# SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature

geomfdesc:
A type of basaltic lava flow with a characteristically smooth, billowy or rope-like surface.  Compare - a'a lava flow, block lava flow, pillow lava flow.  GG & MA


geomfdesc:
A relict glaciofluvial terrace that retains its original attitude, composed of undistorted outwash sediments and depositional structures and whose surface is pock-marked with numerous potholes or kettle depressions.  Compare - collapsed outwash plain.  SW


geomfdesc:
(a) A general term for a natural, freshwater surface stream of considerable volume and generally with a permanent baseflow, moving in a defined channel toward a lake, sea, or a larger river;  (b) (colloquial - New England, USA; not recommended)  A small watercourse which elsewhere in the USA is known as a creek.  Compare - stream.  GG


geomfdesc:
A portion of a hillslope or mountainslope mantled by scree and lacking an up-slope rockfall source (i.e. cliff).  Compare - talus slope, scree, talus.  SW


geomfdesc:
The narrow strip of land immediately bordering any body of water, esp. the sea or a large lake; specifically the zone over which the ground is alternately exposed and covered by tides or waves, or the zone between high water and low water.  GG


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (soil fall deposit) or resultant landform characterized by a rapid type of fall involving the relatively free, downslope movement or collapse of detached, unconsolidated soil material which falls freely through the air (lacks an underlying slip face); sediments predominantly fine earth (< 2 mm); common along undercut stream banks.  Also called earth fall, and (not recommended) debris fall.  Compare - rock fall, debris fall, topple, landslide.  SW


geomfdesc:
Small, trough-like, arcuate or sinuous channels separated by small bars or ridges, caused by fluvial processes and common to floodplains and young alluvial terraces; a constituent part of bar & channel topography. GG, FFP, & SW


geomfdesc:
A small, sinuous or arcuate ridge-like lineation on a flood plain and separated from others like it by small channels or troughs; caused by fluvial processes and common to flood plains and young alluvial terraces, and is a constituent part of bar & channel topography.  Compare - meander scroll.  SW


geomfdesc:
A bizzarrely shaped column, pinnacle, or pillar of rock produced by differential weathering or erosion in a region of sporadically heavy rainfall.  Formation is facilitated by joints and layers of varying hardness.  Compare - earth pillar.  GG


geomfdesc:
A generic name for a small, low hill, generally between 3 - 30 m in height and slopes between 5 and 50% (e.g., bigger than a mound but smaller than a hill); commonly considered a microfeature.  Compare - mound, hill.  SW


geomfdesc:
A small, natural, narrow drainageway on high angle slopes which separate small, tertiary spur ridges or mini-interfluves and is a constituent part of rib & groove topography; common in well dissected uplands.  Compare - rib.  SW


geomfdesc:
A very small channel with steep sides caused by erosion and cut in unconsolidated materials by concentrated but intermittent flow of water, usually during and immediately following moderate rains or after ice / snow melt.  Generally, a rill is not an obstacle to wheeled vehicles and is shallow enough (e.g., < 0.5 m) to be obliterated by ordinary tillage.  Compare - gully.  SW & GSST


geomfdesc:
A small, high-angle, tertiary spur ridge or mini-interfluve that is a constituent part of rib & groove topography; (slopes generally 20 - 90 %, or more); common on the mid and lower hillslopes of well dissected uplands.  Compare - finger ridge, groove, rib and groove topography.  SW


geomfdesc:
An open and usually unpaved (unlined), channel or trench excavated to convey water for drainage (removal) or irrigation (addition) to or from a landscape; smaller than a canal; some ditches are modified natural waterways.  GG


geomfdesc:
An area of smooth or uneven accumulations or piles of waste rock, earthy material, or general refuse that without major reclamation are incapable of supporting plants.  Compare - sanitary landfill, fill.  GSST


geomfdesc:
(a)  Human-constructed deposits of natural earth materials (e.g. rock, soil, gravel) and waste materials (e.g. tailings or spoil from dredging) used to fill a depression, to extend shore land into a a body of water, or in building dams.  (b)  Soil or loose rock used to raise the surface level of low-lying land, such as an embankment to fill a hollow or ravine in road and railroad construction


geomfdesc:
- (a) A bank, mound, or other artificial accumulation composed of spoil;  e.g., An embankment of earthy material dredged from a channel and deposited alongside it.  (b) A pile of refuse material from an excavation or mining operation; e.g. a pile of dirt removed from, and stacked at the surface of a mine in a conical heap or in layers.  GG


geomfdesc:
Raised, linear mounds with subdued, convex slope cross-sections constructed by mounding and shaping spoil material dredged from adjacent drainage ditches and placed over natural soil.  The mounds serve as preferred, better-drained bedding areas for managed timber plantations; common in the lower coastal plains of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, USA.  SW


geomfdesc:
Irregularly spaced, roughly linear to radial depressions or small mounds associated with shallow to deep soil disturbance caused by dragging logs across a slope from where they were cut down to a central processing area such as a log landing during timber harvest operations.  SW


geomfdesc:
A comparatively level area, usually with road access, constructed or cut into steeper slopes and used for sorting logs during timber harvest operations.  Compare - skid trail.  SW


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains)  The convex, upper margin (shoulder) of a playa basin where the playa slope intersects the surrounding terrain.  Compare - playa slope.  SW


geomfdesc:
A small, permanent body of water in a semi-closed or closed depression formed by movement along a strike-slip fault or by mass movement (i.e., landslide) that ponds water from impounded drainage or surface runoff.  Also spelled sagpond.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains)  The relatively level or gently inclined "terrace-like" bench or toeslope within a large playa basin flanking and topographically higher than the playa floor and below the playa slope; a bench or step-like surface within a playa basin that breaks the continuity of the playa slope and modified by erosion and/or deposition.  Temporary ponding may occur in response to precipitation / runoff events.  Compare - playa slope.  SW


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains)  The lowest extensive, flat to slightly concave surface within a playa basin, consisting of a dry lake bed or lake plain underlain by stratified clay, silt or sand, and commonly by soluble salts.  Compare - playa step.  SW


geomfdesc:
A small, partially or completely closed depression formed by movement along a strike-slip fault, or by mass movement (i.e., landslide) that may or may not temporarily pond water from impounded drainage or surface runoff.  For example, a closed depression formed between a scarp or headwall and an adjacent rotated slump block of a landslide.  SW


geomfdesc:
A natural, seasonal pond in a small closed depression (micro-low) which supports a semi-aquatic or aquatic ecosystem adapted to annual cycles of standing water in the springtime followed by drying in the summer / autumn; commonly recognized in CA.  SW


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains)  The generally concave to slightly convex area within a playa basin that lies between the relatively level playa floor below (or playa step, if present) and the convex playa rim above.  Overland flow is typically parallel down slope.  Compare - playa step, playa rim.  SW


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains)  A linear or curvilinear ridge of windblown, granular material (generally sand or parna) removed from the adjacent basin by wind erosion (deflation), and deposited on the leeward (prevailing downwind) margin of a playa, playa basin, or salina basin.  The dune may be barren or vegetated.  Compare - dune.  SW


geomfdesc:
One in a group of small, tertiary spur ridges that form crudely palmate extensions of erosional remnants along the flanks or nose of larger ridges.  Compare - ballena, rib.  SW


geomfdesc:
An extensive lowland area of coarse textured, glaciofluvial material.  An outwash plain is commonly smooth; where pitted, due to melt-out of incorporated ice masses (pitted outwash plain), it is generally low in relief and largely retains it's original gradient.  Compare - outwash, pitted outwash plain, collapsed outwash plain, kettles.  SW & HP


geomfdesc:
An assemblage of landforms constructed proximal to a relatively static, rapidly wasting continental glacial margin.  Constituent landforms can include fosse, head-of-outwash, ice-contact slope, ice-contact delta, kame, kame moraine, kettle, outwash fan, small outwash plain, glacial sluiceway, and small proglacial lake.  Moraines, if present, are of limited occurrence (except kame moraines which can be extensive).  Glaciofluvial sediments dominate but glaciolacustrine sediments, till, and diamictons can be present in minor amounts.  SW


geomfdesc:
A glacial lake occupying a portion of a tunnel valley.  GG


geomfdesc:
A subsequent valley eroded in, and developed parallel to the strike of, underlying weak strata; such as a cuesta; a valley that commonly, but not necessarily contains a strike valley.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
An erosion surface of low relief, cut directly into and across bedrock and composed of either bare rock or thinly veneered pedisediment or residuum (e.g. < 1.5 m) over bedrock; it occurs along the flanks of mountain fronts, or at the base of mountains or high hills.  Its surface grades to the backwearing mountain slopes or hillslopes above, and generally grades down to and merges with a lower-lying alluvial plain, piedmont slope or valley floor below.  SW & FFP


geomfdesc:
(colloquial: Caribbean Basin)  An isolated, steep-sided, commonly asymmetrical hill or ridge composed of limestone, generally steeper on its leeward side (prevailing downwind side) and surrounded by nearly level to sloping coastal plain composed of marine and alluvial sediments; a type of karst tower.  They range in height from a few feet (< 1 m) to over 150 ft (50 m).  Most are isolated and cover small areas but some form clusters of hills or ridges rising out of the surrounding blanket deposits.  Mogotes are extensive in northern Puerto Rico.  SW, Monroe ( 1976, 1980), & WW.


geomfdesc:
A long, narrow sand dune, usually symmetrical in cross profile, oriented parallel to the prevailing wind direction ; it is wider and steeper on the windward side but tapers to a point on the lee side.  It commonly forms behind an obstacle in an area where sand is abundant and the wind is strong and constant.  Such dunes can be a few meters high and up to 100 km long.  Compare - seif dune, transverse dune.  GG


geomfdesc:
The concave to relatively flat bottomed, roughly linear depressions ranging from small saddles or swales to small valleys that separate drumlins or drumlinoid ridges in drumlin fields.  Streams, if present, have not had a dominant impact on the formation of the depression.  Compare - drumlin, drumlinoid ridge.  SW


geomfdesc:
A stream drainage along the side or front of a glacier.  Relict ice-marginal streams are used to trace the former position of a glacier; also called ice-marginal drainage.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A steep escarpment of predominantly glaciofluvial sediment that was deposited against a wall of glacier ice, marking the position of a relatively static ice-margin; an irregular scarp against which glacier ice once rested.  Compare - head-of-outwash.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A sloping and sometimes high relief landform composed predominantly of glaciofluvial sediment that delimits a former ice-margin of a relatively static, rapidly wasting glacier.  A steep ice-contact slope forms the ice-proximal face of the landform; a more gently sloping surface dips away on the distal slope, if not slumped.  Compare - ice-margin complex.  SW


geomfdesc:
The comparatively steep, glacially scoured, concave sides of a u-shaped, mountain valley mantled by colluvium with little or no till; (not preferred: colloquial - western USA) sometimes called a trough wall.  SW


geomfdesc:
The comparatively flat bottom of a mountain valley predominantly mantled by till but which can grade from glacial scour (scoured rock-outcrop) near it's head to a thick mantle of till, and ultimately merging with alluvium or colluvium further down valley.   Some glacial-valley floors descend downstream in a series of scour-derived steps which may contain sequential tarn lakes (pater noster lakes); (not preferred: colloquial - western USA) sometimes called a trough bottom.  SW


geomfdesc:
A rock drumlin or drift deposit whose form approaches but does not fully attain that of a classic drumlin, even though it seemingly results from similar processes of moving ice.  Compare - drumlin, interdrumlin.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
(not preferred) refer to cirque headwall.


geomfdesc:
The comparatively level bottom of a cirque, thinly mantled with till and consisting of glacially-scoured knolls and hillocks separated by depressions, flat areas and small lakes (tarn); commonly it is bounded by a slightly elevated rock lip at its exit.  SW & HD


geomfdesc:
(a) The main stream of an intermontane valley, flowing in the deepest part of the valley and parallel to its longest dimension.  (b) A stream that follows the axis of a syncline or anticline.  GG


geomfdesc:
A relatively level or bench-like surface formed by the coalescence of several cirques.  GG & SW


geomfdesc:
a) A large-capacity channel constructed to divert floodwaters or excess streamflow from populous, flood-prone areas, such as a bypass route bounded by levees.  b) The part of the flood plain kept clear of encumbrances and reserved for emergency diversion of floodwaters.  GG


geomfdesc:
(colloquial: western U.S.A.) A wide, gently-sloping portion of a bolson floor comprising numerous, parallel, closely-spaced, relict longshore-bars and lagoons built by a receding pluvial lake.  Synonym, offshore barrier, offshore beach, bar beach.  Compare - bar [coast], barrier island.  GG and FFP


geomfdesc:
(a) A divergent stream flowing away from the main stream and not returning to it, as in a delta or on a flood plain.  It may be produced by stream deposition choking the original channel.  (b) One of the channels of a braided stream; a channel carrying the water of a stream distributary.  GG


geomfdesc:
(a) A lake occupying a deflation basin as in a blowout on a dune.  (b) A lake occupying a basin formed by the blocking of a stream by sand dunes migrating along a shore (e.g. Moses lake, WA).  GG


geomfdesc:
(not recommended - use meteorite crater)  A generally circular crater formed by the impact of an interplanetary body (projectile) on a planetary surface.  GG


geomfdesc:
An asymmetrical ridge of local, essentially non-glacial material (such as deformed bedrock, with some drift incorporated in it) that has been pressed up by the shearing action of an advancing glacier.  It is typically 10 - 60 m high, about 150 - 300 m wide, and as much as 5 km long.  Examples are common on the Great Plains where such ridges occur on the sides of escarpments formed of relatively incompetent rocks that face the direction from which the ice moved.  GG


geomfdesc:
The sloping part of the beach that is alternately covered and uncovered by the uprush of waves, and where longshore movement of water occurs in a zigzag (upslope-downslope) manner.  Compare - shoreline.  GG


geomfdesc:
a) A large mass of ice formed, at least in part, on land by the compaction and recrystallization of snow, moving slowly by creep downslope or outward in all directions due to the stress of its own weight, and surviving from year to year.  Included are small mountain glaciers as well as ice sheets continental in size, and ice shelves which float on the ocean but are fed in part by ice formed on land. b)  A stream-like landform having the appearance of, or moving like a glacier; e.g. a rock glacier.  Compare - snowfield, rock glacier.  GG


geomfdesc:
A generic term for the steeper part of a hill between its summit and the drainage line, valley flat, or depression floor at the base of the hill.  Compare - mountain slope. HP


geomfdesc:
An elongated depression of the Earth's surface; carved by a river during the course of it's development.  Compare - valley side, valley floor.  GG


geomfdesc:
A bank or slope portion of a cut excavated into unconsolidated material (regolith) or bedrock as in a roadcut, whose slope gradient has been mechanically reduced to a subdued angle (e.g. to < 33 %) to increase slope stability, reduce erosion, or to facilitate revegetation.  Compare - cut, cutbank, roadcut.  SW


geomfdesc:
A slope or wall portion of a cut excavated into unconsolidated material (regolith) or bedrock, as in a borrow pit.  It may stand nearly vertical resulting from collapse as the base is undercut during excavation or by erosion, or it may be reduced by subsequent erosion to a more subdued angle by slope wash.  Compare - cut, beveled cut, roadcut.  SW


geomfdesc:
A generally circular or elliptical depression formed by hypervelocity impact of an experimental projectile or ordinance into earthy or rock material.  Compare - caldera, crater, meteorite crater.  SW


geomfdesc:
a) A land area composed of earthy fill material that has been placed and shaped to approximate natural contours, commonly part of land-reclamation efforts after mining operations; b) A land area, commonly submerged in its native state, that has been protected by artificial structures (e.g. dikes) and drained for agricultural or other purposes (e.g. polder).  SW


geomfdesc:
a) A modified slope, feature, or land area where much or all of the natural soil has been mechanically removed (e.g. scraped off) due to construction or other management practices.  Compare - truncated soil.  b) A forest soil area where the ground vegetation and root mat have been removed to expose mineral soil in preparation for planting or seeding.  Compare - truncated soil.   SW


geomfdesc:
A generic name for any enclosed area that has no surface drainage outlet and from which water escapes only by evaporation or subsurface drainage; an area of lower ground indicated on a topographic map by a hachured contour line forming a closed loop.  Compare - open basin.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
Small, tighly bunched, parallel ridges or corrugations of lava, commonly < 1 m in amplitude (high) and < 3 m in period (wide) on the surface of corded pahoehoe lava (ropy lava).  SW & GS


geomfdesc:
A dissolution groove or trench formed along vertical bedrock fractures beneath soil and usually buried beneath regolith with little or no ground surface expression, commonly wider than a solution fissure (widths commonly range from 0.5 to 3 meters) and tapering down to a crack or a bedrock floored trench; also called grike (not preferred), subsurface karren (not preferred).  Compare - karren, solution fissure, solution corridor.  SW & WW


geomfdesc:
A damp depression or trough between dunes in a dune field or dune ridges on a shore, caused by intersecting the capillary fringe of the local water table; a moist type of interdune.  Compare - interdune, dune lake.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A lineation or streamlined groove or ridge parallel to the direction of ice movement, formed in newly deposited till or older drift.  They range in height from a few centimeters to 25 m, and in length from a few meters to 20 km.  GG


geomfdesc:
The relatively flat surface, whether sand-free or sand-covered, between dunes.  GG


geomfdesc:
Repeating, surficial solution channels, grooves or other forms etched onto massive, bare limestone surfaces; types range in depth from a few millimeters to > 1 m and separated by ridges; the total complex (all varieties) of surficial solution forms found on compact, pure limestone.  Many types can be specified.  Compare - solution fissure.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A separate, distinct lobe of lava that issues from the main body of a lava flow; a specific outpouring of lava, a few centimeters to several meters thick and of variable lateral extent, that forms a subdivision within a single flow.  A series of overlapping lava flow-units together comprise a single lava flow.  Also called flow unit.  Compare - lava flow.  GS & GG


geomfdesc:
A natural surface channel in a lava flow that never had a roof, formed by the surficial draining of molten lava rather than by erosion from running water; also called lava channel.  Compare - mawae, lava tube.  SW


geomfdesc:
A shallow, non-cliffed depression or hollow on a mountain side permanently or intermittently occupied by a snow bank or snow patch and produced by nivation.  If the snow completely melts each summer the hollow is deepened; otherwise not; may be a cirque precursor if further enlarged and deepened by alpine glaciation.  GG


geomfdesc:
A generic name for any enclosed or low area that has a surface drainage outlet whereby surface water can leave the enclosure; an area of lower ground indicated on a topographic map by contour lines forming an incomplete loop or basin indicating at least one surface exit.  Compare - closed basin.  SW


geomfdesc:
The steeply sloping surface on the lee side of a dune, standing at or near the angle of repose of loose sand, and advancing downwind by a succession of slides wherever that angle is exceeded.  GG


geomfdesc:
A straight, open trench about 3 to 10 m wide in a karst area, formed by vertical and lateral solution zones developed along bedrock fractures; also called (not preferred) bogaz, zanjon (Puerto Rico).  Compare - solution fissure, karst valley.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
One of a series of vertical open cracks commonly < 0.5 m wide dissolved along joints or fractures, separating limestone pavement (pavement karst) into blocks (clints); also called kluftkarren (not preferred).  Compare - solution corridor, karren.  SW, GG, & WW


geomfdesc:
A small, steep-sided cone (e.g., 3 - 15 m high, or more) built up on a lava flow, usually pahoehoe, composed of clots of lava ejected with escaping gases from a vent or fissure which spatters and congeals as it hits the ground to form a small cone; rougher lava clots than a spiracle.  Compare - spiracle.  SW


geomfdesc:
A small tubular opening or chimney formed by fluid lava congealing and mounding around a fumarolic vent in a basaltic lava flow, usually about 1 m in diameter and up to 5 m high, although in the northwestern USA where spiracles are common they generally are 10 m in diameter and 12 m high or more; formed by a gaseous explosion in lava that is still fluid, probably due to steam generated from underlying wet material; smoother lava clots and drapes than a spatter cone.   Compare - spatter cone.  SW, GS, & GG


geomfdesc:
(a) The shoreline, especially a former (relict) shoreline now elevated above the present water level, that commonly appears as a bench or line wrapping around the landscape at a common elevation.  SW  (b) A beach, especially one raised above the present sea or lake level.  GG


geomfdesc:
A relatively deep, steep-banked lake or pool occupying an ice-gouged rock basin amid glaciated mountains.  A cirque lake.  GG


geomfdesc:
A small dome or mound on the surface of a lava flow formed by the buckling of the congealing crust near the edge of a flow caused by differences in  flow rates of the cooler crust above and the hotter, more fluid lava below.  Dimensions commonly range from < 1 m to 5 m in height, 3 to 10 m in width and 30 to 40 m in length.  Some tumuli are hollow.  Compare - pressure ridge [volcanic].  SW, GG, and GS


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains) The generally concave to slightly convex area within a playa basin that lies between the relatively level playa floor below (or playa step, if present) and the convex playa rim above.  Overland flow is typically parallel down slope.  Compare - playa step, playa rim.  SW


