Browsing by Author "Thomas, S. K."

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    Supplemental data for soil survey of Greene County, Virginia
    Thomas, S. K.; Edmonds, William J.; Baker, James C. (Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, 1987-06)
    A soil survey of Greene County (Thomas and Crawford, 1986) was completed in 1984 by the Agronomy Department of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Research Division, in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Greene County Board of Supervisors. This survey was made to determine the kinds of soils within Greene County and how they can be used to their fullest potential. Soil scientists observed the steepness, length, and shape of slopes; the size of streams and general pattern of drainage; the kinds of native plants or crops; and the kinds of rocks. They dug many pits to describe and sample soil profiles. A profile is the sequence of natural layers, or horizons, in a soil. It extends from the land surface down into the parent material; i.e., weathered rock or unconsolidated sediments which have been changed little by plant roots. Soil maps are produced when soil scientists draw boundaries on aerial photographs of the kinds of soils observed in the survey area. These photographs show trees, buildings, fields, roads, and other natural and cultural features that were used to locate these soil boundaries. Mapping units are collections of delineations of natural soil bodies identified by a single symbol on soil maps. Most mapping units represent natural soil bodies composed of one kind of soil or of soils with similar properties and responses to use and management. Other mapping units are made up of two or more kinds of soils. Since the Soil Survey of Greene County, Virginia, (Thomas and Crawford, 1986) does not include the actual laboratory data used to characterize, classify, and interpret the soils within the mapping units, this supplemental report presents these data.