LOCATION PIERPONT OHEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Fragiudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Pierpont silt loam, on an east-facing, 8 percent slope in a cultivated area at an elevation of about 810 feet above msl. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap-- 0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; 3 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick.)
Bw1-- 8 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine roots; many faint brown (10YR 5/3) silt coats on faces of peds 2 percent rock fragments; few fine distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions in the matrix beginning at 10 inches; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix beginning at 10 inches; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2-- 12 to 21 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; firm; few fine roots; many distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt coats on faces of peds; 2 percent rock fragments; common medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions in the matrix; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bw3-- 21 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; firm; few fine roots; many distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt coats on faces of peds; few fine dark iron and manganese oxide concretions; 5 percent rock fragments; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulaation in the matrix; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 8 to 24 inches.)
Btx1-- 24 to 31 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure; very firm; few fine roots on faces of prisms; many prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of prisms and common distinct clay films in pores; thin common fine dark iron and manganese oxide stains; 5 percent rock fragments; brittle; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) rind between the clay films and interior of peds; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Btx2-- 31 to 40 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak thick platy; very firm; few fine roots on faces of prisms; many prominent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds and common distinct clay films in pores; 5 percent rock fragments; brittle; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) rind between the clay films and interior of peds; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btx horizons is 15 to 30 inches.)
C1-- 40 to 44 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; massive in place parting to weak thick platy rock structure; firm; many distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) coats; common distinct gray (10YR 5/1) carbonate coats on vertical fracture faces; 5 percent rock fragments; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2-- 44 to 72 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; massive in place parting to weak thick platy along horizontal fractures; firm; common distinct gray (10YR 5/1) soft carbonate accumulations; 5 percent rock fragments; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Ohio; about 4 miles east of Painesville, in Perry Township, 150 feet south of the intersection of River Road (County Road 100) and Blair Road (County Road 217) along Blair Road, then 300 feet east. T. 11 N., R. 7 W.; USGS Painesville, Ohio topographic quadrangle; Latitude 41 degrees, 43 minutes, 59 seconds N. and Longitude 81 degrees, 08 minutes, 33 seconds W., NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 34 to 60 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 18 to 30 inches. Depth to carbonates commonly ranges from 35 to 60 inches, but is deeper in some pedons. Rock fragments are dominated by shale and siltstone.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 or 5 (6 or more dry), and chroma of 2 or 3. Structure is weak to strong, fine or medium granular. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid. Areas that have been limed range to slightly acid or neutral.
Some pedons have a BE or E horizon that has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Structure is weak, fine or medium subangular blocky. Rock fragments range from 0 to 3 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam. Clay content ranges from 24 to 35 percent. Structure is weak to strong, fine to coarse subangular blocky or prismatic. Rock fragments range from 0 to 3 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Btx horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam or clay loam. Structure is weak or moderate, very coarse prismatic, sometimes parting to subangular blocky or platy. Rock fragments range from 2 to 15 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid in the upper part and slightly acid or neutral in the lower part.
The BC horizon, if present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silt loam, loam, silty clay loam or clay loam. Structure is weak, medium to very coarse, subangular blocky, or weak, thin to thick, platy. Rock fragments range from 2 to 15 percent. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is silt loam, loam, silty clay loam or clay loam. Rock fragments range from 2 to 15 percent. Some pedons have cobbles or flagstones present. Thin strata of coarser textured material are present in some pedons. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Haubstadt, Nabb, Plumfield, Potawatomi, Sciotoville and Shakamak series. Haubstadt soils have a solum thickness of 60 to 90 inches. Nabb and Shakamak soils have a solum thickness of greater than 80 inches. Plumfield and Potawatomi soils have a solum thickness of greater than 60 inches. Sciotoville contains sandstone and quartzite, also noticeable silt sized mica flakes.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pierpont soils formed in Wisconsin age till that is strongly influenced by clayey shale and siltstone on till plains and moraines. Slope ranges from 2 to 18 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 29 to 43 inches, mean annual temperature ranges from 47 to 52 degrees F., frost free period ranges from 133 to 198 days, and elevation ranges from 570 to 1,200 feet above msl.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blakeslee (T), Canadice, Caneadea, Chenango, Darien, Fitchville, Glenford, Mill (T), Platea and Red Hook soils. The somewhat poorly drained Platea and poorly drained Mill (T) soils are in a drainage sequence with Pierpont soils. The poorly drained Canadice, somewhat poorly drained Caneadea and Fitchville soils, and moderately well drained Glenford soils are on nearby lacustrine terraces. The somewhat excessively drained Chenango, moderately well drained Blakeslee (T) and somewhat poorly drained Red Hook soils are on nearby outwash terraces. The somewhat poorly drained Darien soils are on lower landscape positions on till plains and moraines.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The potential for surface runoff is medium or high. Permeability is moderate or moderately slow above the fragipan and slow or very slow in the fragipan. The depth to an intermittent perched seasonal high water table ranges from 1.0 to 2.0 feet from November to April in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal uses in approximately equal amounts are cropland, pasture and hayland, woodland, and abandoned cropland reverting to woodland. Crops include wheat, oats, timothy, clover, corn, buckwheat, birdsfoot trefoil, some alfalfa, and soybeans. Native vegetation was deciduous forest. Major tree species include sugar maple, beech, red oak, white oak, and associated species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania. In MLRA's 100 and 139. The series is of moderate extent, about 12,000 acres.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Amherst, Massachusetts.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ashtabula County, Ohio, 1967.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 8 inches (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon - from a depth of 24 to 40 inches (Btx1 and Btx2 horizons).
Fragipan - from a depth of 24 to 40 inches (Btx1 and Btx2 horizons).
Aquic conditions - begin at a depth of 10 inches.
Udic moisture regime.
This 05/2000 revision includes a change in taxonomic classification, due to updates contained in the 8th Edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy. The previous classification was Fine-silty, mixed, mesic Aqueptic Fragiudalfs.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to pedon LK-30 for characterization data on the typical pedon, sample numbers 21757 to 21766, from Lake County, Ohio. Refer to pedon AB-69 for additional characterization data. All samples were analyzed by the Ohio State University Soil Characterization Laboratory, Columbus, Ohio.