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - Southern High Plains) The relatively level or gently inclined "terrace-like" bench or toeslope within a large playa basin flanking and topographically higher than the playa floor and below the playa slope; a bench or step-like surface within a playa basin that breaks the continuity of the playa slope and modified by erosion and/or deposition.  Temporary ponding may occur in response to precipitation / runoff events.  Compare - playa slope.  SW


geomfdesc:
A karst landscape dominated by subsurface drainage and serrate or star-shaped depressions (cockpits) that range widely in size and density but typically are considerably larger than sinkholes (dolines), and are separated by intermediate residual hills with concave side slopes; a common type of tropical karst (e.g. Jamaica).  Compare - kegel karst, karst.  SW & WW


geomfdesc:
A glacier of considerable thickness completely covering a large part of a continent or an area of at least 50,000 square km, obscuring the underlying surface, such as the ice sheets covering Antarctica or Greenland.  Continental glaciers occupied northern portions of  the coterminous USA and Alaska in the past (e.g., Pleistocene) and usage commonly implies former continental glacier conditions.   Compare - alpine glacier.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A karst landscape dominated by both 1) karst features (deranged and subsurface drainage, blind valleys, swallow holes, large springs, closed depressions, and caves), generally limited to interfluve areas, and 2) surface drainage by large rivers, with associated fluvial features (adjacent stream terraces) and sediments (alluvium), that commonly maintain their surface courses and are fed by underground tributaries; the dominant karst in the eastern USA.  Compare - sinkhole karst, pavement karst, karst.  SW, WW, & GG


geomfdesc:
A general name used to describe several types of humid tropical karst landscapes characterized by numerous, closely spaced cone- (cone karst), hemispherical- (halbkugelkarst), or tower-shaped (tower karst) hills with vertical or near-vertical walls and having intervening closed depressions and narrow steep-walled karst valleys or passageways.  Compare - cockpit karst.  GG & SW


geomfdesc:
A kind of topography formed in limestone, gypsum, or other soluable rocks by dissolution, and that is characterized by closed depressions, sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage.  Various types of karst can be recognized depending upon the dominant surface features:  karst dominated by closed depressions (sinkhole karst - temperate climates; cockpit karst - humid tropical climates), closed depressions and large rivers (fluviokarst), bare rock dominated by dissolution joints (pavement karst), tropical cone-, tower- or domed-hills (kegel karst), etc.  SW & WW


geomfdesc:
An area covered primarily by lava flows whose terrain can be rough and broken or relatively smooth; it can include vent structures (e.g., small cinder cones, spatter cones, etc.), surface flow structures (e.g., pressure ridges, tumuli, etc.) and small, intermittent areas covered with pyroclastics.  Compare - lava plain, volcanic field.  SW


geomfdesc:
(a) An elongated body or stretch of land nearly surrounded by water (e.g., on three sides) and connected with a larger tract of land area, usually by a neck or an isthmus.  (b) A relatively large tract of land jutting out into the water, with or without a well-defined isthmus; e.g., the Italian peninsula.  GG


geomfdesc:
(colloquial - western USA) The dominant gentle slope at the foot of a mountain; generally used in terms of intermontane-basin terrain in arid to subhumid regions.  Main components include: (a) An erosional surface on bedrock adjacent to the receding mountain front (pediment, rock pediment); (b) A constructional surface comprising individual alluvial fans and interfan valleys, also near the mountain front; and (c) A distal complex of coalescent fans (bajada), and alluvial slopes without fan form.  Piedmont slopes grade to basin-floor depressions with alluvial and temporary lake plains or to surfaces associated with through drainage (e.g., axial streams).  Compare - bolson, fan piedmont.  HP


geomfdesc:
A valley that has developed along a long, narrow continental trough that has down-dropped and is bounded by normal faults; a graben of regional size.  It marks part of a zone along which the entire thickness of the lithosphere has ruptured under crustal extension.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A landscape dominated by subsurface drainage and sinkholes (dolines) that range widely in sizes and density; the most common type of karst in temperate regions (e.g. Highland Rim of TN, northern FL, southwestern MO, etc.); also called doline karst (not preferred).  Compare - fluviokarst, pavement karst, karst.  SW, WW, & GG


geomfdesc:
A more or less well defined area that is covered with volcanic rocks of much more diverse lithology and distribution than a lava field, or that is so modified by age and erosion that it's original topographic configuration, composition and extent is uncertain.  Compare - lava field, lava plain.  SW


geomfdesc:
a) Any glacier in a mountain range except an ice cap or ice sheet.  It usually originates in a cirque and may flow down into a valley previously carved by a stream.  Compare - continental glacier.  GG  b) (not preferred - refer to U-shaped valley): (relict) - landforms or sediments formed, modified or deposited by a glacier in or on mountains or high hills that has since melted away.  Compare - glacial-valley floor, glacial-valley wall.  SW


geomfdesc:
A lava flow dominated by block lava.  Compare - a'a lava flow, pahoehoe lava, pillow lava.  SW


geomfdesc:
(colloquial: southeastern USA)  A type of very wide, low gradient (level to nearly level) interfluve that lacks a well developed drainage network such that large portions of the local upland lack stream channels or other drainageways; extensive in lower coastal plains and some lake plains, till plains and alluvial plain remnants.  Compare - interfluve.  SW & RD


geomfdesc:
The glacially-scoured, steep and arcuate side or wall of a cirque, dominated by rock-outcrops, rubble, and colluvium.  Compare - headwall.  SW & HD


geomfdesc:
A dune formed by the piling-up of sand by wind against a cliff or mountain slope; very common in arid regions with substantial local relief and strong winds.  Compare - sand ramp.  GG & SW


geomfdesc:
A crudely star-shaped, closed depression (i.e. large sinkhole) in tropical karst having an inverted conical or slightly concave floor, with an irregular or serrate  perimeter formed by subsidiary solution channels and corridors into adjacent hills, and surrounded by residual hills with steep, concave side slopes; the dominant type of closed depression in cockpit karst.  Compare - sinkhole, kegel karst.  SW, WW & GG


geomfdesc:
A type of sinkhole that is formed by collapse of a cave within the underlying soluble bedrock (e.g., limestone, gypsum, salt).  Compare - solution sinkhole.  SS, WW, & GG


geomfdesc:
An elongated hill or ridge of subglacially streamlined drift, having at the stoss end (up-ice) a steep, often precipitous face or knob of ice-smoothed, resistant bedrock (the "crag") obstructing the movement of the glacier, and at the lee end (down-ice) a tapering, streamlined, gentle slope (the "tai;") of intact, weaker rock and / or drift protected by the crag; also called lee-side cone.  Compare - drumlin, drumlinoid ridge, flute, stoss and lee.  GG, SW, & GM


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (debris fall deposit) or resultant landform characterized by a rapid type of fall involving the relatively free, downslope movement or collapse of detached, unconsolidated material which falls freely through the air (lacks an underlying slip face); sediments have substantial proportions of both fine earth and coarse fragments; common along undercut stream banks.  Compare - rock fall, soil fall, landslide.  SW


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (debris spread deposit) or resultant landforms characterized by a very rapid type of spread dominated by lateral movement in a soil and rock mass resulting from liquefaction or plastic flow of underlying materials that may be extruded out between intact units; sediments have substantial proportions of both fine earth and coarse fragments.  Compare - earth spread, rock spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (debris topple deposit) or resultant landform characterized by a localized, very rapid type of topple in which large blocks of soil and rock material literally fall over, rotating outward over a low pivot point;  sediments have substantial proportions of both fine earth and coarse fragments.  Portions of the original material may remain intact, although reoriented, within the resulting debris pile.  Compare - earth topple, rock topple, landslide.  SW


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (earth spread deposit) or resultant landforms characterized by a very rapid type of spread dominated by lateral movement in a soil mass resulting from liquefaction or plastic flow of underlying materials that may be extruded out between intact units.  Compare - debris spread, rock spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (earth topple deposit) or resultant landform characterized by a localized, very rapid type of topple in which large blocks of soil material literally fall over, rotating outward over a low pivot point; sediments < 2 mm predominate.  Portions of the original material may remain intact, although reoriented, within the resulting deposit.  Compare - debris topple, rock topple, landslide.  SW


geomfdesc:
All, or a portion of an alluvial fan that is much more extensively eroded and dissected than a fan remnant; sometimes called an erosional fan remnant (FFP).  It consists primarily of a) eroded and highly dissected sides (eroded fan-remnant sideslopes) dominated by hillslope positions (shoulder, backslope, etc.), and b) to a lesser extent an intact, relatively planar, relict alluvial fan "summit" area best described as a tread.  SW & FFP


geomfdesc:
A rough or broken margin of an eroded fan remnant highly dissected by ravines and gullies that can be just a fringe or make up a large part of an eroded alluvial fan; its bounding escarpments (risers), originally formed by inset channels, have become highly dissected and irregular such that terrace components (tread and riser) have been consumed or modified and replaced by hillslope positions and components (shoulder, backslope, footslope, etc.); sometimes referred to as fan remnant sideslopes (FFP).  Compare - eroded fan remnant.  SW & FFP


geomfdesc:
A landform comprised of a thin, short, relatively young mantle of alluvium along the very upper margin  (near the proximal end or apex) of a major alluvial fan.   The young mantle somewhere buries an older soil that can be traced to the edge of the collar where the older soil emerges at the land surface as a relict soil.  Compare - fan apron.  FFP


geomfdesc:
A category of mass movement processes, associated sediments (flow deposit) and landforms characterized by slow to very rapid downslope movement of unconsolidated material which, whether saturated or comparatively dry, behaves much as a viscous fluid as it moves. Types of flows can be specified based on the dominant particle size of sediments (i.e. debris flow (e.g., lahar), earth flow (creep, mudflow), rock fragment flow (e.g., rockfall avalanche), debris avalanche]. Compare - fall, topple, slide, lateral spread, complex landslide, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
A type of hot spring that intermittently erupts jets of hot water and steam, the result of ground water coming in contact with rock or steam hot enough to create steam under conditions preventing free circulation; a type of intermittent spring.  Compare - mud pot, hot spring.  GG


geomfdesc:
A valley that contains numerous springs, geysers, and steam fissures fed by the same ground-water flow.  GG


geomfdesc:
A low hill or mound built up of siliceous sinter around the orifice of a geyser. GG


geomfdesc:
A generic name for an elevated, generally rounded land surface with high local relief, rising between 90 meters (approx. 300 ft.) to as much as 300 m (approx. 1000 ft.) above surrounding lowlands.  Compare - low hill, hill, hillock.  SW


geomfdesc:
A natural, geothermally heated spring whose temperature is above that of the human body.  Compare - geyser, mud pot.  GG


geomfdesc:
A large, flat-floored closed depression in a karst area whose drainage is ultimately subsurface and its floor is commonly covered by alluvium.  Some interior valleys may become ephemeral lakes during periods of heavy rainfall, when sinking streams that drain them cannot manage the runoff; also called polje (not preferred).  Compare - karst valley, sinkhole.  GG


geomfdesc:
A conically-shaped residual hill in karst with a rounded top and relatively steep, convex (e.g. parabolic) side slopes, commonly in tropical climates.  Compare - karst tower, mogote.  SW & WW


geomfdesc:
An isolated, separate hill or ridge in a karst region consisting of an erosional remnant of limestone or other sedimentary rocks with vertical or near-vertical, convex side slopes and commonly surrounded by an alluviated plain or deep rugged ravines.  Compare - mogote, karst cone.  SW


geomfdesc:
A closed depression formed by the coalescence of multiple sinkholes; an elongate, solutional valley.  Its drainage is subsurface, diameters range from several hundred meters to a few kilometers, and it usually has a scalloped margin inherited from the sinkholes.  It may have nominal, local channel flow (small streams), sequential sinkhole inlets (springs) and outlets (swallow hole, etc.); also called compound sinkhole (not preferred), uvala (not preferred).  Compare - sinkhole, interior valley.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A generic name for an elevated, generally rounded land surface with low local relief, rising between 30 meters (100 ft.) to as much as 90 m (approx. 300 ft.) above surrounding lowlands.  Compare - high hill, hill, hillock.  SW


geomfdesc:
An impact crater formed by the falling of a large meteorite onto the earth's surface; e.g., Barringer Crater (AZ).  Compare - crater, impact crater.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A type of hot spring containing boiling mud, usually sulfurous and often multicolored, as in a paint pot.  Mud pots are commonly associated with geysers and other hot springs in volcanic areas, especially in Yellowstone Natl. Park, WY.  Compare - geyser, hot spring.  GG


geomfdesc:
A vertical, pipe-like tower of solidified lava or consolidated fragmental igneous rock that represents a former volcanic vent whose surrounding material (e.g. tuff and tephra) has been largely removed by erosion.  Compare - volcanic plug.    SW, GG, & GS


geomfdesc:
A relict (inactive) delta composed of glaciofluvial sediments formed where a sediment laden outwash river emptied into an open lake, commonly a proglacial lake.  Sediment attributes include very gently dipping topset beds (coarser textures) and steeply dipping foreset beds (finer textures).  SW & GM


geomfdesc:
Areas of bare limestone, usually sculpted by solution erosion into karren of various types and where soils have been stripped off, commonly by glaciation in alpine areas (e.g. Rocky Mountains - USA) and high latitudes, and by water erosion in arid karst areas.  Compare - fluviokarst, sinkhole karst, karst.  SW & WW


geomfdesc:
A lava flow or body displaying pillow structure and considered to have formed in a subaqueous environment (underwater); usually basaltic or andesitic in composition.  Compare - a'a lava flow, block lava flow, pahoehoe lava flow.  SW & GS


geomfdesc:
The bottom of a shallow, extinct glacial lake composed of thin (e.g., < 2 m thick), fine-textured, reworked  lacustrine sediments that overlie outwash or till; original lacustrine sediments have been subsequently redistributed primarily by wave action (eroded and / or moved a short distance).  A distinctive lake plain topography is not always present.  It may include subdued, till-capped topographic highs, ringed by shores or strandlines, that were once emergent islands.  Common to MI, OH.  SW


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (rock spread deposit) or resultant landforms characterized by a very rapid type of spread dominated by lateral movement in a rock mass resulting from liquefaction or plastic flow of underlying materials that may be extruded out between intact units; rock bodies predominate.  Compare - debris spread, earth spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (rock topple deposit) or resultant landform characterized by a localized, very rapid type of fall in which large blocks of rock material literally fall over, rotating outward over a low pivot point; rock bodies predominate (little fine earth).  Portions of the original material may remain intact, although reoriented, within the resulting deposit.  Compare - earth topple, debris topple, landslide.  SW


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (rotational debris slide deposit) or resultant landform characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely unconsolidated earthy material, portions of which remain largely intact and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, concave shear surface and resulting in a backward rotation of the displaced mass; sediments have substantial proportions of both fine earth and coarse fragments.  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - rotational earth slide, rotational rock slide, translational slide, lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (rotational earth slide deposit) or resultant landform characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely unconsolidated earthy material, portions of which remain largely intact and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, concave shear surface and resulting in a backward rotation of the displaced mass; sediments predominantly fine earth (< 2 mm).  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - rotational debris slide, rotational rock slide, translational slide, lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (rotational rock slide deposit) or resultant landform characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely consolidated rock bodies, portions of which remain largely intact but reoriented, and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, concave shear surface and resulting in a backward rotation of the displaced mass.  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - rotational debris slide, rotational earth slide, translational slide, lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
A sand sheet blown up onto the lower slopes of a bedrock hill or mountain and forming an inclined plane, sometimes filling small mountain-side valleys and even crossing low passes.  Compare - climbing dune, sand sheet.  FFP & SW


geomfdesc:
a) A broad expanse of terrain covered with snow, relatively smooth and uniform in appearance, occurring usually at high latitudes or in mountainous regions above the snowline and persisting throughout year.  b)  A region of permanent snow cover, as at the head of a glacier; the accumulation area of a glacier.  Compare -  glacier.  GG


geomfdesc:
The most common type of sinkhole, caused by dissolution that forms fissures or a chimney and a depression in the bedrock surface which grows when closely spaced fissures underneath it enlarge and coalesce.  Compare - collapse sinkhole.  SW, WW, & GG


geomfdesc:
A large, isolated sand dune whose base, in plan view, resembles a star, with sharp-crested ridges converging from basal points to a central peak that may be as high as 100 m above the surrounding plain.  It tends to remain fixed for centuries in an area where the wind blows from all directions.  Compare - dune.  GG


geomfdesc:
An arrangement of small hills or prominent rocks, in a strongly glaciated area, having gentle slopes on the stoss ("up-ice") side and somewhat steeper, plucked slopes on the lee ("down-ice") side.  This arrangement is the opposite of crag and tail.  Compare - crag and tail, drumlin, drumlinoid ridge, flute.  GG


geomfdesc:
A small, steep, cone-shaped landform at the base of a cliff or escarpment, that heads in a relatively small declivity or ravine, and composed of poorly sorted rock and soil debris that has accumulated primarily by episodic rockfall or, to a lesser degree, by slope wash.  Not to be confused with an alluvial cone; a similar feature but of fluvial origin, composed of better stratified and more sorted material, and that tapers up into a more extensive drainageway.  Compare - alluvial cone, talus slope.  SW


geomfdesc:
Part of, or the entire floor of, an extinct glacial lake where a thin (e.g. < 2 m), often discontinuous veneer of lacustrine sediments overlies till.  Topography reflects the underlying, irregular or undulating till surface rather than a distinctive, flat, lake plain surface.  It may include subdued, till-capped topographic highs, ringed by shores or strandlines, that were once emergent islands.  SW


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (translational debris slide deposit) or resultant landform characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely unconsolidated earthy material, portions or blocks of which remain largely intact and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, planar slip face roughly parallel to the ground surface and resulting in lateral displacement but no rotation of the displaced mass; sediments have substantial proportions of both fine earth and coarse fragments.  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - translational earth slide, translational rock slide, rotational slide lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (translational earth slide deposit) or resultant landform characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely unconsolidated earthy material, portions or blocks of which remain largely intact and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, planar slip face roughly parallel to the ground surface and resulting in lateral displacement but no rotation of the displaced mass; sediments predominantly fine earth (< 2 mm).  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - translational debris slide, translational rock slide, rotational slide, lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (translational rock slide deposit) or resultant landform characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely consolidated rock bodies, portions or blocks of which remain largely intact and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, planar slip face roughly parallel to the ground surface and resulting in lateral displacement but no rotation of the displaced mass; sediments predominantly fine earth (< 2 mm).  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - translational debris slide, translational earth slide, rotational slide, lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
A rugged, irregular wall of broken floating ice buckled upward by the lateral pressure of wind or current forcing or squeezing one floe against another, or against a shore; it may extend for kilometers in length and up to 30 m in height.  Along shores they are lower (< 10 m tall)  and  contribute to the temporary or permanent formation of a beach berm or a rim of boulders and stones.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
The process, associated sediments (rotational landslide deposit) or resultant landforms characterized by an extremely slow to moderately rapid type of slide, composed of comparatively dry and largely soil-rock materials, portions of which remain largely intact and in which movement occurs along a well-defined, concave shear surface and resulting in a backward rotation of the displaced mass.  The landform may be single, successive (repeated up and down slope), or multiple (as the number of slide components increase).  Compare - rotational debris slide, rotational earth slide, rotational rock slide, translational slide, lateral spread, landslide.  SW & DV


geomfdesc:
A large, generally discordant plutonic rock body exposed at the land surface, with an aerial extent > 40 sq. mi. (100 km2) and no known bottom (e.g. Idaho batholith).  Compare - stock.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
The lower portion of a canyon wall or escarpment marked by a sharp reduction in slope gradient from the precipitous cliff  above, and characteristically composed of thinly mantled colluvium (e.g. < 1 m) and / or carapaced with a thin surficial mantle of large rock fragments from above, which overly residuum of less resistant rock (e.g., shale) whose thin strata intermittently outcrop at the surface; a zone of erosion and transport common in the canyonlands of the semi-arid southwestern USA.  Compare - talus.  SW


geomfdesc:
An accumulation of sand that is formed as sand is blown off a mesa top or over a cliff face or steep slope, forming a solid wall, sloping at the angle of repose of dry sand, or a fan extending downward from a re-entrant in the mesa wall.  Compare - climbing dune, sand ramp.  GG


geomfdesc:
A fault that is expressed as a zone of numerous small fractures or of breccia or fault gouge.  A fault zone may be as wide as hundreds of meters.  Compare - fault, fault-scarp.  GG


geomfdesc:
A low relief, broad volcanic crater formed by multiple, shallow explosive eruptions.  It is surrounded by a crater ring in the form of low ramparts of gently dipping (i.e. < 25 degrees), well-bedded ejecta; may be filled by water.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A low density, dilute, turbulent pyroclastic flow, usually very hot, composed of a generally unsorted mixture of gases, ash, pumice and dense rock fragments that travels across the ground at high speed and less constrained by topography than a pyroclastic flow; several types of pyroclastic surges can be specified (e.g. base surge, ash-cloud-surge).  Compare - pyroclastic flow.  SW, SN, GG


geomfdesc:
A fast density current of pyroclastic material, usually very hot, composed of a mixture of gasses and a variety of pyroclastic particles (ash, pumice, scoria, lava fragments, etc.); produced by the explosive disintegration of viscous lava in a volcanic crater or by the explosive emission of gas-charged ash from a fissure and which tends to follow topographic lows (e.g. valleys) as it moves; used in a more general sense than ash flow.  Compare - pyroclastic surge, ash flow, nue ardente, lahar.  SW, SN, GG


