Supplemental data for soil surveys of James City, York, and New Kent counties, and Camp Peary and Fort Eustis, Virginia

Abstract

Soil surveys for James City and York Counties were completed in June 1980 and for New Kent County in 1985. The soil surveys for Camp Peary and Fort Eustis were completed in 1981 and 1984, respectively. These surveys were conducted 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 Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District, the respective boards of supervisors of the above counties, and the commands of the above military installations.

These surveys were made to determine the kinds of soils within these survey areas and to determine potential uses of the soils. Soil scientists observed steepness, length, and shape of slopes; size of streams and general pattern of drainage; kinds of native plants or crops; and kinds of sediments and rocks. They dug many pits to describe and sample soil profiles. A soil profile is the sequence of natural layers, or horizons, in a soil. It extends from the surf ace down into the parent material 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 soil boundaries. Map units are collections of delineations of natural landscape units of soils identified by the same symbol on soil maps. Most map units represent natural landscape units composed of one kind of soil or of soils with similar properties and responses to use and management. Other map units represent natural landscape units composed of two or more kinds of dissimilar soils.

Since the above published soil surveys do not include the actual laboratory data used to characterize, classify, and interpret the soils within the map units, this supplemental report presents these data. In addition, these published soil survey reports cannot present all possible interpretations for uses of the soils within these survey areas because uses of the soils are possible that are not currently known to the authors. Therefore, data included in this publication can be used by professional agricultural workers and engineers to make interpretations for these soils that are not included in the published soil survey reports.