LOCATION MAYMEAD TN+NCEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Maymead loam, on the lower part of a mountain slope, in forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--4 to 0 inches; partially decomposed organic mat of hardwood and rhododendron leaves.
A1--0 to 1 inch; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; about 10 percent by volume fragments of feldspathic quartzite 1 to 4 inches across; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 9 inches thick)
A2--1 to 5 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; about 10 percent by volume fragments of feldspathic quartzite up to 4 inches across; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
BA--5 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; about 10 percent by volume of feldspathic quartzite fragments 1 to 4 inches across; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--11 to 44 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) cobbly loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; about 20 percent by volume fragments of feldspathic quartzite 1 to 6 inches across; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw2--44 to 62 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) cobbly loam; weak fine subangular blocky; very friable; few fine roots; about 35 percent by volume fragments of feldspathic quartzite up to 6 inches across; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons ranges from 30 to 60 inches)
R--62 inches; hard feldspathic quartzite bedrock; thin seams of yellowish brown sandy loam material in cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: Unicoi County, Tennessee; 0.4 mile northwest of Indian Grave Gap; 50 feet south of road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to hard rock is greater than 40 inches. Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches. Coarse fragments of feldspathic quartzite, graywacke, and arkosic sandstone ranges from 10 to 35 percent by volume in the A horizon, averages between 15 to 35 percent by volume in the control section but ranges to as little as 10 percent and to as much as 50 percent in subhorizons. The number of coarse fragments generally increase in number and size as depth increases. The soil is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 or 3. In some pedons the upper 1 to 5 inches has hue of 10YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. The fine earth fraction is loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. The fine earth fraction is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
The Bw horizons have hues of 10YR, or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. The fine earth fraction is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. In some pedons there are thin subhorizons of sandy clay loam or clay loam.
The C horizon, where present has colors and textures similar to those given for the Bw horizons. The C horizon commonly contain more and larger coarse fragments than the Bw horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashe, Ditney, Hazel, Riverhead, and Steinsburg series in the same family and geographically associated. Ashe, Ditney, Hazel, Riverhead, and Steinsburg soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to rock. The Brookshire series are closely similar soils. They have dark surface layers. Riverhead soils have sandy or sandy-skeletal substrata.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Maymead soils are on the lower parts of very steep mountainsides and in coves. Slope gradient ranges from about 8 to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from about 1,800 to 3,200 feet above sea level. The soil formed in local alluvium moved downslope from areas underlain by feldspathic quartzite, graywacke, arkosic sandstone, granite, and gneiss. These soils are in areas having about 54 inches average annual precipitation and about 50 degrees to 55 degrees F. average annual temperature.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Brookshire and Ditney series and the Ashe series which are on higher parts of the slopes and have rocks at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Practically all is in forest. The main tree species are yellow-poplar, hemlock, white pine, northern red oak, yellow birch, black cherry, and ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Unaka Mountain Range in Tennessee, and possibly in North Carolina and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lexington, Kentucky
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Unicoi County, Tennessee; 1980.
REMARKS: The 2/99 revision updates the classification to the 8th Edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy. This soil is placed in the semiactive CEC activity class based on comparison with associated soils such as Ditney.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to about 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from about 11 inches to a depth of about 62 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)