geomfdesc:
A relatively small, concordant and / or discordant plutonic rock body exposed at the land surface, with an aerial extent < 40 sq. mi. (100 km2) and no known bottom.  Compare - batholith.  GG


geomfdesc:
A type of gilgai dominated by circular closed depressions (micro-lows) separated by low mounds (micro-highs); the prevailing type of gilgai on relatively level terrain (slopes < 3 %).  Distance from micro-high to the center of an adjacent microlow is generally 4 - 8 8 m.  Compare - elliptical gilgai, linear gilgai, gilgai.  SW


geomfdesc:
A type of gilgai dominated by elliptical, closed and semi-closed depressions (micro-lows) separated by low mounds or ridges (micro-highs); the prevailing type of gilgai on mildly sloping terrain (slopes 3 - 8%); as slope increases, basins become more eccentric and the occurrence of interconnected micro-lows increases.  Compare - circular gilgai, linear gilgai, gilgai.  SW


geomfdesc:
A nearly level area, including the lower part (footslope) of a micro-high, that is a transition zone between the slightly elevated micro-high (i.e. microknoll; mound in Russia) and the outer edge of an adjacent micro-low (i.e. microbasin, microtrough; depression in Russia) in gilgai.  Where present, it can make up a majority of the ground surface area in gilgai; called slope in Russia.  Compare - ephemeral stream.  HP


geomfdesc:
A type of gilgai dominated by parallel micro-low troughs separated by low ridges (micro-highs) and oriented perpendicular to the topographic contour (i.e., up and down slopes); the prevailing type of gilgai on sloping terrain (slopes > 8 %).  Compare - circular gilgai, elliptical gilgai, gilgai.  SW


geomfdesc:
A surface drape or exposure of  up-welled  substratum material forced to the surface and outcropping on a low mound or rim; the surface exposure of a chimney [gilgai]; a type of diapir composed of earthy material.  Compare - chimney, intermediate position [gilgai], gilgai.  SW


geomfdesc:
a) A narrow gorge or canyon containing an intermittent stream following a zig-zag course, characterized by high, steep rock walls and typically closed upstream by a similar wall, giving the impression, as viewed from its bottom, of being surrounded or "boxed-in" by almost vertical walls.  b) A steep-walled canyon heading against a cliff a dead-end canyon.  GG


geomfdesc:
An opening in earth's surface of a volcanic conduit in the form of a crack or fissure rather than a localized crater; a roughly linear crack or area along which lava, generally mafic and of low viscosity, wells up to the surface, usually without any explosive activity.  The results can be an extensive lava plateau (e.g. Columbia River Plateau).  Compare - crater [volcanic].  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A long, narrow, deep and tortuous channel or drainageway with sheer rock walls eroded into sandstone or other sedimentary rocks, especially in the semi-arid western USA (e.g. Colorado Plateau); subject to flash flood events; depth to width ratios exceed 10:1 over most of its length and can approach 100:1; commonly containing unique ecological communities distinct from the adjacent, drier uplands.  SW


geomfdesc:
A steep surface on the displaced material of a landslide, produced by differential movements within the sliding mass.   Compare - main scarp, toe.  CV


geomfdesc:
The steep surface on undisturbed ground at the upper edge of a landslide, caused by movement of displaced material away from the undisturbed ground; it is visible a part of the surface of rupture (slip surface).  Compare - minor scarp, toe.  CV & SW


geomfdesc:
A relatively large depression resulting from the excavation of material and redistribution of overburden associated with surficial mining operations.  Compare - quarry, surface mine.  SW & GG


geomfdesc:
A group of mountain ranges exhibiting certain unifying features, such as similarity in form, structure and alignment, and presumably originating from the same general causes; especially a series of mountain ranges belonging to an orogenic belt.  Compare - mountain range, mountains.  GG


geomfdesc:
A single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, orientation, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system.  Compare - mountain system, mountains.  GG


geomfdesc:
(a) An informal, generic term for low-lying land or an extensive region of low-lying land, especially near a coast and including the extended plains or country lying not far above tide level.  (b) (not preferred) A genericvague, imprecise term for a landscape of low, comparatively level ground of a region or local area, in contrast with the adjacent higher country.  (c) (not recommended use valley, bolson, etc.) A generic term for a large valley.  Compare - upland.  SW


geomfdesc:
The lowest, usually curved margin of displaced material of a landslide, most distant from the main scarp.  Commonly it has an irregular surface that has ripples and may be breached by radial cracks or gaps.  Compare - main scarp, minor scarp.  CV & SW


geomfdesc:
A constructional coastal strip, sloping gently seaward and/or down valley, veneered by or completely composed of unconsolidated sediments (typically silt, sand, fine gravel).  Sediments were deposited by both marine and fluvial processes, resulting from sea level flucuations and/or stream migration (e.g. materials deposited in a nearshore environment and reworked by fluvial processes as sea level fell, or visa versa as sea level rose).  Compare - terrace, stream terrace, marine terrace.


geomfdesc:
An extensive, nearly level tract of land that is alternately covered and uncovered by the tide, and composed of unconsolidated sediments (clays, silts and/or sand and organic materials) and a resistant root mat, and vegetated dominantly by hydrophytic (salt tolerant) plants.  The mineral sediments largely retain pedogenic horizonation and morphology (e.g. argillic horizons) developed under better drained, terrestrial conditions prior to submergence due to sea level rise; a type of tidal marsh.  Compare - tidal marsh.


# SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature Type

geomftdesc:
Any physical, recognizable form or feature on the earth's surface, having a characteristic shape and range in composition, and produced by natural causes; it can span a wide range in size (e.g., dune encompasses both parabolic dune, which can be several tens-of-meters across, as well as seif dune which can be up to 100 kilometers long).  Landforms provide an empirical description of similar portions of the earth's surface.  SW & GG


geomftdesc:
An assemblage, group, or family of spatially related, natural landforms over a relatively large area; the land surface which the eye can comprehend in a single view.  SW & GSST


geomftdesc:
Small, local, natural forms (features) on the land surface that are too small to delineate on a topographic or soils map at commonly used map scales (e.g. 1:24,000 to 1:10,000).  Examples include earth pillars, patterned ground, frost boils.  Compare - microrelief.  SW


geomftdesc:
An artificial feature on the land surface, having a characteristic shape and range in composition, composed of unconsolidated earthy or organic materials, artificial materials, or rock, that is the direct result of human manipulation or activities; can be either constructional(e.g. artificial levee) or destructional(e.g. quarry).  SW


# SYSTEM - Help Text

HelpText:
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HelpText:
The purpose of this report is to provide a soil interpretation report that includes soil interpretations not available in any of the standard manuscript reports, or to be able to group soil interpretations differently from any grouping available in the standard manuscript reports.

You may select one, two or three soil interpretations to be included in the report.  When report generation is invoked, all selected interpretations must be consecutive, starting with the first interpretation.  The first selected interpretation will be the leftmost in the corresponding report.

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# SYSTEM - Soil Reports

Report Name:
Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils

Report Title:
Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils

Access Report Name:
Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils


Report Name:
Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils by County

Report Title:
Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils by County

Access Report Name:
Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils by County

Access Parameter Form Name:
Report Parameters - Counties or Parishes


Report Name:
Agricultural Disposal of Manure, Food-Processing Waste, and Sewage Sludge

Report Title:
Agricultural Disposal of Manure, Food-Processing Waste, and Sewage Sludge

Report Header Text:
[The information in this table indicates the dominant soil condition but does not eliminate the need for onsite investigation.  The numbers in the value columns range from 0.01 to 1.00.  The larger the value, the greater the potential limitation.  The table shows only the top five limitations for any given soil.  The soil may have additional limitations]

Access Report Name:
Template Interpretation Report - 2 Interpretations

Report Documentation:
Soil properties are important considerations in areas where soils are used as sites for the treatment and disposal of organic waste and wastewater. Selection of soils with properties that favor waste management can help to prevent environmental damage.

This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations affecting the treatment of agricultural waste, including municipal and food-processing wastewater and effluent from lagoons or storage ponds. Municipal wastewater is the waste stream from a municipality. It contains domestic waste and may contain industrial waste. It may have received primary or secondary treatment. It is rarely untreated sewage. Food-processing wastewater results from the preparation of fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, and meats for public consumption. In places it is high in content of sodium and chloride. In the context of these tables, the effluent in lagoons and storage ponds is from facilities used to treat or store food-processing wastewater or domestic or animal waste. Domestic and food-processing wastewater is very dilute, and the effluent from the facilities that treat or store it commonly is very low in content of carbonaceous and nitrogenous material; the content of nitrogen commonly ranges from 10 to 30 milligrams per liter. The wastewater from animal waste treatment lagoons or storage ponds, however, has much higher concentrations of these materials, mainly because the manure has not been diluted as much as the domestic waste. The content of nitrogen in this wastewater generally ranges from 50 to 2,000 milligrams per liter. When wastewater is applied, checks should be made to ensure that nitrogen, heavy metals, and salts are not added in excessive amounts.

The ratings in the table are for waste management systems that not only dispose of and treat organic waste or wastewater but also are beneficial to crops. The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect agricultural waste management. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the tables indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Application of manure and food-processing waste not only disposes of waste material but also can improve crop production by increasing the supply of nutrients in the soils where the material is applied. Manure is the excrement of livestock and poultry, and food-processing waste is damaged fruit and vegetables and the peelings, stems, leaves, pits, and soil particles removed in food preparation. The manure and food-processing waste are solid, slurry, or liquid. Their nitrogen content varies. A high content of nitrogen limits the application rate. Toxic or otherwise dangerous wastes, such as those mixed with the lye used in food processing, are not considered in the ratings.

The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect absorption, plant growth, microbial activity, erodibility, the rate at which the waste is applied, and the method by which the waste is applied. The properties that affect absorption include saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), depth to a water table, ponding, the sodium adsorption ratio, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, and available water capacity. The properties that affect plant growth and microbial activity include reaction, the sodium adsorption ratio, salinity, and bulk density. The wind erodibility group, the soil erodibility factor K, and slope are considered in estimating the likelihood that wind erosion or water erosion will transport the waste material from the application site. Stones, cobbles, a water table, ponding, and flooding can hinder the application of waste. Permanently frozen soils are unsuitable for waste treatment.

Application of sewage sludge not only disposes of waste material but also can improve crop production by increasing the supply of nutrients in the soils where the material is applied. In the context of this table, sewage sludge is the residual product of the treatment of municipal sewage. The solid component consists mainly of cell mass, primarily bacteria cells that developed during secondary treatment and have incorporated soluble organics into their own bodies. The sludge has small amounts of sand, silt, and other solid debris. The content of nitrogen varies. Some sludge has constituents that are toxic to plants or hazardous to the food chain, such as heavy metals and exotic organic compounds, and should be analyzed chemically prior to use.

The content of water in the sludge ranges from about 98 percent to less than 40 percent. The sludge is considered liquid if it is more than about 90 percent water, slurry if it is about 50 to 90 percent water, and solid if it is less than about 50 percent water.

The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect absorption, plant growth, microbial activity, erodibility, the rate at which the sludge is applied, and the method by which the sludge is applied. The properties that affect absorption, plant growth, and microbial activity include Ksat, depth to a water table, ponding, the sodium adsorption ratio, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, available water capacity, reaction, salinity, and bulk density. The wind erodibility group, the soil erodibility factor K, and slope are considered in estimating the likelihood that wind erosion or water erosion will transport the waste material from the application site. Stones, cobbles, a water table, ponding, and flooding can hinder the application of sludge. Permanently frozen soils are unsuitable for waste treatment.


Report Name:
Agricultural Disposal of Wastewater by Rapid Infiltration and Slow Rate Treatment

Report Title:
Agricultural Disposal of Wastewater by Rapid Infiltration and Slow Rate Treatment

Report Documentation:
Soil properties are important considerations in areas where soils are used as sites for the treatment and disposal of organic waste and wastewater. Selection of soils with properties that favor waste management can help to prevent environmental damage.

This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations affecting the treatment of wastewater, including municipal and food-processing wastewater and effluent from lagoons or storage ponds. Municipal wastewater is the waste stream from a municipality. It contains domestic waste and may contain industrial waste. It may have received primary or secondary treatment. It is rarely untreated sewage. Food-processing wastewater results from the preparation of fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, and meats for public consumption. In places it is high in content of sodium and chloride. In the context of these tables, the effluent in lagoons and storage ponds is from facilities used to treat or store food-processing wastewater or domestic or animal waste. Domestic and food-processing wastewater is very dilute, and the effluent from the facilities that treat or store it commonly is very low in content of carbonaceous and nitrogenous material; the content of nitrogen commonly ranges from 10 to 30 milligrams per liter. The wastewater from animal waste treatment lagoons or storage ponds, however, has much higher concentrations of these materials, mainly because the manure has not been diluted as much as the domestic waste. The content of nitrogen in this wastewater generally ranges from 50 to 2,000 milligrams per liter. When wastewater is applied, checks should be made to ensure that nitrogen, heavy metals, and salts are not added in excessive amounts.

The ratings in the table are for waste management systems that not only dispose of and treat wastewater but also are beneficial to crops.  The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect agricultural waste management. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the tables indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Rapid infiltration of wastewater is a process in which wastewater applied in a level basin at a rate of 4 to 120 inches per week percolates through the soil. The wastewater may eventually reach the ground water. The application rate commonly exceeds the rate needed for irrigation of cropland. Vegetation is not a necessary part of the treatment; hence, the basins may or may not be vegetated. The thickness of the soil material needed for proper treatment of the wastewater is more than 72 inches. As a result, geologic and hydrologic investigation is needed to ensure proper design and performance and to determine the risk of ground-water pollution.

The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect the risk of pollution and the design, construction, and performance of the system. Depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, and depth to bedrock or a cemented pan affect the risk of pollution and the design and construction of the system. Slope, stones, and cobbles also affect design and construction. Ksat and reaction affect performance. Permanently frozen soils are unsuitable for waste treatment.

Slow rate treatment of wastewater is a process in which wastewater is applied to land at a rate normally between 0.5 inch and 4.0 inches per week. The application rate commonly exceeds the rate needed for irrigation of cropland. The applied wastewater is treated as it moves through the soil. Much of the treated water may percolate to the ground water, and some enters the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. The applied water generally is not allowed to run off the surface. Waterlogging is prevented either through control of the application rate or through the use of tile drains, or both.

The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect absorption, plant growth, microbial activity, erodibility, and the application of waste. The properties that affect absorption include the sodium adsorption ratio, depth to a water table, ponding, available water capacity, Ksat, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, reaction, the cation-exchange capacity, and slope. Reaction, the sodium adsorption ratio, salinity, and bulk density affect plant growth and microbial activity. The wind erodibility group, the soil erodibility factor K, and slope are considered in estimating the likelihood of wind erosion or water erosion. Stones, cobbles, a water table, ponding, and flooding can hinder the application of waste. Permanently frozen soils are unsuitable for waste treatment.


Report Name:
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit Component

Report Title:
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit Component

Report Header Text:
[Yields in the "N" columns are for nonirrigated areas; those in the "I" column are for irrigated areas.  Yields are those that can be expected under a high level of management.  Absence of a yield indicates that the soil is not suited to the crop or the crop generally is not grown on the soil]

Access Report Name:
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit Component

Report Documentation:
The average yields per acre that can be expected of the principal crops under a high level of management are shown in the crop yield table. In any given year, yields may be higher or lower than those indicated in the table because of variations in rainfall and other climatic factors. The land capability classification of map units in the survey area also is shown in the table (United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1961).

The yields are based mainly on the experience and records of farmers, conservationists, and extension agents. Available yield data from nearby counties and results of field trials and demonstrations also are considered.

The management needed to obtain the indicated yields of the various crops depends on the kind of soil and the crop. Management can include drainage, erosion control, and protection from flooding; the proper planting and seeding rates; suitable high-yielding crop varieties; appropriate and timely tillage; control of weeds, plant diseases, and harmful insects; favorable soil reaction and optimum levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements for each crop; effective use of crop residue, barnyard manure, and green manure crops; and harvesting that ensures the smallest possible loss.

If yields of irrigated crops are present, it is assumed that the irrigation system is adapted to the soils and to the crops grown, that good-quality irrigation water is uniformly applied as needed, and that tillage is kept to a minimum.

The estimated yields reflect the productive capacity of each soil for each of the principal crops. Yields are likely to increase as new production technology is developed. The productivity of a given soil compared with that of other soils, however, is not likely to change.

Crops other than those shown in the crop yield table are grown in the survey area, but estimated yields are not listed because the acreage of such crops is small. The local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or of the Cooperative Extension Service can provide information about the management and productivity of the soils for those crops.

Reference:
United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1961. Land capability classification. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 210.


Report Name:
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit

Report Title:
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit

Access Report Name:
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit


Report Name:
Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit Component

Report Title:
Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit Component

Report Header Text:
[Yields are those that can be expected under a high level of management. They are for nonirrigated areas.   Absence of a yield indicates that the soil is not suited to the crop or the crop generally is not grown on the soil]

Access Report Name:
Nonirrigated Yields by Map Unit Component


Report Header Text:
[Yields are those that can be expected under a high level of management. They are for irrigated areas.   Absence of a yield indicates that the soil is not suited to the crop or the crop generally is not grown on the soil]


Report Header Text:
[Yields are those that can be expected under a high level of management.  They are for irrigated areas.  Absence of a yield indicates that the soil is not suited to the crop or the crop generally is not grown on the soil]


Report Header Text:
[Yields are those that can be expected under a high level of management.  They are for nonirrigated areas.  Absence of a yield indicates that the soil is not suited to the crop or the crop generally is not grown on the soil]


Report Header Text:
[Only the soils that support rangeland vegetation suitable for grazing are rated]

Report Documentation:
In areas that have similar climate and topography, differences in the kind and amount of vegetation produced on rangeland are closely related to the kind of soil. Effective management is based on the relationship between the soils and vegetation and water.

This table shows, for each soil that supports rangeland vegetation, the ecological site and the potential annual production of vegetation in favorable, normal, and unfavorable years. An explanation of the column headings in the table follows.

An ecological site is the product of all the environmental factors responsible for its development. It has characteristic soils that have developed over time throughout the soil development process; a characteristic hydrology, particularly infiltration and runoff, that has developed over time; and a characteristic plant community (kind and amount of vegetation). The hydrology of a site is influenced by development of the soil and plant community. The vegetation, soils, and hydrology are all interrelated. Each is influenced by the others and influences the development of the others. The plant community on an ecological site is typified by an association of species that differs from that of other ecological sites in the kind and/or proportion of species or in total production. Descriptions of ecological sites are provided in the Field Office Technical Guide, which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Total dry-weight production is the amount of vegetation that can be expected to grow annually on well managed rangeland that is supporting the potential natural plant community. It includes all vegetation, whether or not it is palatable to grazing animals. It includes the current year's growth of leaves, twigs, and fruits of woody plants. It does not include the increase in stem diameter of trees and shrubs. It is expressed in pounds per acre of air-dry vegetation for favorable, normal, and unfavorable years. In a favorable year, the amount and distribution of precipitation and the temperatures make growing conditions substantially better than average. In a normal year, growing conditions are about average. In an unfavorable year, growing conditions are well below average, generally because of low available soil moisture. Yields are adjusted to a common percent of air-dry moisture content.

Range management requires knowledge of the kinds of soil and of the potential natural plant community. It also requires an evaluation of the present range similarity index and rangeland trend. Range similarity index is determined by comparing the present plant community with the potential natural plant community on a particular rangeland ecological site. The more closely the existing community resembles the potential community, the higher the range similarity index. Rangeland trend is defined as the direction of change in an existing plant community relative to the potential natural plant community. Further information about the range similarity index and rangeland trend is available in chapter 4 of the "National Range and Pasture Handbook," which is available in local offices of NRCS or on the Internet.

The objective in range management is to control grazing so that the plants growing on a site are about the same in kind and amount as the potential natural plant community for that site. Such management generally results in the optimum production of vegetation, control of undesirable brush species, conservation of water, and control of erosion. Sometimes, however, an area with a range similarity index somewhat below the potential meets grazing needs, provides wildlife habitat, and protects soil and water resources.

Reference:
United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. National range and pasture handbook. (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/range.html)


Report Name:
Rangeland Productivity and Plant Composition

Report Title:
Rangeland Productivity and Plant Composition

Access Report Name:
Rangeland Productivity and Plant Composition

Report Documentation:
In areas that have similar climate and topography, differences in the kind and amount of rangeland or forest understory vegetation are closely related to the kind of soil. Effective management is based on the relationship between the soils and vegetation and water.

This table shows, for each soil that supports vegetation suitable for grazing, the ecological site; the total annual production of vegetation in favorable, normal, and unfavorable years; the characteristic vegetation; and the average percentage of each species. An explanation of the column headings in the table follows.

