LOCATION CUTSHIN KY+NC TNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Humic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Cutshin loam--on a convex 50 percent north facing slope under mixed hardwoods. (Colors are for moist soils.)
Oi--1 to 0 inches; partially decomposed leaf litter.
A1--0 to 10 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) channery loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 20 percent thin flat sandstone and siltstone fragments from 10 millimeters to 6 inches in length; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
AB--10 to 19 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) channery loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 20 percent thin flat sandstone and siltstone fragments from 10 millimeters to 6 inches in length; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bw1--19 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; common fine pores; 20 percent thin flat sandstone and siltstone fragments from 10 millimeters to 6 inches in length; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
Bw2--30 to 50 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) channery loam; common fine faint pale brown mottles and ped coatings; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; 30 percent thin flat sandstone and siltstone ments from 10 millimeters to 6 inches in length; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 40 inches thick)
Cr--50 to 60 inches; gray and brown soft siltstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Perry County, Kentucky; 500 feet east of Kentucky Highway 267, 2.75 miles northeast of the intersection of Kentucky Highway 267 and Kentucky Highway 15, about 6 miles north of Hazard.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to soft bedrock range from 40 to more than 80 inches. Subrounded and thin flat fragments from 10 millimeters to 15 inches across range from 5 to 35 percent in individual horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 to 3. It is channery, flaggy, or gravelly analogues of loam, silt loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is channery, flaggy, or gravelly analogues of loam, silt loam, sandy loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to medium acid. Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown and in the lower part shades of gray.
Some pedons have BA horizons and others have BC horizons or C horizons with colors and textures like the Bw horizon.
The Cr horizon is soft siltstone, sandstone, or shale. Some pedons have hard rock at depths of 6 to 10 feet.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Barbourville, Bohannan, Hembre, Horeb, Meda, Molalla, Preacher, Stevenson, Stossel, and Wadell series. Barbourville, Bohannan, Horeb, and Meda soils have sola less than 40 inches thick. Hembre soils have B horizons with 5YR hue, and basalt coarse fragments. Molalla soils have mean annual precipatation of 60 to 75 inches and mean annual temperature of 48 to 52 degrees F. Preacher soils have average annual precipitation of 80 to 120 inches. Stevenson soils have mean annual precipitation of about 80 inches and mean annual temperature of about 47 degrees F. Stossel and Wadell soils have average annual precipitation of 70 to 100 inches with relatively cool summers (mean July temperature of about 63 degrees F.) and mild wet winters (mean January temperatures of about 38 degrees F.).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cutshin soils are dominantly on the lower two thirds of mountain sides with cool aspects ranging from an azimuth of about 140 degrees to 320 degrees. They formed in colluvial material from soils formed in residuum of sandstone, siltstone, and shale. They are on concave side slopes, benches, and coves with slopes ranging from 15 to 80 percent. Near the type location the average annual temperature ranges from 53 degrees to 59 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dekalb, Gilpin, Kimper, Latham, and Shelocta series. All of these lack umbric epipedons. Dekalb soils are skeletal, and are less than 40 inches to bedrock. Kimper soils have dark surfaces 6 to 9 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium or rapid. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in second growth woodland. Vegetation is yellow-poplar, northern red oak, American beech, sugar maple, sweet birch, cucumber tree, American basswood, and black walnut.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Cumberland-Allegheny Plateau in Kentucky. Possibly similar areas in Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lexington, Kentucky
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Perry County, Kentucky; 1978.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon: 0 to 19 inches (A, AB)
Cambic horizon: 19 to 50 inches (Bw1, Bw2)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Samples S84KY-95-(4&5).