine, American holly, black cherry, beachgrass and sea rocket.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Virginia, and possibly North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Northampton County, Virginia, 1985. The name is from a barrier island.
REMARKS: In the past, Assateague soils have been included in the Fripp and Newhan soils and in the miscellaneous land class Dune land. The absence of subsurface pedogenic horizons, mixed mineralogy, and flooding by storm tides are the main diagnostic features of these soils.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University soil survey lab data shows less than 5 percent silt plus clay and less than 95 percent quartz and other heavy minerals for the typical pedon and 5 other profiles.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation VA0222 ASSATEAGUE 0- 50 57- 65 200-240 25- 60 1- 50SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness VA0222 NONE RARE 6.0-6.0 - 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- VA0222 0- 2 COS S FS 0- 0 75-100 0-10 - VA0222 2-85 COS S FS 0- 0 75-100 0- 5 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll VA0222 0- 2 4.5- 7.3 0.-.5 0- 0 20- 20 LOW VA0222 2-85 5.6- 7.8 0.-.5 0- 0 20- 20 LOW