An ecological site is the product of all the environmental factors responsible for its development. It has characteristic soils that have developed over time throughout the soil development process; a characteristic hydrology, particularly infiltration and runoff that has developed over time; and a characteristic plant community (kind and amount of vegetation). The hydrology of the site is influenced by development of the soil and plant community. The vegetation, soils, and hydrology are all interrelated. Each is influenced by the others and influences the development of the others. The plant community on an ecological site is typified by an association of species that differs from that of other ecological sites in the kind and/or proportion of species or in total production. Descriptions of ecological sites are provided in the Field Office Technical Guide, which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Total dry-weight production is the amount of vegetation that can be expected to grow annually in a well managed area that is supporting the potential natural plant community. It includes all vegetation, whether or not it is palatable to grazing animals. It includes the current year's growth of leaves, twigs, and fruits of woody plants. It does not include the increase in stem diameter of trees and shrubs. It is expressed in pounds per acre of air-dry vegetation for favorable, normal, and unfavorable years. In a favorable year, the amount and distribution of precipitation and the temperatures make growing conditions substantially better than average. In a normal year, growing conditions are about average. In an unfavorable year, growing conditions are well below average, generally because of low available soil moisture. Yields are adjusted to a common percent of air-dry moisture content.

Characteristic vegetation-the grasses, forbs, and shrubs that make up most of the potential natural plant community on each soil-is listed by common name. Under rangeland composition, the expected percentage of the total annual production is given for each species making up the characteristic vegetation. The amount that can be used as forage depends on the kinds of grazing animals and on the grazing season.

Range management requires knowledge of the kinds of soil and of the potential natural plant community. It also requires an evaluation of the present range similarity index and rangeland trend. Range similarity index is determined by comparing the present plant community with the potential natural plant community on a particular rangeland ecological site. The more closely the existing community resembles the potential community, the higher the range similarity index. Rangeland trend is defined as the direction of change in an existing plant community relative to the potential natural plant community. Further information about the range similarity index and rangeland trend is available in chapter 4 of the "National Range and Pasture Handbook," which is available in local offices of NRCS or on the Internet.

The objective in range management is to control grazing so that the plants growing on a site are about the same in kind and amount as the potential natural plant community for that site. Such management generally results in the optimum production of vegetation, control of undesirable brush species, conservation of water, and control of erosion. Sometimes, however, an area with a range similarity index somewhat below the potential meets grazing needs, provides wildlife habitat, and protects soil and water resources.


Report Documentation:
This table can help forest owners or managers plan the use of soils for wood crops. It shows the potential productivity of the soils for wood crops.

Potential productivity of merchantable or common trees on a soil is expressed as a site index and as a volume number. The site index is the average height, in feet, that dominant and codominant trees of a given species attain in a specified number of years. The site index applies to fully stocked, even-aged, unmanaged stands. Commonly grown trees are those that forest managers generally favor in intermediate or improvement cuttings. They are selected on the basis of growth rate, quality, value, and marketability. More detailed information regarding site index is available in the "National Forestry Manual," which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or on the Internet.

The volume of wood fiber, a number, is the yield likely to be produced by the most important tree species. This number, expressed as cubic feet per acre per year and calculated at the age of culmination of the mean annual increment (CMAI), indicates the amount of fiber produced in a fully stocked, even-aged, unmanaged stand.

Trees to manage are those that are preferred for planting, seeding, or natural regeneration and those that remain in the stand after thinning or partial harvest.

Reference:
United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. National forestry manual. (http://soils.usda.gov/technical/nfhandbook/)


Report Header Text:
[The information in this table indicates the dominant soil condition but does not eliminate the need for onsite investigation.  The numbers in the value columns range from 0.00 to 0.99.  The larger the value, the greater the likelihood that the bottom layer or thickest layer of the soil is a source of sand or gravel]

Report Documentation:
This table gives information about the soils as potential sources of gravel and sand. Normal compaction, minor processing, and other standard construction practices are assumed.

Sand and gravel are natural aggregates suitable for commercial use with a minimum of processing. They are used in many kinds of construction. Specifications for each use vary widely.  Only the likelihood of finding material in suitable quantity is evaluated. The suitability of the material for specific purposes is not evaluated, nor are factors that affect excavation of the material. The properties used to evaluate the soil as a source of sand or gravel are gradation of grain sizes (as indicated by the Unified classification of the soil), the thickness of suitable material, and the content of rock fragments. If the bottom layer of the soil contains sand or gravel, the soil is considered a likely source regardless of thickness. The assumption is that the sand or gravel layer below the depth of observation exceeds the minimum thickness. The ratings are for the whole soil, from the surface to a depth of about 6 feet.

The soils are rated good, fair, or poor as potential sources of sand and gravel. A rating of good or fair means that the source material is likely to be in or below the soil. The bottom layer and the thickest layer of the soils are assigned numerical ratings. These ratings indicate the likelihood that the layer is a source of sand or gravel. The number 0.00 indicates that the layer is a poor source. The number 1.00 indicates that the layer is a good source. A number between 0.00 and 1.00 indicates the degree to which the layer is a likely source.


Report Name:
Source of Reclamation Material, Roadfill, and Topsoil

Report Title:
Source of Reclamation Material, Roadfill, and Topsoil

Report Header Text:
[The information in this table indicates the dominant soil condition but does not eliminate the need for onsite investigation.  The numbers in the value columns range from 0.00 to 0.99.  The smaller the value, the greater the limitation]

Access Report Name:
Template Interpretation Report - 3 Interpretations

Report Documentation:
This table gives information about the soils as potential sources of topsoil, reclamation material, and roadfill. Normal compaction, minor processing, and other standard construction practices are assumed.

The soils are rated good, fair, or poor as potential sources of topsoil, reclamation material, and roadfill. The features that limit the soils as sources of these materials are specified in the table. Numerical ratings between 0.00 and 1.00 are given after the specified features.  These numbers indicate the degree to which the features limit the soils as sources of topsoil, reclamation material, or roadfill. The lower the number, the greater the limitation.

Topsoil is used to cover an area so that vegetation can be established and maintained. The upper 40 inches of a soil is evaluated for use as topsoil. Also evaluated is the reclamation potential of the borrow area. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect plant growth; the ease of excavating, loading, and spreading the material; and reclamation of the borrow area. Toxic substances, soil reaction, and the properties that are inferred from soil texture, such as available water capacity and fertility, affect plant growth. The ease of excavating, loading, and spreading is affected by rock fragments, slope, depth to a water table, soil texture, and thickness of suitable material. Reclamation of the borrow area is affected by slope, depth to a water table, rock fragments, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, and toxic material.

The surface layer of most soils is generally preferred for topsoil because of its organic matter content. Organic matter greatly increases the absorption and retention of moisture and nutrients for plant growth.

Reclamation material is used in areas that have been drastically disturbed by surface mining or similar activities. When these areas are reclaimed, layers of soil material or unconsolidated geological material, or both, are replaced in a vertical sequence. The reconstructed soil favors plant growth. The ratings in the table do not apply to quarries and other mined areas that require an offsite source of reconstruction material. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect erosion and stability of the surface and the productive potential of the reconstructed soil. These properties include the content of sodium, salts, and calcium carbonate; reaction; available water capacity; erodibility; texture; content of rock fragments; and content of organic matter and other features that affect fertility.

Roadfill is soil material that is excavated in one place and used in road embankments in another place. In this table, the soils are rated as a source of roadfill for low embankments, generally less than 6 feet high and less exacting in design than higher embankments.
The ratings are for the whole soil, from the surface to a depth of about 5 feet. It is assumed that soil layers will be mixed when the soil material is excavated and spread.

The ratings are based on the amount of suitable material and on soil properties that affect the ease of excavation and the performance of the material after it is in place. The thickness of the suitable material is a major consideration. The ease of excavation is affected by large stones, depth to a water table, and slope. How well the soil performs in place after it has been compacted and drained is determined by its strength (as inferred from the AASHTO classification of the soil) and linear extensibility (shrink-swell potential).


Report Name:
Dwellings and Small Commercial Buildings

Report Title:
Dwellings and Small Commercial Buildings

Report Documentation:
Soil properties influence the development of building sites, including the selection of the site, the design of the structure, construction, performance after construction, and maintenance. This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations that affect dwellings with and without basements and small commercial buildings.

The ratings in the table are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect building site development. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Dwellings are single-family houses of three stories or less. For dwellings without basements, the foundation is assumed to consist of spread footings of reinforced concrete built on undisturbed soil at a depth of 2 feet or at the depth of maximum frost penetration, whichever is deeper. For dwellings with basements, the foundation is assumed to consist of spread footings of reinforced concrete built on undisturbed soil at a depth of about 7 feet. The ratings for dwellings are based on the soil properties that affect the capacity of the soil to support a load without movement and on the properties that affect excavation and construction costs. The properties that affect the load-supporting capacity include depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, subsidence, linear extensibility (shrink-swell potential), and compressibility. Compressibility is inferred from the Unified classification. The properties that affect the ease and amount of excavation include depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, slope, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, hardness of bedrock or a cemented pan, and the amount and size of rock fragments.

Small commercial buildings are structures that are less than three stories high and do not have basements. The foundation is assumed to consist of spread footings of reinforced concrete built on undisturbed soil at a depth of 2 feet or at the depth of maximum frost penetration, whichever is deeper. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect the capacity of the soil to support a load without movement and on the properties that affect excavation and construction costs. The properties that affect the load-supporting capacity include depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, subsidence, linear extensibility (shrink-swell potential), and compressibility (which is inferred from the Unified classification). The properties that affect the ease and amount of excavation include flooding, depth to a water table, ponding, slope, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, hardness of bedrock or a cemented pan, and the amount and size of rock fragments.


Report Name:
Roads and Streets, Shallow Excavations, and Lawns and Landscaping

Report Title:
Roads and Streets, Shallow Excavations, and Lawns and Landscaping

Report Documentation:
Soil properties influence the development of building sites, including the selection of the site, the design of the structure, construction, performance after construction, and maintenance. This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations that affect local roads and streets, shallow excavations, and lawns and landscaping.

The ratings in the table are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect building site development. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Local roads and streets have an all-weather surface and carry automobile and light truck traffic all year. They have a subgrade of cut or fill soil material; a base of gravel, crushed rock, or soil material stabilized by lime or cement; and a surface of flexible material (asphalt), rigid material (concrete), or gravel with a binder. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect the ease of excavation and grading and the traffic-supporting capacity. The properties that affect the ease of excavation and grading are depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, hardness of bedrock or a cemented pan, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, the amount of large stones, and slope. The properties that affect the traffic-supporting capacity are soil strength (as inferred from the AASHTO group index number), subsidence, linear extensibility (shrink-swell potential), the potential for frost action, depth to a water table, and ponding.

Shallow excavations are trenches or holes dug to a maximum depth of 5 or 6 feet for graves, utility lines, open ditches, or other purposes. The ratings are based on the soil properties that influence the ease of digging and the resistance to sloughing. Depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, hardness of bedrock or a cemented pan, the amount of large stones, and dense layers influence the ease of digging, filling, and compacting. Depth to the seasonal high water table, flooding, and ponding may restrict the period when excavations can be made. Slope influences the ease of using machinery. Soil texture, depth to the water table, and linear extensibility (shrink-swell potential) influence the resistance to sloughing.

Lawns and landscaping require soils on which turf and ornamental trees and shrubs can be established and maintained. Irrigation is not considered in the ratings. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect plant growth and trafficability after vegetation is established. The properties that affect plant growth are reaction; depth to a water table; ponding; depth to bedrock or a cemented pan; the available water capacity in the upper 40 inches; the content of salts, sodium, or calcium carbonate; and sulfidic materials. The properties that affect trafficability are flooding, depth to a water table, ponding, slope, stoniness, and the amount of sand, clay, or organic matter in the surface layer.


Report Documentation:
This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations that affect septic tank absorption fields and sewage lagoons. The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect these uses. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Septic tank absorption fields are areas in which effluent from a septic tank is distributed into the soil through subsurface tiles or perforated pipe. Only that part of the soil between depths of 24 and 60 inches is evaluated. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect absorption of the effluent, construction and maintenance of the system, and public health. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), depth to a water table, ponding, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, and flooding affect absorption of the effluent. Stones and boulders, ice, and bedrock or a cemented pan interfere with installation. Subsidence interferes with installation and maintenance. Excessive slope may cause lateral seepage and surfacing of the effluent in downslope areas.

Some soils are underlain by loose sand and gravel or fractured bedrock at a depth of less than 4 feet below the distribution lines. In these soils the absorption field may not adequately filter the effluent, particularly when the system is new. As a result, the ground water may become contaminated.

Sewage lagoons are shallow ponds constructed to hold sewage while aerobic bacteria decompose the solid and liquid wastes. Lagoons should have a nearly level floor surrounded by cut slopes or embankments of compacted soil. Nearly impervious soil material for the lagoon floor and sides is required to minimize seepage and contamination of ground water. Considered in the ratings are slope, Ksat, depth to a water table, ponding, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, flooding, large stones, and content of organic matter.

Ksat is a critical property affecting the suitability for sewage lagoons. Most porous soils eventually become sealed when they are used as sites for sewage lagoons. Until sealing occurs, however, the hazard of pollution is severe. Soils that have a Ksat rate of more than 14 um per second are too porous for the proper functioning of sewage lagoons. In these soils, seepage of the effluent can result in contamination of the ground water. Ground-water contamination is also a hazard if fractured bedrock is within a depth of 40 inches, if the water table is high enough to raise the level of sewage in the lagoon, or if floodwater overtops the lagoon.

A high content of organic matter is detrimental to proper functioning of the lagoon because it inhibits aerobic activity. Slope, bedrock, and cemented pans can cause construction problems, and large stones can hinder compaction of the lagoon floor. If the lagoon is to be uniformly deep throughout, the slope must be gentle enough and the soil material must be thick enough over bedrock or a cemented pan to make land smoothing practical.


Report Documentation:
This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations that affect sanitary landfills and daily cover for landfill. The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect these uses. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

A trench sanitary landfill is an area where solid waste is placed in successive layers in an excavated trench. The waste is spread, compacted, and covered daily with a thin layer of soil excavated at the site. When the trench is full, a final cover of soil material at least 2 feet thick is placed over the landfill. The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect the risk of pollution, the ease of excavation, trafficability, and revegetation. These properties include saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, depth to a water table, ponding, slope, flooding, texture, stones and boulders, highly organic layers, soil reaction, and content of salts and sodium. Unless otherwise stated, the ratings apply only to that part of the soil within a depth of about 6 feet. For deeper trenches, onsite investigation may be needed.

Hard, nonrippable bedrock, creviced bedrock, or highly permeable strata in or directly below the proposed trench bottom can affect the ease of excavation and the hazard of ground-water pollution. Slope affects construction of the trenches and the movement of surface water around the landfill. It also affects the construction and performance of roads in areas of the landfill.

Soil texture and consistence affect the ease with which the trench is dug and the ease with which the soil can be used as daily or final cover. They determine the workability of the soil when dry and when wet. Soils that are plastic and sticky when wet are difficult to excavate, grade, or compact and are difficult to place as a uniformly thick cover over a layer of refuse.

The soil material used as the final cover for a trench landfill should be suitable for plants. It should not have excess sodium or salts and should not be too acid. The surface layer generally has the best workability, the highest content of organic matter, and the best potential for plants. Material from the surface layer should be stockpiled for use as the final cover.

In an area sanitary landfill, solid waste is placed in successive layers on the surface of the soil. The waste is spread, compacted, and covered daily with a thin layer of soil from a source away from the site. A final cover of soil material at least 2 feet thick is placed over the completed landfill. The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect trafficability and the risk of pollution. These properties include flooding, Ksat, depth to a water table, ponding, slope, and depth to bedrock or a cemented pan.

Flooding is a serious problem because it can result in pollution in areas downstream from the landfill. If Ksat is too rapid or if fractured bedrock, a fractured cemented pan, or the water table is close to the surface, the leachate can contaminate the water supply. Slope is a consideration because of the extra grading required to maintain roads in the steeper areas of the landfill. Also, leachate may flow along the surface of the soils in the steeper areas and cause difficult seepage problems.

Daily cover for landfill is the soil material that is used to cover compacted solid waste in an area sanitary landfill. The soil material is obtained offsite, transported to the landfill, and spread over the waste. The ratings in the table also apply to the final cover for a landfill. They are based on the soil properties that affect workability, the ease of digging, and the ease of moving and spreading the material over the refuse daily during wet and dry periods. These properties include soil texture, depth to a water table, ponding, rock fragments, slope, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, reaction, and content of salts, sodium, or lime.

Loamy or silty soils that are free of large stones and excess gravel are the best cover for a landfill. Clayey soils may be sticky and difficult to spread; sandy soils are subject to wind erosion.

Slope affects the ease of excavation and of moving the cover material. Also, it can influence runoff, erosion, and reclamation of the borrow area. 

After soil material has been removed, the soil material remaining in the borrow area must be thick enough over bedrock, a cemented pan, or the water table to permit revegetation. The soil material used as the final cover for a landfill should be suitable for plants. It should not have excess sodium, salts, or lime and should not be too acid.


Report Name:
Haul Roads, Log Landings, and Soil Rutting on Forestland

Report Title:
Haul Roads, Log Landings, and Soil Rutting on Forestland

Access Report Name:
Template Interpretation Report - 3 Interpretations - Old

Report Documentation:
This table can help forest owners or managers plan the use of soils for wood crops.  Interpretive ratings are given for the soils according to the limitations that affect various aspects of forest management. The ratings are both verbal and numerical.

 Some rating class terms indicate the degree to which the soils are suited to a specified forest management practice. Well suited indicates that the soil has features that are favorable for the specified practice and has no limitations. Good performance can be expected, and little or no maintenance is needed. Moderately suited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified practice. One or more soil properties are less than desirable and fair performance can be expected. Some maintenance is needed. Poorly suited indicates that the soil has one or more properties that are unfavorable for the specified practice. Overcoming the unfavorable properties requires special design, extra maintenance, and costly alteration. Unsuited indicates that the expected performance of the soil is unacceptable for the specified practice or that extreme measures are needed to overcome the undesirable soil properties.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the specified forest management practice (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The paragraphs that follow indicate the soil properties considered in rating the soils for forest management practices. More detailed information about the criteria used in the ratings is available in the "National Forestry Manual," which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or on the Internet.

For limitations affecting construction of haul roads and log landings, the ratings are based on slope, flooding, permafrost, plasticity index, the hazard of soil slippage, content of sand, the Unified classification, rock fragments on or below the surface, depth to a restrictive layer that is indurated, depth to a water table, and ponding. The limitations are described as slight, moderate, or severe. A rating of slight indicates that no significant limitations affect construction activities, moderate indicates that one or more limitations can cause some difficulty in construction, and severe indicates that one or more limitations can make construction very difficult or very costly.

The ratings of suitability for log landings are based on slope, rock fragments on the surface, plasticity index, content of sand, the Unified classification, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, and the hazard of soil slippage. The soils are described as well suited, moderately suited, or poorly suited to use as log landings.

Ratings in the column soil rutting hazard are based on depth to a water table, rock fragments on or below the surface, the Unified classification, depth to a restrictive layer, and slope. Ruts form as a result of the operation of forest equipment. The hazard is described as slight, moderate, or severe. A rating of slight indicates that the soil is subject to little or no rutting, moderate indicates that rutting is likely, and severe indicates that ruts form readily.


Report Name:
Hazard of Erosion and Suitability for Roads on Forestland

Report Title:
Hazard of Erosion and Suitability for Roads on Forestland

Report Documentation:
This table can help forest owners or managers plan the use of soils for wood crops.  Interpretive ratings are given for the soils according to the limitations that affect various aspects of forest management. The ratings are both verbal and numerical.

 Some rating class terms indicate the degree to which the soils are suited to a specified forest management practice. Well suited indicates that the soil has features that are favorable for the specified practice and has no limitations. Good performance can be expected, and little or no maintenance is needed. Moderately suited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified practice. One or more soil properties are less than desirable, and fair performance can be expected. Some maintenance is needed. Poorly suited indicates that the soil has one or more properties that are unfavorable for the specified practice. Overcoming the unfavorable properties requires special design, extra maintenance, and costly alteration. Unsuited indicates that the expected performance of the soil is unacceptable for the specified practice or that extreme measures are needed to overcome the undesirable soil properties.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the specified forest management practice (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The paragraphs that follow indicate the soil properties considered in rating the soils for forest management practices. More detailed information about the criteria used in the ratings is available in the "National Forestry Manual," which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or on the Internet.

Ratings in the column hazard of off-road or off-trail erosion are based on slope and on soil erodibility factor K. The soil loss is caused by sheet or rill erosion in off-road or off-trail areas where 50 to 75 percent of the surface has been exposed by logging, grazing, mining, or other kinds of disturbance. The hazard is described as slight, moderate, severe, or very severe. A rating of slight indicates that erosion is unlikely under ordinary climatic conditions; moderate indicates that some erosion is likely and that erosion-control measures may be needed; severe indicates that erosion is very likely and that erosion-control measures, including revegetation of bare areas, are advised; and very severe indicates that significant erosion is expected, loss of soil productivity and off-site damage are likely, and erosion-control measures are costly and generally impractical.

Ratings in the column hazard of erosion on roads and trails are based on the soil erodibility factor K, slope, and content of rock fragments. The ratings apply to unsurfaced roads and trails. The hazard is described as slight, moderate, or severe. A rating of slight indicates that little or no erosion is likely; moderate indicates that some erosion is likely, that the roads or trails may require occasional maintenance; and that simple erosion-control measures are needed; and severe indicates that significant erosion is expected, that the roads or trails require frequent maintenance, and that costly erosion-control measures are needed.

Ratings in the column suitability for roads (natural surface) are based on slope, rock fragments on the surface, plasticity index, content of sand, the Unified classification, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, and the hazard of soil slippage. The ratings indicate the suitability for using the natural surface of the soil for roads. The soils are described as well suited, moderately suited, or poorly suited to this use.


Report Documentation:
This table can help forest owners or managers plan the use of soils for wood crops. Interpretive ratings are given for the soils according to the limitations that affect various aspects of forest management. The ratings are both verbal and numerical.

Some rating class terms indicate the degree to which the soils are suited to a specified forest management practice. Well suited indicates that the soil has features that are favorable for the specified practice and has no limitations. Good performance can be expected, and little or no maintenance is needed. Moderately suited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified practice. One or more soil properties are less than desirable and fair performance can be expected. Some maintenance is needed. Poorly suited indicates that the soil has one or more properties that are unfavorable for the specified practice. Overcoming the unfavorable properties requires special design, extra maintenance, and costly alteration. Unsuited indicates that the expected performance of the soil is unacceptable for the specified practice or that extreme measures are needed to overcome the undesirable soil properties.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the specified forest management practice (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The paragraphs that follow indicate the soil properties considered in rating the soils for forest management practices. More detailed information about the criteria used in the ratings is available in the "National Forestry Manual," which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or on the Internet.

Ratings in the columns suitability for hand planting and suitability for mechanical planting are based on slope, depth to a restrictive layer, content of sand, plasticity index, rock fragments on or below the surface, depth to a water table, and ponding. The soils are described as well suited, moderately suited, poorly suited, or unsuited to these methods of planting. It is assumed that necessary site preparation is completed before seedlings are planted.

Ratings in the column suitability for use of harvesting equipment are based on slope, rock fragments on the surface, plasticity index, content of sand, the Unified classification, depth to a water table, and ponding. The soils are described as well suited, moderately suited, or poorly suited to this use.


Access Report Name:
Template Interpretation Report - 2 Interpretations - Old

Report Documentation:
This table can help forest owners or managers plan the use of soils for wood crops. Interpretive ratings are given for the soils according to the limitations that affect various aspects of forest management. The ratings are both verbal and numerical.

 Some rating class terms indicate the degree to which the soils are suited to a specified forest management practice. Well suited indicates that the soil has features that are favorable for the specified practice and has no limitations. Good performance can be expected, and little or no maintenance is needed. Moderately suited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified practice. One or more soil properties are less than desirable and fair performance can be expected. Some maintenance is needed. Poorly suited indicates that the soil has one or more properties that are unfavorable for the specified practice. Overcoming the unfavorable properties requires special design, extra maintenance, and costly alteration. Unsuited indicates that the expected performance of the soil is unacceptable for the specified practice or that extreme measures are needed to overcome the undesirable soil properties.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the specified forest management practice (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The paragraphs that follow indicate the soil properties considered in rating the soils for forest management practices. More detailed information about the criteria used in the ratings is available in the "National Forestry Manual," which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or on the Internet.

Ratings in the column suitability for mechanical site preparation (surface) are based on slope, depth to a restrictive layer, plasticity index, rock fragments on or below the surface, depth to a water table, and ponding. The soils are described as well suited, poorly suited, or unsuited to this management activity. The part of the soil from the surface to a depth of about 1 foot is considered in the ratings.

Ratings in the column suitability for mechanical site preparation (deep) are based on slope, depth to a restrictive layer, rock fragments on or below the surface, depth to a water table, and ponding. The soils are described as well suited, poorly suited, or unsuited to this management activity. The part of the soil from the surface to a depth of about 3 feet is considered in the ratings.


Report Name:
Damage by Fire and Seedling Mortality on Forestland

Report Title:
Damage by Fire and Seedling Mortality on Forestland

Report Documentation:
This table can help forest owners or managers plan the use of soils for wood crops. Interpretive ratings are given for the soils according to the limitations that affect various aspects of forest management. The ratings are both verbal and numerical.

Rating class terms indicate the degree to which the soils are suited to a specified forest management practice. Low indicates that the soil has features that reduce its susceptibility to the hazard. Good performance can be expected, and little or no maintenance is needed. Moderate indicates that the soil has features that result in a moderate susceptibility to the hazard. One or more soil properties are less than desirable, and fair performance can be expected. Some maintenance is needed. High indicates that the soil has one or more properties that result in a high susceptibility to the hazard. Overcoming the unfavorable properties requires special design, extra maintenance, and costly alteration.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the specified forest management practice (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The paragraphs that follow indicate the soil properties considered in rating the soils for forest management practices. More detailed information about the criteria used in the ratings is available in the "National Forestry Manual," which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or on the Internet.

Ratings in the column potential for damage to soil by fire are based on texture of the surface layer, content of rock fragments and organic matter in the surface layer, thickness of the surface layer, and slope. The soils are described as having a low, moderate, or high potential for this kind of damage. The ratings indicate an evaluation of the potential impact of prescribed fires or wildfires that are intense enough to remove the duff layer and consume organic matter in the surface layer.

Ratings in the column potential for seedling mortality are based on flooding, ponding, depth to a water table, content of lime, reaction, salinity, available water capacity, soil moisture regime, soil temperature regime, aspect, and slope. The soils are described as having a low, moderate, or high potential for seedling mortality.


Report Header Text:
[Absence of an entry indicates that the data were not estimated]

Report Documentation:
This table gives the engineering classifications and the range of engineering properties for the layers of each soil in the survey area.

Depth to the upper and lower boundaries of each layer is indicated.

Texture is given in the standard terms used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These terms are defined according to percentages of sand, silt, and clay in the fraction of the soil that is less than 2 millimeters in diameter. "Loam," for example, is soil that is 7 to 27 percent clay, 28 to 50 percent silt, and less than 52 percent sand. If the content of particles coarser than sand is 15 percent or more, an appropriate modifier is added, for example, "gravelly." Textural terms are defined in the Glossary.

Classification of the soils is determined according to the Unified soil classification system (ASTM, 2001) and the system adopted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO, 2000).

The Unified system classifies soils according to properties that affect their use as construction material. Soils are classified according to particle-size distribution of the fraction less than 3 inches in diameter and according to plasticity index, liquid limit, and organic matter content. Sandy and gravelly soils are identified as GW, GP, GM, GC, SW, SP, SM, and SC; silty and clayey soils as ML, CL, OL, MH, CH, and OH; and highly organic soils as PT. Soils exhibiting engineering properties of two groups can have a dual classification, for example, CL-ML.

The AASHTO system classifies soils according to those properties that affect roadway construction and maintenance. In this system, the fraction of a mineral soil that is less than 3 inches in diameter is classified in one of seven groups from A-1 through A-7 on the basis of particle-size distribution, liquid limit, and plasticity index. Soils in group A-1 are coarse grained and low in content of fines (silt and clay). At the other extreme, soils in group A-7 are fine grained. Highly organic soils are classified in group A-8 on the basis of visual inspection.

If laboratory data are available, the A-1, A-2, and A-7 groups are further classified as A-1-a, A-1-b, A-2-4, A-2-5, A-2-6, A-2-7, A-7-5, or A-7-6. As an additional refinement, the suitability of a soil as subgrade material can be indicated by a group index number. Group index numbers range from 0 for the best subgrade material to 20 or higher for the poorest. The AASHTO classification for soils tested, with group index numbers in parentheses, is given in table R.

Rock fragments larger than 10 inches in diameter and 3 to 10 inches in diameter are indicated as a percentage of the total soil on a dry-weight basis. The percentages are estimates determined mainly by converting volume percentage in the field to weight percentage.

Percentage (of soil particles) passing designated sieves is the percentage of the soil fraction less than 3 inches in diameter based on an ovendry weight. The sieves, numbers 4, 10, 40, and 200 (USA Standard Series), have openings of 4.76, 2.00, 0.420, and 0.074 millimeters, respectively. Estimates are based on laboratory tests of soils sampled in the survey area and in nearby areas and on estimates made in the field.

Liquid limit and plasticity index (Atterberg limits) indicate the plasticity characteristics of a soil. The estimates are based on test data from the survey area or from nearby areas and on field examination.


Report Header Text:
[Entries under "Erosion Factors--T" apply to the entire profile.  Entries under "Wind Erodibility Group" and "Wind Erodibility Index" apply only to the surface layer.  Absence of an entry indicates that data were not estimated]

Report Documentation:
This table shows estimates of some physical characteristics and features that affect soil behavior. These estimates are given for the layers of each soil in the survey area. The estimates are based on field observations and on test data for these and similar soils.

Depth to the upper and lower boundaries of each layer is indicated.

Particle size is the effective diameter of a soil particle as measured by sedimentation, sieving, or micrometric methods. Particle sizes are expressed as classes with specific effective diameter class limits. The broad classes are sand, silt, and clay, ranging from the larger to the smaller.

Sand as a soil separate consists of mineral soil particles that are 0.05 millimeter to 2 millimeters in diameter. The estimated sand content of each soil layer is given as a percentage, by weight, of the soil material that is less than 2 millimeters in diameter.

Silt as a soil separate consists of mineral soil particles that are 0.002 to 0.05 millimeter in diameter. The estimated silt content of each soil layer is given as a percentage, by weight, of the soil material that is less than 2 millimeters in diameter.

Clay as a soil separate consists of mineral soil particles that are less than 0.002 millimeter in diameter. The estimated clay content of each soil layer is given as a percentage, by weight, of the soil material that is less than 2 millimeters in diameter.

The content of sand, silt, and clay affects the physical behavior of a soil. Particle size is important for engineering and agronomic interpretations, for determination of soil hydrologic qualities, and for soil classification.

The amount and kind of clay affect the fertility and physical condition of the soil and the ability of the soil to adsorb cations and to retain moisture. They influence shrink-swell potential, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), plasticity, the ease of soil dispersion, and other soil properties. The amount and kind of clay in a soil also affect tillage and earthmoving operations.

Moist bulk density is the weight of soil (ovendry) per unit volume. Volume is measured when the soil is at field moisture capacity, that is, the moisture content at 1/3- or 1/10-bar (33kPa or 10kPa) moisture tension. Weight is determined after the soil is dried at 105 degrees C. In the table, the estimated moist bulk density of each soil horizon is expressed in grams per cubic centimeter of soil material that is less than 2 millimeters in diameter. Bulk density data are used to compute shrink-swell potential, available water capacity, total pore space, and other soil properties. The moist bulk density of a soil indicates the pore space available for water and roots. Depending on soil texture, a bulk density of more than 1.4 can restrict water storage and root penetration. Moist bulk density is influenced by texture, kind of clay, content of organic matter, and soil structure.

Saturated hydraulic conductivity refers to the ability of a soil to transmit water or air. The term "permeability" indicates saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat ). The estimates in the table indicate the rate of water movement, in micrometers per second (um/sec), when the soil is saturated. They are based on soil characteristics observed in the field, particularly structure, porosity, and texture.  Ksat is considered in the design of soil drainage systems and septic tank absorption fields.

Available water capacity refers to the quantity of water that the soil is capable of storing for use by plants. The capacity for water storage is given in inches of water per inch of soil for each soil layer. The capacity varies, depending on soil properties that affect retention of water. The most important properties are the content of organic matter, soil texture, bulk density, and soil structure. Available water capacity is an important factor in the choice of plants or crops to be grown and in the design and management of irrigation systems. Available water capacity is not an estimate of the quantity of water actually available to plants at any given time.

Linear extensibility refers to the change in length of an unconfined clod as moisture content is decreased from a moist to a dry state. It is an expression of the volume change between the water content of the clod at 1/3- or 1/10-bar tension (33kPa or 10kPa tension) and oven dryness. The volume change is reported in the table as percent change for the whole soil. The amount and type of clay minerals in the soil influence volume change.

Linear extensibility is used to determine the shrink-swell potential of soils. The shrink-swell potential is low if the soil has a linear extensibility of less than 3 percent; moderate if 3 to 6 percent; high if 6 to 9 percent; and very high if more than 9 percent. If the linear extensibility is more than 3, shrinking and swelling can cause damage to buildings, roads, and other structures and to plant roots. Special design commonly is needed.

Organic matter is the plant and animal residue in the soil at various stages of decomposition. The estimated content of organic matter is expressed as a percentage, by weight, of the soil material that is less than 2 millimeters in diameter.

The content of organic matter in a soil can be maintained by returning crop residue to the soil. Organic matter has a positive effect on available water capacity, water infiltration, soil organism activity, and tilth. It is a source of nitrogen and other nutrients for crops and soil organisms.

Erosion factors are shown in the table as the K factor (Kw and Kf) and the T factor. Erosion factor K indicates the susceptibility of a soil to sheet and rill erosion by water. Factor K is one of six factors used in the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to predict the average annual rate of soil loss by sheet and rill erosion in tons per acre per year. The estimates are based primarily on percentage of silt, sand, and organic matter and on soil structure and Ksat. Values of K range from 0.02 to 0.69. Other factors being equal, the higher the value, the more susceptible the soil is to sheet and rill erosion by water.

Erosion factor Kw indicates the erodibility of the whole soil. The estimates are modified by the presence of rock fragments.

Erosion factor Kf indicates the erodibility of the fine-earth fraction, or the material less than 2 millimeters in size.

Erosion factor T is an estimate of the maximum average annual rate of soil erosion by wind and/or water that can occur without affecting crop productivity over a sustained period. The rate is in tons per acre per year.

Wind erodibility groups are made up of soils that have similar properties affecting their susceptibility to wind erosion in cultivated areas. The soils assigned to group 1 are the most susceptible to wind erosion, and those assigned to group 8 are the least susceptible. The groups are described in the National Soil Survey Handbook.

Wind erodibility index is a numerical value indicating the susceptibility of soil to wind erosion, or the tons per acre per year that can be expected to be lost to wind erosion. There is a close correlation between wind erosion and the texture of the surface layer, the size and durability of surface clods, rock fragments, organic matter, and a calcareous reaction. Soil moisture and frozen soil layers also influence wind erosion.


Report Header Text:
[Absence of an entry indicates that data were not estimated]

Report Documentation:
This table shows estimates of some chemical characteristics and features that affect soil behavior. These estimates are given for the layers of each soil in the survey area. The estimates are based on field observations and on test data for these and similar soils.

Depth to the upper and lower boundaries of each layer is indicated.

Cation-exchange capacity is the total amount of extractable bases that can be held by the soil, expressed in terms of milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil at neutrality (pH 7.0) or at some other stated pH value. Soils having a low cation-exchange capacity hold fewer cations and may require more frequent applications of fertilizer than soils having a high cation-exchange capacity. The ability to retain cations reduces the hazard of ground-water pollution.

Effective cation-exchange capacity refers to the sum of extractable bases plus aluminum expressed in terms of milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil. It is determined for soils that have pH of less than 5.5.

Soil reaction is a measure of acidity or alkalinity. It is important in selecting crops and other plants, in evaluating soil amendments for fertility and stabilization, and in determining the risk of corrosion.

Calcium carbonate equivalent is the percent of carbonates, by weight, in the fraction of the soil less than 2 millimeters in size. The availability of plant nutrients is influenced by the amount of carbonates in the soil. Incorporating nitrogen fertilizer into calcareous soils helps to prevent nitrite accumulation and ammonium-N volatilization.

Gypsum is expressed as a percent, by weight, of hydrated calcium sulfates in the fraction of the soil less than 20 millimeters in size. Gypsum is partially soluble in water. Soils that have a high content of gypsum may collapse if the gypsum is removed by percolating water.

Salinity is a measure of soluble salts in the soil at saturation. It is expressed as the electrical conductivity of the saturation extract, in millimhos per centimeter at 25 degrees C. Estimates are based on field and laboratory measurements at representative sites of nonirrigated soils. The salinity of irrigated soils is affected by the quality of the irrigation water and by the frequency of water application. Hence, the salinity of soils in individual fields can differ greatly from the value given in the table. Salinity affects the suitability of a soil for crop production, the stability of soil if used as construction material, and the potential of the soil to corrode metal and concrete.

Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) is a measure of the amount of sodium (Na) relative to calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the water extract from saturated soil paste. It is the ratio of the Na concentration divided by the square root of one-half of the Ca + Mg concentration. Soils that have SAR values of 13 or more may be characterized by an increased dispersion of organic matter and clay particles, reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity and aeration, and a general degradation of soil structure.


Report Header Text:
[Depths of layers are in feet.  See text for definitions of terms used in this table.  Estimates of the frequency of ponding and flooding apply to the whole year rather than to individual months.  Absence of an entry indicates that the feature is not a concern or that data were not estimated]

Report Documentation:
This table gives estimates of various soil water features. The estimates are used in land use planning that involves engineering considerations.

Hydrologic soil groups are based on estimates of runoff potential. Soils are assigned to one of four groups according to the rate of water infiltration when the soils are not protected by vegetation, are thoroughly wet, and receive precipitation from long-duration storms.

The four hydrologic soil groups are:

Group A.  Soils having a high infiltration rate (low runoff potential) when thoroughly wet. These consist mainly of deep, well drained to excessively drained sands or gravelly sands. These soils have a high rate of water transmission.

Group B.  Soils having a moderate infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of moderately deep or deep, moderately well drained or well drained soils that have moderately fine texture to moderately coarse texture. These soils have a moderate rate of water transmission.

Group C.  Soils having a slow infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of soils having a layer that impedes the downward movement of water or soils of moderately fine texture or fine texture. These soils have a slow rate of water transmission.

Group D.  Soils having a very slow infiltration rate (high runoff potential) when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of clays that have a high shrink-swell potential, soils that have a high water table, soils that have a claypan or clay layer at or near the surface, and soils that are shallow over nearly impervious material. These soils have a very slow rate of water transmission.

If a soil is assigned to a dual hydrologic group (A/D, B/D, or C/D), the first letter is for drained areas and the second is for undrained areas.

Surface runoff refers to the loss of water from an area by flow over the land surface. Surface runoff classes are based on slope, climate, and vegetative cover. The concept indicates relative runoff for very specific conditions. It is assumed that the surface of the soil is bare and that the retention of surface water resulting from irregularities in the ground surface is minimal. The classes are negligible, very low, low, medium, high, and very high. 

The months in the table indicate the portion of the year in which a water table, ponding, and/or flooding is most likely to be a concern.

Water table refers to a saturated zone in the soil. The water features table indicates, by month, depth to the top (upper limit) and base (lower limit) of the saturated zone in most years. Estimates of the upper and lower limits are based mainly on observations of the water table at selected sites and on evidence of a saturated zone, namely grayish colors or mottles (redoximorphic features) in the soil. A saturated zone that lasts for less than a month is not considered a water table.

Ponding is standing water in a closed depression. Unless a drainage system is installed, the water is removed only by percolation, transpiration, or evaporation. The table indicates surface water depth and the duration and frequency of ponding. Duration is expressed as very brief if less than 2 days, brief if 2 to 7 days, long if 7 to 30 days, and very long if more than 30 days. Frequency is expressed as none, rare, occasional, and frequent. None means that ponding is not probable; rare that it is unlikely but possible under unusual weather conditions (the chance of ponding is nearly 0 percent to 5 percent in any year); occasional that it occurs, on the average, once or less in 2 years (the chance of ponding is 5 to 50 percent in any year); and frequent that it occurs, on the average, more than once in 2 years (the chance of ponding is more than 50 percent in any year).

Flooding is the temporary inundation of an area caused by overflowing streams, by runoff from adjacent slopes, or by tides. Water standing for short periods after rainfall or snowmelt is not considered flooding, and water standing in swamps and marshes is considered ponding rather than flooding.

Duration and frequency are estimated. Duration is expressed as extremely brief if 0.1 hour to 4 hours, very brief if 4 hours to 2 days, brief if 2 to 7 days, long if 7 to 30 days, and very long if more than 30 days. Frequency is expressed as none, very rare, rare, occasional, frequent, and very frequent. None means that flooding is not probable; very rare that it is very unlikely but possible under extremely unusual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is less than 1 percent in any year); rare that it is unlikely but possible under unusual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is 1 to 5 percent in any year); occasional that it occurs infrequently under normal weather conditions (the chance of flooding is 5 to 50 percent in any year); frequent that it is likely to occur often under normal weather conditions (the chance of flooding is more than 50 percent in any year but is less than 50 percent in all months in any year); and very frequent that it is likely to occur very often under normal weather conditions (the chance of flooding is more than 50 percent in all months of any year).

The information is based on evidence in the soil profile, namely thin strata of gravel, sand, silt, or clay deposited by floodwater; irregular decrease in organic matter content with increasing depth; and little or no horizon development.

Also considered are local information about the extent and levels of flooding and the relation of each soil on the landscape to historic floods. Information on the extent of flooding based on soil data is less specific than that provided by detailed engineering surveys that delineate flood-prone areas at specific flood frequency levels.


Report Header Text:
[Absence of an entry indicates that the feature is not a concern or that data were not estimated]

Report Documentation:
This table gives estimates of various soil features. The estimates are used in land use planning that involves engineering considerations.

A restrictive layer is a nearly continuous layer that has one or more physical, chemical, or thermal properties that significantly impede the movement of water and air through the soil or that restrict roots or otherwise provide an unfavorable root environment. Examples are bedrock, cemented layers, dense layers, and frozen layers. The table indicates the hardness and thickness of the restrictive layer, both of which significantly affect the ease of excavation. Depth to top is the vertical distance from the soil surface to the upper boundary of the restrictive layer.

Subsidence is the settlement of organic soils or of saturated mineral soils of very low density. Subsidence generally results from either desiccation and shrinkage, or oxidation of organic material, or both, following drainage. Subsidence takes place gradually, usually over a period of several years. The table shows the expected initial subsidence, which usually is a result of drainage, and total subsidence, which results from a combination of factors.

Potential for frost action is the likelihood of upward or lateral expansion of the soil caused by the formation of segregated ice lenses (frost heave) and the subsequent collapse of the soil and loss of strength on thawing. Frost action occurs when moisture moves into the freezing zone of the soil. Temperature, texture, density, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), content of organic matter, and depth to the water table are the most important factors considered in evaluating the potential for frost action. It is assumed that the soil is not insulated by vegetation or snow and is not artificially drained. Silty and highly structured, clayey soils that have a high water table in winter are the most susceptible to frost action. Well drained, very gravelly, or very sandy soils are the least susceptible. Frost heave and low soil strength during thawing cause damage to pavements and other rigid structures.

Risk of corrosion pertains to potential soil-induced electrochemical or chemical action that corrodes or weakens uncoated steel or concrete. The rate of corrosion of uncoated steel is related to such factors as soil moisture, particle-size distribution, acidity, and electrical conductivity of the soil. The rate of corrosion of concrete is based mainly on the sulfate and sodium content, texture, moisture content, and acidity of the soil. Special site examination and design may be needed if the combination of factors results in a severe hazard of corrosion. The steel or concrete in installations that intersect soil boundaries or soil layers is more susceptible to corrosion than the steel or concrete in installations that are entirely within one kind of soil or within one soil layer.

For uncoated steel, the risk of corrosion, expressed as low, moderate, or high, is based on soil drainage class, total acidity, electrical resistivity near field capacity, and electrical conductivity of the saturation extract.

For concrete, the risk of corrosion also is expressed as low, moderate, or high. It is based on soil texture, acidity, and amount of sulfates in the saturation extract.


Report Header Text:
[An asterisk following the soil name indicates a taxadjunct to the series]

Report Documentation:
The system of soil classification used by the National Cooperative Soil Survey has six categories (Soil Survey Staff, 1998 and 1999). Beginning with the broadest, these categories are the order, suborder, great group, subgroup, family, and series. Classification is based on soil properties observed in the field or inferred from those observations or from laboratory measurements. This table shows the classification of the soils in the survey area. The categories are defined in the following paragraphs.

ORDER.  Twelve soil orders are recognized. The differences among orders reflect the dominant soil-forming processes and the degree of soil formation. Each order is identified by a word ending in sol. An example is Alfisols.

SUBORDER.  Each order is divided into suborders primarily on the basis of properties that influence soil genesis and are important to plant growth or properties that reflect the most important variables within the orders. The last syllable in the name of a suborder indicates the order. An example is Udalfs (Ud, meaning humid, plus alfs, from Alfisols).

GREAT GROUP.  Each suborder is divided into great groups on the basis of close similarities in kind, arrangement, and degree of development of pedogenic horizons; soil moisture and temperature regimes; type of saturation; and base status. Each great group is identified by the name of a suborder and by a prefix that indicates a property of the soil. An example is Hapludalfs (Hapl, meaning minimal horizonation, plus udalfs, the suborder of the Alfisols that has a udic moisture regime).

SUBGROUP.  Each great group has a typic subgroup. Other subgroups are intergrades or extragrades. The typic subgroup is the central concept of the great group; it is not necessarily the most extensive. Intergrades are transitions to other orders, suborders, or great groups. Extragrades have some properties that are not representative of the great group but do not indicate transitions to any other taxonomic class. Each subgroup is identified by one or more adjectives preceding the name of the great group. The adjective Typic identifies the subgroup that typifies the great group. An example is Typic Hapludalfs.

FAMILY.  Families are established within a subgroup on the basis of physical and chemical properties and other characteristics that affect management. Generally, the properties are those of horizons below plow depth where there is much biological activity. Among the properties and characteristics considered are particle-size class, mineralogy class, cation-exchange activity class, soil temperature regime, soil depth, and reaction class. A family name consists of the name of a subgroup preceded by terms that indicate soil properties. An example is fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludalfs.

SERIES.  The series consists of soils within a family that have horizons similar in color, texture, structure, reaction, consistence, mineral and chemical composition, and arrangement in the profile.

References:
Soil Survey Staff. 1998. Keys to soil taxonomy. 8th edition. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Soil Survey Staff. 1999. Soil taxonomy: A basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil surveys. 2nd edition. Natural Resources Conservation Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 436.


Report Name:
Camp Areas, Picnic Areas, and Playgrounds

Report Title:
Camp Areas, Picnic Areas, and Playgrounds

Report Documentation:
The soils of the survey area are rated in this table according to limitations that affect their suitability for recreation. The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect the recreational uses. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The ratings are based on restrictive soil features, such as wetness, slope, and texture of the surface layer. Susceptibility to flooding is considered. Not considered in the ratings, but important in evaluating a site, are the location and accessibility of the area, the size and shape of the area and its scenic quality, vegetation, access to water, potential water impoundment sites, and access to public sewer lines. The capacity of the soil to absorb septic tank effluent and the ability of the soil to support vegetation also are important. Soils that are subject to flooding are limited for recreational uses by the duration and intensity of flooding and the season when flooding occurs. In planning recreational facilities, onsite assessment of the height, duration, intensity, and frequency of flooding is essential.

The information in this table can be supplemented by other information, for example, interpretations for building site development, construction materials, sanitary facilities, and water management.

Camp areas require site preparation, such as shaping and leveling the tent and parking areas, stabilizing roads and intensively used areas, and installing sanitary facilities and utility lines. Camp areas are subject to heavy foot traffic and some vehicular traffic. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect the ease of developing camp areas and the performance of the areas after development. Slope, stoniness, and depth to bedrock or a cemented pan are the main concerns affecting the development of camp areas. The soil properties that affect the performance of the areas after development are those that influence trafficability and promote the growth of vegetation, especially in heavily used areas. For good trafficability, the surface of camp areas should absorb rainfall readily, remain firm under heavy foot traffic, and not be dusty when dry. The soil properties that influence trafficability are texture of the surface layer, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), and large stones. The soil properties that affect the growth of plants are depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, Ksat, and toxic substances in the soil.

Picnic areas are subject to heavy foot traffic. Most vehicular traffic is confined to access roads and parking areas. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect the ease of developing picnic areas and that influence trafficability and the growth of vegetation after development. Slope and stoniness are the main concerns affecting the development of picnic areas. For good trafficability, the surface of picnic areas should absorb rainfall readily, remain firm under heavy foot traffic, and not be dusty when dry. The soil properties that influence trafficability are texture of the surface layer, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, Ksat, and large stones. The soil properties that affect the growth of plants are depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, Ksat, and toxic substances in the soil.

Playgrounds require soils that are nearly level, are free of stones, and can withstand intensive foot traffic. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect the ease of developing playgrounds and that influence trafficability and the growth of vegetation after development. Slope and stoniness are the main concerns affecting the development of playgrounds. For good trafficability, the surface of the playgrounds should absorb rainfall readily, remain firm under heavy foot traffic, and not be dusty when dry. The soil properties that influence trafficability are texture of the surface layer, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, Ksat, and large stones. The soil properties that affect the growth of plants are depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, Ksat, and toxic substances in the soil.


Report Documentation:
The soils of the survey area are rated according to limitations that affect their suitability for recreation. The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect the recreational uses. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

The ratings are based on restrictive soil features, such as wetness, slope, and texture of the surface layer. Susceptibility to flooding is considered. Not considered in the ratings, but important in evaluating a site, are the location and accessibility of the area, the size and shape of the area and its scenic quality, vegetation, access to water, potential water impoundment sites, and access to public sewer lines. The capacity of the soil to absorb septic tank effluent and the ability of the soil to support vegetation also are important. Soils that are subject to flooding are limited for recreational uses by the duration and intensity of flooding and the season when flooding occurs. In planning recreational facilities, onsite assessment of the height, duration, intensity, and frequency of flooding is essential.

The information in the table can be supplemented by other information, for example, interpretations for building site development, construction materials, sanitary facilities, and water management.

Paths and trails for hiking and horseback riding should require little or no slope modification through cutting and filling. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect trafficability and erodibility. These properties are stoniness, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, slope, and texture of the surface layer.

Off-road motorcycle trails require little or no site preparation. They are not covered with surfacing material or vegetation. Considerable compaction of the soil material is likely. The ratings are based on the soil properties that influence erodibility, trafficability, dustiness, and the ease of revegetation. These properties are stoniness, slope, depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, and texture of the surface layer.

Golf fairways are subject to heavy foot traffic and some light vehicular traffic. Cutting or filling may be required. Irrigation is not considered in the ratings. The ratings are based on the soil properties that affect plant growth and trafficability after vegetation is established. The properties that affect plant growth are reaction; depth to a water table; ponding; depth to bedrock or a cemented pan; the available water capacity in the upper 40 inches; the content of salts, sodium, or calcium carbonate; and sulfidic materials. The properties that affect trafficability are flooding, depth to a water table, ponding, slope, stoniness, and the amount of sand, clay, or organic matter in the surface layer. The suitability of the soil for traps, tees, roughs, and greens is not considered in the ratings.


Report Header Text:
[Absence of an entry indicates that trees generally do not grow to the given height]

Report Documentation:
Windbreaks protect livestock, buildings, yards, fruit trees, gardens, and cropland from wind and snow; help to keep snow on fields; and provide food and cover for wildlife. Field windbreaks are narrow plantings made at right angles to the prevailing wind and at specific intervals across the field. The interval depends on the erodibility of the soil.

Environmental plantings help to beautify and screen houses and other buildings and to abate noise. The plants, mostly evergreen shrubs and trees, are closely spaced. To ensure plant survival, a healthy planting stock of suitable species should be planted properly on a well prepared site and maintained in good condition.

The table shows the height that locally grown trees and shrubs are expected to reach in 20 years on various soils. The estimates are based on measurements and observation of established plantings that have been given adequate care. They can be used as a guide in planning windbreaks and screens. Additional information on planning windbreaks and screens and planting and caring for trees and shrubs can be obtained from the local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or of the Cooperative Extension Service or from a commercial nursery.


Report Documentation:
In an effort to identify the extent and location of important farmlands, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, in cooperation with other interested Federal, State, and local government organizations, has inventoried land that can be used for the production of the Nation's food supply.

Important farmlands consist of prime farmland, unique farmland, and farmland of statewide or local importance.

Prime farmland is of major importance in meeting the Nation's short- and long-range needs for food and fiber. Because the supply of high-quality farmland is limited, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes that responsible levels of government, as well as individuals, should encourage and facilitate the wise use of our Nation's prime farmland.

Prime farmland, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is available for these uses. It could be cultivated land, pastureland, forestland, or other land, but it is not urban or built-up land or water areas. The soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply are those needed for the soil to economically produce sustained high yields of crops when proper management, including water management, and acceptable farming methods are applied. In general, prime farmland has an adequate and dependable supply of moisture from precipitation or irrigation, a favorable temperature and growing season, acceptable acidity or alkalinity, an acceptable salt and sodium content, and few or no rocks. The water supply is dependable and of adequate quality. Prime farmland is permeable to water and air. It is not excessively erodible or saturated with water for long periods, and it either is not frequently flooded during the growing season or is protected from flooding. Slope ranges mainly from 0 to 6 percent. More detailed information about the criteria for prime farmland is available at the local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

A recent trend in land use in some areas has been the loss of some prime farmland to industrial and urban uses. The loss of prime farmland to other uses puts pressure on marginal lands, which generally are more erodible, droughty, and less productive and cannot be easily cultivated.

The map units in the survey area that are considered prime farmland are listed in this table ("Important Farmlands"). This list does not constitute a recommendation for a particular land use. On some soils included in the list, measures that overcome a hazard or limitation, such as flooding, wetness, and droughtiness, are needed. Onsite evaluation is needed to determine whether or not the hazard or limitation has been overcome by corrective measures. The extent of each listed map unit is shown in table entitled "Acreage and Proportionate Extent of the Soils." The location is shown on the detailed soil maps.

Unique farmland is land other than prime farmland that is used for the production of specific high-value food and fiber crops, such as citrus, tree nuts, olives, cranberries, and other fruits and vegetables. It has the special combination of soil quality, growing season, moisture supply, temperature, humidity, air drainage, elevation, and aspect needed for the soil to economically produce sustainable high yields of these special crops when properly managed. The water supply is dependable and of adequate quality. Nearness to markets is an additional consideration. Because it is not based on national criteria, unique farmland can differ from one area to another. Unique farmland commonly is in areas where there is a special microclimate, such as the wine country in California.

In some areas land that does not meet the criteria for prime or unique farmland is considered to be farmland of statewide importance for the production of food, feed, fiber, forage, and oilseed crops. The criteria for defining and delineating farmland of statewide importance are determined by the appropriate State agencies. Generally, this land includes areas of soils that nearly meet the requirements for prime farmland and that economically produce high yields of crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods. Some areas may produce as high a yield as prime farmland if conditions are favorable. Farmland of statewide importance may include tracts of land that have been designated for agriculture by State law.

In some areas that are not identified as having national or statewide importance, land is considered to be farmland of local importance for the production of food, feed, fiber, forage, and oilseed crops. This farmland is identified by the appropriate local agencies. Farmland of local importance may include tracts of land that have been designated for agriculture by local ordinance.


Report Header Text:
[Only those map units that have entries for the selected non-technical description categories are included in this report]

Access Parameter Form Name:
Report Parameters - Non-Technical Descriptions


Report Header Text:
[The information in this table indicates the dominant soil condition but does not eliminate the need for onsite investigation.  The table shows only the top five limitations for any given soil.  The soil may have additional limitations]

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Report Parameters - Selected Soil Interpretations


Report Header Text:
[Only those mapunits that have entries for the selected text kinds and categories are included in this report]

Access Parameter Form Name:
Report Parameters - Mapunit Text Kinds & Categories


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[Only those components that have entries for the selected text kinds and categories are included in this report]

Access Parameter Form Name:
Report Parameters - Component Text Kinds & Categories


Report Documentation:
This table gives information on the soil properties and site features that affect water management. The degree and kind of soil limitations are given for pond reservoir areas; embankments, dikes, and levees; and aquifer-fed excavated ponds. The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect these uses. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the table indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Pond reservoir areas hold water behind a dam or embankment. Soils best suited to this use have low seepage potential in the upper 60 inches. The seepage potential is determined by the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) of the soil and the depth to fractured bedrock or other permeable material. Excessive slope can affect the storage capacity of the reservoir area.

Embankments, dikes, and levees are raised structures of soil material, generally less than 20 feet high, constructed to impound water or to protect land against overflow. Embankments that have zoned construction (core and shell) are not considered. In this table, the soils are rated as a source of material for embankment fill. The ratings apply to the soil material below the surface layer to a depth of about 5 feet. It is assumed that soil layers will be uniformly mixed and compacted during construction.

The ratings do not indicate the ability of the natural soil to support an embankment. Soil properties to a depth even greater than the height of the embankment can affect performance and safety of the embankment. Generally, deeper onsite investigation is needed to determine these properties.

Soil material in embankments must be resistant to seepage, piping, and erosion and have favorable compaction characteristics. Unfavorable features include less than 5 feet of suitable material and a high content of stones or boulders, organic matter, or salts or sodium. A high water table affects the amount of usable material. It also affects trafficability.

Aquifer-fed excavated ponds are pits or dugouts that extend to a ground-water aquifer or to a depth below a permanent water table. Excluded are ponds that are fed only by surface runoff and embankment ponds that impound water 3 feet or more above the original surface. Excavated ponds are affected by depth to a permanent water table, Ksat of the aquifer, and quality of the water as inferred from the salinity of the soil. Depth to bedrock and the content of large stones affect the ease of excavation.


Report Name:
Selected Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions

Report Title:
Selected Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions

Access Report Name:
Selected Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions

Access Parameter Form Name:
Report Parameters - Selected Soil Interpretation Descriptions


Report Name:
Agricultural Disposal of Wastewater by Irrigation and Overland Flow

Report Title:
Agricultural Disposal of Wastewater by Irrigation and Overland Flow

Report Documentation:
Soil properties are important considerations in areas where soils are used as sites for the treatment and disposal of organic waste and wastewater. Selection of soils with properties that favor waste management can help to prevent environmental damage.

This table shows the degree and kind of soil limitations affecting the treatment of wastewater, including municipal and food-processing wastewater and effluent from lagoons or storage ponds. Municipal wastewater is the waste stream from a municipality. It contains domestic waste and may contain industrial waste. It may have received primary or secondary treatment. It is rarely untreated sewage. Food-processing wastewater results from the preparation of fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, and meats for public consumption. In places it is high in content of sodium and chloride. In the context of these tables, the effluent in lagoons and storage ponds is from facilities used to treat or store food-processing wastewater or domestic or animal waste. Domestic and food-processing wastewater is very dilute, and the effluent from the facilities that treat or store it commonly is very low in content of carbonaceous and nitrogenous material; the content of nitrogen commonly ranges from 10 to 30 milligrams per liter. The wastewater from animal waste treatment lagoons or storage ponds, however, has much higher concentrations of these materials, mainly because the manure has not been diluted as much as the domestic waste. The content of nitrogen in this wastewater generally ranges from 50 to 2,000 milligrams per liter. When wastewater is applied, checks should be made to ensure that nitrogen, heavy metals, and salts are not added in excessive amounts.

The ratings in the table are for waste management systems that not only dispose of and treat wastewater but also are beneficial to crops.  The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect agricultural waste management. Not limited indicates that the soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low maintenance can be expected. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected. Very limited indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.

Numerical ratings in the tables indicate the severity of individual limitations. The ratings are shown as decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).

Disposal of wastewater by irrigation not only disposes of municipal wastewater and wastewater from food-processing plants, lagoons, and storage ponds but also can improve crop production by increasing the amount of water available to crops. The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect the design, construction, management, and performance of the irrigation system. The properties that affect design and management include the sodium adsorption ratio, depth to a water table, ponding, available water capacity, Ksat, slope, and flooding. The properties that affect construction include stones, cobbles, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, depth to a water table, and ponding. The properties that affect performance include depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, bulk density, the sodium adsorption ratio, salinity, reaction, and the cation-exchange capacity, which is used to estimate the capacity of a soil to adsorb heavy metals. Permanently frozen soils are not suitable for disposal of wastewater by irrigation.

Overland flow of wastewater is a process in which wastewater is applied to the upper reaches of sloped land and allowed to flow across vegetated surfaces, sometimes called terraces, to runoff-collection ditches. The length of the run generally is 150 to 300 feet. The application rate ranges from 2.5 to 16.0 inches per week. It commonly exceeds the rate needed for irrigation of cropland. The wastewater leaves solids and nutrients on the vegetated surfaces as it flows downslope in a thin film. Most of the water reaches the collection ditch, some is lost through evapotranspiration, and a small amount may percolate to the ground water.

The ratings in the table are based on the soil properties that affect absorption, plant growth, microbial activity, and the design and construction of the system. Reaction and the cation-exchange capacity affect absorption. Reaction, salinity, and the sodium adsorption ratio affect plant growth and microbial activity. Slope, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), depth to a water table, ponding, flooding, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, stones, and cobbles affect design and construction. Permanently frozen soils are unsuitable for waste treatment.


Report Header Text:
[This report lists only those map unit components that are rated as hydric.  Dashes (---) in any column indicate that the data were not included in the database.  Definitions of hydric criteria codes are included at the end of the report]

Report Documentation:
This table lists the map unit components that are rated as hydric soils in the survey area.  This list can help in planning land uses; however, onsite investigation is recommended to determine the hydric soils on a specific site (National Research Council, 1995; Hurt and others, 2002).
The three essential characteristics of wetlands are hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology (Cowardin and others, 1979; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1987; National Research Council, 1995; Tiner, 1985). Criteria for all of the characteristics must be met for areas to be identified as wetlands. Undrained hydric soils that have natural vegetation should support a dominant population of ecological wetland plant species. Hydric soils that have been converted to other uses should be capable of being restored to wetlands.
Hydric soils are defined by the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils (NTCHS) as soils that formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part (Federal Register, 1994). These soils, under natural conditions, are either saturated or inundated long enough during the growing season to support the growth and reproduction of hydrophytic vegetation.
The NTCHS definition identifies general soil properties that are associated with wetness. In order to determine whether a specific soil is a hydric soil or nonhydric soil, however, more specific information, such as information about the depth and duration of the water table, is needed. Thus, criteria that identify those estimated soil properties unique to hydric soils have been established (Federal Register, 2002). These criteria are used to identify map unit components that normally are associated with wetlands. The criteria used are selected estimated soil properties that are described in “Soil Taxonomy” (Soil Survey Staff, 1999) and “Keys to Soil Taxonomy” (Soil Survey Staff, 1998) and in the “Soil Survey Manual” (Soil Survey Division Staff, 1993).
If soils are wet enough for a long enough period of time to be considered hydric, they should exhibit certain properties that can be easily observed in the field. These visible properties are indicators of hydric soils. The indicators used to make onsite determinations of hydric soils are specified in “Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States” (Hurt and others, 2002).
Hydric soils are identified by examining and describing the soil to a depth of about 20 inches. This depth may be greater if determination of an appropriate indicator so requires. It is always recommended that soils be excavated and described to the depth necessary for an understanding of the redoximorphic processes. Then, using the completed soil descriptions, soil scientists can compare the soil features required by each indicator and specify which indicators have been matched with the conditions observed in the soil. The soil can be identified as a hydric soil if at least one of the approved indicators is present.
Map units that are dominantly made up of hydric soils may have small areas, or inclusions, of nonhydric soils in the higher positions on the landform, and map units dominantly made up of nonhydric soils may have inclusions of hydric soils in the lower positions on the landform.

References:
Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F.C. Golet, and E.T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of wetlands and deep-water habitats of the United States. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service FWS/OBS-79/31.
Federal Register. September 18, 2002. Hydric soils of the United States.
Federal Register. July 13, 1994. Changes in hydric soils of the United States.
Hurt, G.W., P.M. Whited, and R.F. Pringle, editors. Version 5.0, 2002. Field indicators of hydric soils in the United States.
National Research Council. 1995. Wetlands: Characteristics and boundaries.
Soil Survey Division Staff. 1993. Soil survey manual. Soil Conservation Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 18.
Soil Survey Staff. 1998. Keys to soil taxonomy. 8th edition. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Soil Survey Staff. 1999. Soil taxonomy: A basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil surveys. 2nd edition. Natural Resources Conservation Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 436.
Tiner, R.W., Jr. 1985. Wetlands of Delaware. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Wetlands Section.
United States Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Laboratory. 1987. Corps of Engineers wetlands delineation manual. Waterways Experiment Station Technical Report Y-87-1.


# SYSTEM - Soil Reports - Interpretations

Rule Title:
Application of
manure and food-
processing waste


Rule Name:
AWM - Land Application of Municipal Sewage Sludge


Rule Name:
AWM - Rapid Infiltration Disposal of Wastewater


Rule Name:
AWM - Slow Rate Process Treatment of Wastewater


Rule Name:
ENG - Construction Materials; Gravel Source


Rule Name:
ENG - Construction Materials; Sand Source


Rule Name:
ENG - Construction Materials; Reclamation

Rule Title:
Potential as a
source of 
reclamation material


Rule Name:
FOR - Construction Limitations for Haul Roads/Log Landings

Rule Title:
Limitations affecting
construction of haul roads
and log landings


Rule Name:
FOR - Potential Erosion Hazard (Off-Road/Off-Trail)


Rule Name:
FOR - Potential Erosion Hazard (Road/Trail)


Rule Name:
FOR - Road Suitability (Natural Surface)


Rule Title:
Suitability for use of
harvesting equipment


Rule Name:
FOR - Mechanical Site Preparation (Surface)

Rule Title:
Suitability for
mechanical site
preparation (surface)


Rule Name:
FOR - Mechanical Site Preparation (Deep)

Rule Title:
Suitability for
mechanical site
preparation (deep)


Rule Name:
AWM - Overland Flow Process Treatment of Wastewater


# SYSTEM - System Reports

Report Name:
SSURGO Metadata - Table Column Descriptions

Access Report Name:
SSURGO Metadata - Table Column Descriptions


Report Name:
Dynamic Metadata - Soil Interpretation Descriptions

Access Report Name:
Dynamic Metadata - Soil Interpretation Descriptions


# SYSTEM - Template Database Information

Item Narrative:
The Access External Soil Database functions allow you to either import data contained in an external template soil database, or attach to the tables in an external template soil database.  The main reason you might want to import from an external soil database is that you have downloaded an updated template database, and now you want to import the soil survey data that resides in the older template database you had been using.

There are fewer reasons to attach to the tables in another template soil database.  When you attach to the soil tables in another template soil database, the existing soil tables in this template database are first dropped and then replaced with references to the soil tables in the external template database.  We originally provided the attach capability as a way for a person to be able to generate FSA-CRP data (See the section titled “FSA-CRP Data Generation” for more information.) without having to bring their existing soil survey area data into the updated template database.  There may be other scenarios where attaching is favored over importing, but in general, importing is likely preferable.  Note however that, with a couple of exceptions discussed in the section about “import and attach caveats”, most functions that run against local tables also work with attached tables.

Attaching to soil data tables in an external template database, or importing data from an external template database, is accomplished by running the macro named “Access External Soil Database”.  This macro displays a form with one data entry blank, and three buttons: Import, Attach and Cancel.  In the blank, you enter the fully qualified pathname of the external template database you wish to access, e.g. “D:\soils\data\NE079.mdb”.  After entering the external template database pathname, click the appropriate button.

The Import button attempts to import ALL soil data that resides in the external template database.

The Attach button attempts to attach to the soil data tables that reside in the external template database.

The Cancel button simply closes the form without attempting to import or attach.

When importing from or attaching to the tables in an external template database, the following checks are always made.  If any of these checks fail, the import or attach process is aborted.

1.  The external database format (corresponding MS Jet engine version) must be compatible with that of the local database.  The local database is the database where you are running the import or attach process.  For example, an Access 97 database cannot import data from an Access 2002 database.

2.  The external template database must contain the soil data tables.

3.  The soil data tables in the external template database must be local to that database, i.e. they cannot be attached tables themselves.

Below are some caveats pertaining to the Import and Attach functions.

You can import data from an external template database into a database that currently contains soil data, but you will be warned that you should probably be importing into a copy of your original, since the import process can fail.  If you attempt to do this, you are given a warning, and an option to either proceed or cancel.

You cannot import data from an external template database into a template database whose tables are currently attached tables, as opposed to local tables.  You can however import data from ASCII files into a database whose tables are currently attached tables.

If an import operation is not successful, your local database may be left with only partial data for the survey or surveys that were being imported.  Any surveys for which only partial data was imported should be dropped from the local database by running the macro named “Drop Soil Survey Area”.  This is why it’s a good idea to know what surveys reside in your database, prior to an import operation.  This is also why if you are importing into a database that already contains soil data, you should import into a copy of that database, rather than the original.

You cannot import from the database that you are currently using.

A SSURGO 2.1 template database can import from either a SSURGO 2.0 or a SSURGO 2.1 template database.  A SSURGO 2.0 template database can only import from another SSURGO 2.0 template database.

When you attempt to attach to soil data tables in an external template database, your local database must not currently contain any soil data.  The reason for this is that in order to attach to tables in an external database, your local tables must be dropped.  As a safety feature, local tables are never dropped, unless they are currently empty.  If you want to delete data from a local database, use the macro named “Drop Soil Survey Area”.

You cannot use the macro named “Drop Soil Survey Area” to drop soil survey areas from the soil data tables in an attached database.  This is disabled as a safety feature.

If an attach operation is not successful, your local database will be left without any soil data tables.  Since we require that your local database be empty prior to any attempt to attach to an external template database, no real harm will have been done.  The worst that can happen is that you may have to go get another copy of the template database to replace the one that was just “destroyed”.

After any successful OR FAILED attempt to attach to the soil data tables in an external template database, you can then immediately attempt to attach to the soil data tables in a different external template database.  After a failed attempt to attach to the soil data tables in an external template database, the only function that is still available is the capability to attach to the soil data tables in an external template database.  Most other macros and forms will now fail because one or more required tables are now missing from the local database.

You cannot attach to the database that you are currently using.

A SSURGO 2.1 template database can only attach to the tables in another SSURGO 2.1 template database.  A SSURGO 2.0 template database can only attach to the tables in another SSURGO 2.0 template database.


Item Narrative:
Questions about this database should be directed to the National Soil Information System (NASIS) Hotline.  The NASIS Hotline, which resides at the National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln Nebraska, is typically staffed from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Central Time.

(402) 437-5378 – Steve Speidel
(402) 437-5379 – Tammy Cheever

e-mail:  hotline@nssc.nrcs.usda.gov


Item Narrative:
All data for one or more soil survey areas can be deleted by running the macro named “Drop Soil Survey Area”.  The Drop Soil Survey Area form displays all soil survey areas that currently reside in the database.  To delete all data for one or more soil survey areas, select the soil survey area, or areas, whose data you wish to drop, and then click the button labeled “Drop”.  Multiple contiguous (contiguous in the form’s selection list) soil survey areas can be selected using <Shift>Click, or by clicking and dragging.  Multiple noncontiguous soil survey areas can be selected using <Ctrl>Click.

The main reason for dropping data for a soil survey area is the case where your database currently contains data for a particular soil survey area, and you want to update that data from a newer export.  The import process is not currently capable of performing an update, so any existing data for a particular soil survey area must be deleted before updated data for that same soil survey area can be imported.

The Drop Soil Survey Area process does not reclaim the space occupied by the deleted data, and if data is dropped and reloaded enough times, the size of the database may become an issue.  Of course an existing database can always be compacted by selecting “Database Utilities: Compact Database” from the Tools menu in MS Access.


Item Narrative:
From time to time the national SSURGO template database is updated.  Existing errors are fixed and new capabilities and reports are added.  The changes associated with each version of the SSURGO template database are documented in the system report titled “Template Database Change History”.  Some states distribute a customized version of the national template, and these state custom template databases may also be updated from time to time.

There may come a time when you want to replace your current SSURGO database with an updated version.  You may want to transfer your existing SSURGO data from your current database to the updated database.  This can be accomplished in two different ways.  One way is to export data from your current template database and then import that data into the updated template database.  The other way is to use the updated template database to import data directly from your current template database.  This second method is discussed in detail in the section titled “Accessing an External Soil Database”.  The remainder of this section discusses exporting data from an existing template database.

To export data from you current SSURGO database, open your database in MS Access, select the Macros tab and then run the macro named “Export”.  After the export form is displayed, enter the full path of the directory into which the data should be exported.  The directory into which you export your SSURGO data should not contain any data from a previous SSURGO export.  If it does, and you then import from that directory, the import may fail due to encountering partial data from that previous SSURGO export.

At the current time, the export process does not let you select the soil survey areas to be exported.  The current export process always exports all soil survey areas that currently reside in the database.  If you want to export only selected soil survey areas, make a copy of you current database, and then from the database copy, drop the survey areas you don’t want to export and then export.  See the section titled “Deleting/Updating Data” for more information on dropping soil survey area data.

The export process produces a set of ASCII delimited files in SSURGO 2.1 format.  This export process does not zip up the individual ASCII delimited files into a single zip file.  Data for the sacatalog, sainterp and featdesc tables is only produced if it was available to begin with.  Once an export has been produced, that data can then be imported into a different template database by running the Import macro in that database.  See the section titled “Importing Data” for more information about the import process.


Item Narrative:
FSA-CRP data generation produces a file that includes some of the information that the Farm Service Agency uses in determining if a piece of land is eligible for inclusion in the Conservation Reserve Program.  The FSA-CRP data generation functions always process ALL data that currently resides in the template database.  In other words, there is no capability to generate FSA-CRP data for some subset of the data in your database.

In the template database, there are two macros associated with this process:

FSA-CRP – Create Data

FSA-CRP – Create Data and Export

Macro “FSA-CRP – Create Data” generates results and writes the results to the table named “FSA-CRP Data”, but does not export the contents of that table.  There is no user interaction after this macro is invoked.

Macro “FSA-CRP – Create Data and Export” generates results, writes the results to the table named “SYSTEM – FSA-CRP Data”, and automatically exports the contents of that table to a file named “fsacrp.txt”.  After this macro is invoked, a form is displayed where you must specify the desired output directory.  There is no option to specify the output file name.  If you want a different output file name, you must rename the file after it is created.

Each output record represents a map unit that occurs in a particular county.  The attribute values correspond to the dominant component of that map unit, based on percent composition.  If there is a tie for dominant component, the component with the lowest key value (cokey) is arbitrarily selected.

The process of determining what county or counties a map unit occurs in is a multi-part process.  If a map unit in a survey area has at least one county record in the Map Unit Area Overlap table (muaoverlap), a record is output for each county corresponding to that map unit.

If a map unit has no county record in the Map Unit Area Overlap table, but the corresponding survey area has at least one county record in the Legend Area Overlap table (laoverlap), a record is output for that map unit for each county corresponding to that survey area.

If a survey area has no corresponding county record in the Legend Area Overlap table, a record is output for that map unit for each record that the corresponding survey area has in the Survey Area-County Geographic Coincidence table (SYSTEM – Survey Area-County Geographic Coincidence).

If a map unit has no county record in the Map Unit Area Overlap table, and the corresponding survey area has no county record in the Legend Area Overlap table, and the corresponding survey area has no record in the Survey Area-County Geographic Coincidence table, NO record for that map unit is output.  If this occurs for any map unit, a warning dialog is displayed at the end of the data generation process.  Map units for which no corresponding county could be determined are logged in the file named “SYSTEM – FSA-CRP – Warnings and Rejects”.  If this occurs, this situation should be resolved before you forward your output to the proper recipients.  A quick way to fix this problem is to add the appropriate record or records to the Survey Area-County Geographic Coincidence table.  You should add one record for each county that coincides with the survey area in question.  Before doing this you should probably consult with whoever provided you with the soil data that you are using.

It is also possible that no dominant component for a map unit can be determined.  If this occurs for any map unit, a warning dialog is displayed at the end of the data generation process.  Map units for which no dominant component can be determined are also logged to the table named “SYSTEM – FSA-CRP – Warnings and Rejects”.  As long as a corresponding county can be determined, such a map unit is output, but the values of all FSA-CRP criteria attributes will be null.  Again, if this occurs, you should probably check with the person who provided you with the soil data that you are using, before you forward your output to the proper recipients.

The FSA-CRP data generation process can act on data that resides in the current template database (i.e. local tables), or it can act on data that resides in an external template database (i.e. attached tables).  The reason for this is that we wanted to provide a new template that includes the FSA-CRP data generation functions, but we didn’t want to force data providers to have to re-download data and provide new soil databases.

This means that you can obtain a new version of the template that contains the new FSA-CRP data generation functions, and use that template to attach to your existing soil database in order to create the FSA-CRP data.  In order to run the FSA-CRP data generation functions against an attached database, you must first run the macro named “Access External Soil Database” to attach to the soil tables in the external template database.  See the section titled “Access External Soil Database” in the report titled “How to Understand and Use this Database”, for more information.

This brief overview does not discuss the derivation of any of the FSA-CRP criteria attributes.  If you want more details about the actual derivation of these attributes, please contact the Soils Hotline at the National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln NE.  See the section titled “Contacting Support” in the report titled “How to Understand and Use this Database”.


Item Narrative:
This database was developed in order to facilitate the delivery and use of soil survey data for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service end-users and cooperators.  This database may be used stand-alone or in conjunction with the Soil Data Viewer application.  The underlying data structure corresponds to what we refer to as the SSURGO version 2.1 standard.  Although a SSURGO product typically represents both the tabular and spatial aspects of a correlated and published soil survey area, this database may also be used to deliver tabular data for a soil survey area where mapping or updating is still in progress.


Item Narrative:
This database contains an interface for generating a variety of reports.  Reports are divided into two categories, “Soil Reports” and “System Reports”.  Soil reports present information about a selected soil survey area.  System reports describe the functionality and structure of this template database.  At this time, no descriptions of the individual soil reports are available.  Descriptions of some of the system reports can be found in the section titled “SSURGO Metadata Reports”.

In order to generate soil reports, select the tab labeled “Forms” and then open the form named “Soil Reports”.  In order to generate system reports, select the tab labeled “Forms” and then open the form named “System Reports”.  Note that the Soil Reports form has a button for opening the System Reports form, and vice versa.  Both forms may be open at the same time.

In order to generate most soil reports, you must first select one or more map units to be included in the report.  If your database contains data for more than one soil survey area, you may first have to select the appropriate soil survey area before selecting map units.  The current soil report interface restricts you to selecting one or more map units for a single soil survey area at a time.  The only soil reports that don’t require you to fist select one or more map units are the Survey Area Metadata and Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions reports.

After you have selected the map units you wish to include in the report, select the soil report you wish to generate.  If the report you selected does not require any parameters, the button on the lower left of the form will have the caption “Generate Report”.  Clicking “Generate Report” will display the currently selected report in the “preview window”.  If the report you selected requires parameters, the button on the lower left of the form will have the caption “Select Parameters”.  Clicking “Select Parameters” will bring up another form, from which you can make your parameter selections.  After making your parameter selection, click the button on the parameter form that is labeled “Generate Report”.

Once a report has come up in the preview window, you can browse through the report in the preview window, or actually print the report from the preview window.  When you are finished browsing or printing the report, you can close the preview window by either clicking the “X” at the top right of the window or by clicking the menu item at the top of the screen labeled “Close”.

The System Reports form operates the same as the Soil Reports form except you do not select map units before generating a system report.

All report interface forms may be closed by clicking the button labeled “Exit”.

Generating a soil report (as opposed to a system report) by selecting the tab labeled “Reports” and then opening a specific report should be avoided.  While this won’t break anything per se, the report that is displayed, if any, will be based on map unit selections that were made at some point in the past.  If the report requires additional parameters, the report will be based on parameter selections that were also made at some point in the past.


Item Narrative:
Soil data downloaded from the Soil Data Mart has to be unzipped before it can be used.  The location to which that data is unzipped doesn't really matter.  If your system has a zip utility already installed, a zip file can typically be unzipped simply by double clicking on it.  Soil Data Mart zip files are created using WinZip, but any compatible compression utility can be used to unzip an export file.

Exports are packaged by soil survey area, and the soil survey area symbol is embedded in the zipped export file name.  A soil survey area symbol is composed of a two letter state FIPS code followed by a three digit number that distinguishes one soil survey area in a state from another.  For example, the zipped export file for Cherry County, Nebraska would be named "soil_ne031.zip".

After unzipping a file named soil_ne031.zip, in the directory to which you unzipped the file, you are left with a directory/file hierarchy similar to what is shown below.  A top level directory corresponding to the soil survey area is created in order to separate exports that are unzipped to the same directory.

\soil_ne031
    \spatial
    \tabular (contains the soil tabular data ASCII delimited files)
    readme.txt
    soil_metadata_ne031.txt
    soil_metadata_ne031.xml
    soildb_US_2002.zip (a zipped MS Access SSURGO template database)

The last file is only present if you chose to include a SSURGO template database with your download.  The name of this file may vary depending on the state for which you requested a download, and depending on the Microsoft Access version you requested.

The soil tabular data cannot be easily used without importing it into a Microsoft Access database.

If you requested a Microsoft Access SSURGO template database, the file containing that SSURGO template database must now also be unzipped before it can be used.  If your export request did not include a SSURGO template database, you can always download one from:

http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Templates.aspx

In order to use a SSURGO template database, an appropriate version of Microsoft Access must be installed on your PC.  In general, the version of Microsoft Access on your PC must be equal to or newer than the version of the SSURGO template database.

Unzipping soildb_US_2002.zip results in a file named soildb_US_2002.mdb.  This unzipped file is a Microsoft Access database.  Again, the location to which the SSURGO template database is unzipped doesn't really matter.

To import data into the Microsoft Access database, you must first open the database by double clicking the database file name.  When you first open that database, and it is empty, the Import form is automatically displayed.  If the Import form is not automatically displayed when you open the database, select the Forms tab of the Database window and open the form named "Import".

In the blank on the Import form, enter the fully qualified path name of the directory containing the soil tabular data ASCII delimited files whose contents are to be imported, .e.g.

d:\temp\soil_ne031\tabular

After entering the directory pathname, click "OK" to initiate the import process.  When the import has completed, the Import form will automatically be closed, and the Soil Reports form will be automatically opened.

If any problems occur during the import process, a dialog box noting the problem will be displayed.  All problems that occur during the import process are logged in a file named "ssurgodberr.txt".  The file "ssurgodberr.txt" is created in the same directory in which this template database resides.

Data from more than one export may be imported into this database.  Each export has to be imported independently.  A subsequent import cannot contain any data for a soil survey area that already resides in this database, since the current import process is strictly an "add" operation as opposed to a more sophisticated "add/update" operation.  If you attempt to process an export that contains data for a soil survey area that already resides in this database, that import operation will fail.  If you want to update a soil survey area that already resides in a database, you must first drop the existing copy of that soil survey area.  For more information on dropping the data for an existing soil survey area from a database, please see the section titled "Deleting/Updating Data".

MS Access, despite being the incredibly nifty desktop database it is, should not be confused with a genuine high-end database management system.  You may continue to import soil survey data until the maximum allowable size of an MS Access database is reached (Access 97 - 1 Gigabyte, Access 2000/2002/2003 - 2 Gigabytes).  Of course the larger the MS Access database, the more that performance will degrade.  Performance goes completely south long before maximum database size is reached.

As of template database version 29, it is now possible to import spot feature descriptions.  Spot feature descriptions are imported into the featdesc table.  Spot features are considered to be part of the spatial data and are therefore not automatically imported with the tabular data.  Even when spatial data is available, spot feature descriptions may not exist.

To import spot feature descriptions, open the form named "Import Feature Descriptions".  In the blank on that form, enter the fully qualified path name of the file containing the spot feature descriptions to be imported.  For a download from the Soil Data Mart, spot feature descriptions, when available, reside in a file in the subdirectory named "spatial".  The prefix of the spot feature description file name will be either "soilst_t" (Shapefile format) or "ssf_t" (ArcInfo Coverage or ArcInfo Interchange format), depending on the format in which the spatial data was exported.  The corresponding soil survey area symbol is also embedded in this file's name.  For example, if spot feature descriptions for Cherry County, Nebraska existed, and if the spatial data was requested to be in Shapefile format, the spot feature descriptions would be contained in …\soil_ne031\spatial\soilsf_t_ne031.txt.


Item Narrative:
Prior to establishment of the Soil Data Warehouse, soil data was loosely versioned, at best.  Version was reflected either in a SSURGO archive date, in a NASIS SSURGO export’s corresponding distribution generation date, or possibly in the soil survey area’s corresponding export certification date.  Export certification date was not even a required field.

With the establishment of the Soil Data Warehouse, soil data is now explicitly and formally versioned.  Version information is now tracked for the following entities:

Soil Survey Area
Soil Survey Area Tabular Data
Soil Survey Area Spatial Data

The Soil Data Warehouse recognizes that fact that, at the present, survey area tabular data is maintained and managed independent of its corresponding spatial data.

The Soil Data Warehouse provides the capability to distribute soil survey area tabular data that has no spatial data counterpart.  This is sometimes done for survey areas where mapping or updating is still in progress.  The distribution of soil survey area spatial data without a tabular data counterpart is not permitted.

When data for a soil survey area is checked into the Soil Data Warehouse, and both tabular and spatial data are available, every map unit in the spatial data must have a counterpart in the tabular data.  A map unit is the tabular data is not required to have a spatial counterpart.  This permits both tabular and spatial data to be released before the survey area map is complete.

For a survey area for which both spatial and tabular data exist, as long as the set of map unit has not changed, a new spatial version can be created without creating a new tabular version, and vice versa.  In general, tabular data for a soil survey area is updated more frequently than the corresponding spatial data.

Whenever a new tabular data version for a soil survey area is created, a new overall survey area version is created.

Whenever a new spatial data version for a soil survey area is created, a new overall survey area version is created.

A version (survey area or survey area tabular data or survey area spatial data) is characterized by three attributes:

Version Number – An integer number, sequential within its corresponding entity (survey area, survey area tabular data or survey area spatial data).

Version Established Date – The date and time when a particular version was established.

Version Retired Date – The date and time when a particular version was replaced by a newer version.

For example:

06/30/2003 – Tabular data for survey area CO644 is added to the warehouse.  There is no corresponding spatial data available yet.  No data for this survey area existed in the warehouse before this date.

Current Survey Area Version: 1
Current Survey Area Version Established Date: 06/30/2003
Current Tabular Data Version: 1
Current Tabular Data Version Established Date: 06/30/2003
Current Spatial Data Version: none
Current Spatial Data Version Established Date: none

09/15/2003 – Spatial data for survey area CO644 is added to the warehouse.  The corresponding tabular data is not updated.  The underlying set of map units for survey area CO644 has not changed.

Current Survey Area Version: 2
Current Survey Area Version Established Date: 09/15/2003
Current Tabular Data Version: 1
Current Tabular Data Version Established Date: 06/30/2003
Current Spatial Data Version: 1
Current Spatial Data Version Established Date: 09/15/2003

03/09/2004 – Tabular data for survey area CO644 is updated in the warehouse.  The corresponding spatial data is not updated.  The underlying set of map units for survey area CO644 has not changed.

Current Survey Area Version: 3
Current Survey Area Version Established Date: 03/09/2004
Current Tabular Data Version: 2
Current Tabular Data Version Established Date: 03/09/2004
Current Spatial Data Version: 1
Current Spatial Data Version Established Date: 09/15/2003

The older retired versions for survey area CO644 are still available in the Soil Data Warehouse.

How do you know the version of the data you are using, and how do you know if you have the most current version?

Keep in mind that only exports produced from the Soil Data Mart (SSURGO 2.1 format) contain the new versioning information.  Pre Soil Data Mart SSURGO exports (SSURGO 2.0) do not include the new versioning information.  Your template database may contain both SSURGO 2.1 and SSURGO 2.0 data.  If data for soil survey area was obtained from the Soil Data Mart, there will be a record for that survey area in the template database’s sacatalog table.  The sacatalog table includes the following columns:

areasymbol – This field uniquely identifies a soil survey area.
saversion – The corresponding survey area version number.
saverest – The corresponding survey area version established date.
tabularversion – The corresponding survey area tabular data version number.
tabularverest – The corresponding survey area tabular data version established date.

Also, on soil reports for survey areas obtained from the Soil Data Mart, tabular version and tabular version established date are displayed either in the footer of each page in the report, or in the main body of the report.

The only spatial data that may reside in a template database is the spot feature description data, which resides in the table named “featdesc”.  For any particular soil survey area, there may not be any spot features.  All spatial data tables include a spatial data version number column.  If this information isn’t available in the template database’s featdesc table, you will have to view the contents of one of the other spatial data tables in the GIS you are using, in order to ascertain the spatial data version you are currently using.

In order to determine if you have the most current versions of the tabular and spatial data for a soil survey area, you have to first access the Soil Data Mart using your web browser:

http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/

Navigate and make the selections required to find the soil survey area of concern, and then click the button labeled “Download Data”.  The Soil Data Mart Download page displays the most current tabular and spatial data version that is available for a survey area, near the top of the page.


Item Narrative:
2.1.1 - 10/03/2003
Item:  The spatial version number was added to all spatial tables.

Item:  In the feature line, feature point and feature description tables, column "musym" was renamed to "featsym".

Item:  In the survey area boundary table, column "ssaid" was renamed to "areasymbol".

Item:  The delivery format of the feature description ASCII export file (featdesc.txt), is no longer Prelude format (a format associated with SSURGO version 1.0).  The format of this file is now the same as the format used for general tabular data files - ASCII, pipe field delimited and double quote text delimited.

Item:  Added tables sacatalog and sainterp.  These tables supersede tables distmd, distlegendmd and distinterpmd.  Tables distmd, distlegendmd and distinterpmd were left in the template database for backwards compatibility with SSURGO 2.0 exports, and SSURGO 2.1 exports include data for these tables.  These tables will likely be dropped in the next major SSURGO version.

Item:  The feature description table (featdesc), which existed in previous SSURGO versions, was added to the template database.  This table is part of the set of tables used to record the spatial data associated with a survey area.  None of the other tables in this set reside in a template database that has not been converted into a personal geodatabase.

Unlike other spatial related tables, the featdesc table does not include an ESRI geometry column.  Although this table is considered to be a member of the set of spatial tables, it contains only tabular data.  Data for this table is not automatically imported when other tabular data is imported.  Data for this table must be explicitly imported in a separate process.

Item:  Synchronized with NASIS data dictionary 5.2.4.  There were some domain changes and additions.

Item:  Columns mapunit.mustatus and muaggatt.mustatus were changed from not null to nullable.

Item:  The following columns are still part of the SSURGO standard, but their contents will always be set to null.  These columns will likely be dropped in the next major SSURGO version:

legend.ssastatus
legend.legendsuituse
legend.legendcertstat
mapunit.mustatus
mapunit.mucertstat
muaggatt.mustatus

Item:  Within a soil survey area, map unit symbol must now be unique.

Item:  The field size of columns mdstattabcols.colphyname and mdstatidxdet.colphyname was changed from 16 to 18.

2.0.3 - 04/23/2002
Item:  Resynchronized with NASIS data dictionary 5.1.3.  There were some domain changes and additions.

Item:  The fuzzy logic result values (interpll, interplr, interphr and interphh) in table cointerp were changed from not null to nullable.

Item:  The field size of coecoclass.ecoclasstypename was changed from 254 to 60.

Item:  The field size of coecoclass.ecoclassid was changed from 248 to 30.

Item:  The data type of coforprod.fprod and coforprodo.fprod was changed from integer to smallfloat, and its precision was set to 2.

2.0.2 - 09/12/2001
Item:  Resynchronized with NASIS data dictionary 5.0.17.  There were some domain changes and additions, and some attribute descriptions were updated.

2.0.1 - Approximately 01/01/2001
Initial release of version 2.0 of the SSURGO standard.


Item Narrative:
The SSURGO metadata is independent of what soil survey data currently resides in the database.  Note that the SSURGO metadata only describes those tables that are considered part of the SSURGO standard.  This database contains additional tables that are not part of the SSURGO standard per se.  The name of a table that is not part of the SSURGO standard always begins with “SYSTEM – “.

Below is a brief description of each SSURGO metadata report.

Note that these reports are accessed via the System Reports form, rather than the Soil Reports form.

SSURGO Metadata – Tables

This report provides a narrative description of each table in the SSURGO standard.

SSURGO Metadata - Table Columns

This report lists the columns of each table in the SSURGO standard.  This is the source for column name, logical data type, field size, precision, minimum, maximum and associated domain name, if any.

SSURGO Metadata - Table Column Descriptions

This report provides a narrative description of every column in every table in the SSURGO standard.

SSURGO Metadata - Indexes

This report documents all unique and duplicate indexes defined for tables in the SSURGO standard.  What unique constraints (unique indexes) are defined is of primary interest.  In the SSURGO standard, relatively few business oriented unique constraints are defined.  Most of the unique constraints represent non-business oriented unique constraints (i.e. surrogate keys).

SSURGO Metadata – Relationships

This report documents all relationships between tables in the SSURGO standard.  This information is important for understanding the relationship between various soil attributes and entities.  This information is needed in order to be able to effectively query the database.  This is the same type of information that is typically available in a physical data model diagram.

SSURGO Metadata – Domains

This report documents all domains associated with columns of tables in the SSURGO standard.  If a column is associated with a domain, that relationship will be documented in the report titled “SSURGO Metadata – Table Columns”.  A particular column may be associated with one and only one domain, but a particular domain may be associated with more than one column.  This report displays all possible members of a domain.  For some domain members, an additional narrative description is sometimes available.


Item Narrative:
The SSURGO metadata version is the combination of the SSURGO major and minor version (e.g. 2.1), with an appended metadata version (e.g. 2.1.2).  The SSURGO metadata version is always reset to 1 for a new SSURGO major and minor version.

While the underlying database structure (data model) for a given version of SSURGO is theoretically static, the metadata associated with a version of SSURGO may still change.  New choices may be added to a domain.  The wording of a choice in a domain may be updated.  Things that lacked a description may eventually be described, and existing descriptions may be updated.  Using a template database with an outdated version of the SSURGO metadata will not prevent data from importing correctly.  If you use a template database version with an outdated version of the SSURGO metadata, you may see entries in choice columns that are not documented in your outdated metadata.

For a particular SSURGO major and minor version, we try to not make any changes that affect the corresponding database schema, but despite our best intentions, minor structural changes are sometimes made, without updating the major or minor SSURGO version.  But whenever the underlying database structure is modified, or some non-structural metadata change is made, the corresponding SSURGO metadata version is incremented, e.g. 2.1.1 to 2.1.2.  The section titled “SSURGO Metadata Change History” documents changes to the SSURGO standard itself.


Item Narrative:
The SSURGO version defines the underlying data structure of the soil data tables, i.e. which tables and columns are defined, and the relationships between tables.  In more technical terms, the SSURGO version is equivalent to the underlying data model.  SSURGO also encompasses the format of the spatial data portion of the soil survey area data.

Not all of the tables in this SSURGO template database are included in the SSURGO standard.  Tables whose name begins with the string “SYSTEM“ are not part of the SSURGO standard.  These tables support special functions only available in this particular delivery implementation.

SSURGO 1.0

In the original version of SSURGO, the structure of the tabular data reflected the structure of the State Soil Survey Database (SSSD), the predecessor of NASIS (National Soil Information System).  There was no corresponding MS Access SSURGO template database.  Spatial data was available as an Arc/Info Coverage, as an Arc/Info Export File or in Modified Digital Line Graph 3 format.  Coordinate system/projection was fixed.

SSURGO 2.0

In this version of SSURGO, released in early 2001, the structure of the tabular data reflected the structure of the National Soil Information System Database (NASIS).  The structure of the spatial data was still that of SSURGO 1.0.  The SSURGO tabular data could now be loaded into an MS Access SSURGO template database.  Spatial data was now available in ArcView Shape File format.  Soil data in SSURGO 2.0 format provided the foundation for the Soil Data Viewer application.

SSURGO 2.1

This version of SSURGO, released towards the end of 2003, coincided with the establishment of the Soil Data Warehouse and Soil Data Mart.  Up to this point, SSURGO data was obtained either from the SSURGO website, or SSURGO tabular data could be obtained directly from NASIS itself.  From this point on, SSURGO data should be obtained from the Soil Data Mart website.

In version 2.1, there were minor changes to both the tabular and spatial portions of the SSURGO standard.  Spatial data is no longer available in Modified Digital Line Graph 3 format.  Coordinate system/projection is no longer fixed, however there are a limited number of coordinate system/projection options.

See the section titled “SSURGO Metadata Change History” for additional details.


Item Narrative:
31 - 08/27/2004
Item:  Reports containing soil component level information, with the exception of the Hydric Soils report, now have the option to either include or exclude minor components.  Note that this option is displayed for all soil reports, regardless of whether or not the option pertains to the report that is currently selected.  Report page footers now indicate when minor components have been excluded from a report.

Note:  In general, main report queries and subqueries and subreport queries and subqueries include the logic for including/excluding minor components.  I had to remove this logic from the interp rating subquries and interp reason subqueries because performance was severely impacted.  Having this logic in the main report query is generally sufficient.  I had thought that having the same logic in subqueries would improve performance in general.  The problem appears to arise when other conditions exist in the subquery, where each of those conditions has to be duplicated due to the “or” logic required for including/excluding minor components.

Item:  Column "surface runoff" was added to the Water Features report.  The report end notes were updated to reflect this change.

Item:  Soil report names in the list of available soil reports are now sorted alphabetically.  Column [System – Soil Reports].[Report Sequence] was left in the database but is no longer used.  This column is no longer required, and its corresponding unique constraint was dropped.

Item:  The "Importing Data" section of report "How to Understand and Use this Database" was updated.  The instructions displayed in forms "Import" and "Import Feature Descriptions" were modified.

Item:  The Prime Farmland report was modified and is now known as the Prime and other Important Farmlands report.  In addition to map units representing various kinds of prime farmland, this report now also includes map units whose farmland classification is either "unique farmland", "farmland of statewide importance" or "farmland of local importance".  Report formatting and sorting were changed.

Item:  For all soil reports, main report names were changed to be consistent with the report names displayed in the soil reports dropdown list.  For all soil reports, also changed reports so that the caption in the report viewer window is consistent with either the name displayed in the soil reports dropdown list, or is consistent with the report title specified by the user at run time (for those few reports whose title can be specified by the user), regardless of what the corresponding MS Access report is currently named.  The report viewer window, by default, displays the MS Access report name, and the MS Access report names had gotten pretty out of sync with the names displayed in the soil reports dropdown list.

Item:  All soil reports (but not system reports) were modified to always retrieve their title and header text (all or base header text) from the "SYSTEM - Soil Reports" table.  Related function nomenclature and use was standardized.  Functions "GetInterpReportHeaderText" and "GetInterpReportTitle" were superseded by "GetDefaultReportHeaderText" and "GetDefaultReportTitle", respectively, but were left in the database for backwards compatibility in case any state customized databases reference them.

Item:  The existing constraint on mustatus (map unit status) was removed from the query that provides the input data to the FSA-CRP data generation process ("FSA-CRP - Input").  Since for SSURGO 2.1, mustatus is now always null, this constraint effectively resulted in no input records whatsoever.  Paul Finnell says that the FSA-CRP data generation process is still used to derive certain attributes that are used in contexts other than FSA-CRP.

Item:  A number of report names, report titles and report descriptions were updated.  The order in which reports are displayed in the report choice list was modified.

Items:  The agricultural waste management interpretations that were distributed between two reports are now distributed between three reports.

Item:  An updated Hydric Soils report was added back.

Item:  Report "Selected Soil Interpretations" was modified so that a user now has complete control over the order in which the selected interpretations occur from left to right.  The user can no longer optionally specify the header text for this report.

Item:  Report "Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions" was replaced by report "Selected Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions".  Obviously the new report now longer has to include descriptions for all interpretations that were included for a survey area.

Item:  For reports with variable length titles, the report title was moved from the page header section to the legend group header section.  I had not realized that the page header section could not grow, and some of the new longer report titles were being truncated.  This change was made to the following reports:
Component Text
Mapunit Text
Selected Soil Interpretations
Template Interpretation Report - 2 Interpretations
Template Interpretation Report - 2 Interpretations - Old
Template Interpretation Report - 3 Interpretations
Template Interpretation Report - 3 Interpretations - Old

Item.  The SSURGO metadata change history was updated.  The text associated with SSURGO metadata version 2.1.1 was updated to more accurately describe the changes that occurred at that time.  Please see the section titled "SSURGO Metadata Change History" in the report named "How to Understand and Use this Database" for details.

Item:  Function "GetLandforms" was modified to only return landforms where the corresponding value of "rvindicator" is "Yes", in order to be consistent with how the updated Hydric Soils report in NASIS is designed.

Item:  Function "GetHydricCriteria" was modified to no longer return Boolean values indicating if saturation, flooding or ponding criteria were met.  This function now returns a variant rather than a string.

30 - 02/05/2004
Item:  In the Engineering Properties report, both the Unified and AASHTO columns were displaying the Unified classification.  This problem has been fixed.  The actual error was in report "Subreport - Table H - Engineering Properties".

29 - 12/02/2003
Starting with this version I've decided to drop the prefix "1." from the template database version because I can't explain what the prefix corresponds to.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Version 29 of the template database is the first version of the template database designed to accommodate exports from the new Soil Data Mart.  Exports from the Soil Data Mart are in SSURGO version 2.1 format.  The difference between the SSURGO 2.0 format and the SSURGO 2.1 format is documented in the section titled "SSURGO Metadata Change History" in the report titled "How to Understand and Use this Database".

Exports from the Soil Data Mart CANNOT be imported into any template database version prior to version 29.  However, ANY pre-Soil Data Mart SSURGO 2.0 export can be imported into this template database version.

Item:  The template database change history has been removed from the report titled "SYSTEM - Template Database Information".  The template database change history is now available in a SYSTEM report titled "SYSTEM - Template Database Change History".

Item:  The import, export and drop soil survey area processes were updated to deal with the changes introduced in SSURGO 2.1.

Item:  The process that imports data from an external database and the process that attaches to the tables in an external database were updated to deal with the changes introduced in SSURGO 2.1.  A SSURGO 2.1 database can import data from either a SSURGO 2.0 or a SSURGO 2.1 database, as long as the two database formats are compatible.  A SSURGO 2.1 database can only attach to the tables in another SSURGO 2.1 database, and again, only when the two database formats are compatible.

These import and attach processes were also modified to now verify:

1.  The external database format is compatible with the local database format.  (i.e. Jet Engine version is compatible.)
2.  The external database contains soil data tables.
3.  The soil data tables in the external database are local to that database.

Item:  I had written a function named "LegendTableExists" but never actually used it.  I replaced every instance where the code to determine if the legend tables exists was duplicated with a reference to this function.  I also added two new functions, "LegendTableEmpty" and "LegendTableAttached".  These functions are used in the processes for importing data from, and attaching to the tables in, an external soil database.

Item:  The SSURGO 2.1 standard includes two new dynamic metadata tables, sacatalog and sainterp.  The existing dynamic metadata tables, distmd, distlegendmd and distinterpmd will eventually be dropped from the SSURGO standard, but these tables have been left in the template database for the time being for the purpose of backwards compatibility with the Soil Data Viewer application.

For pre-Soil Data Mart exports, to review dynamic metadata, the existing SYSTEM reports "Dynamic Metadata - Import Information" and "Dynamic Metadata - Soil Interpretation Descriptions" should still be used.

For post-Soil Data Mart exports, to review dynamic metadata, the new SOIL reports "Survey Area Metadata" and "Survey Area Interpretation Descriptions" should be used.

I decided that dynamic metadata reports should be considered soil reports rather than system reports, but I left the old dynamic metadata reports as system reports, since that is where users are used to finding them.  Since the new dynamic metadata reports do not require the selection of one or more map units, I added the capability to distinguish between soil reports that do and do not require selected map units.  This resulted in the addition of column "Map Unit Selection Required" to table "System - Soil Reports", and the addition of a new table named "System - Selected Legend Key".

Item:  This version of the template database accommodates both SSURGO 2.0 and 2.1 exports.  For survey areas exported in SSURGO 2.1 format, soil report page footers now display tabular data version number and tabular data version established date.  For survey areas exported in SSURGO 2.0 format, soil report page footers display tabular data NASIS export date, which is equivalent to the value of distribution generation date from the distribution metadata table.

Item:  SSURGO version number was dropped from the footers of the two older dynamic metadata reports.

Item:  The attribute "relationship name" is no longer displayed in report "Static Tabular Metadata - Relationships".

Item:  Reports "MANU - Table A. Acres" and "MANU - Table A1. Acres by County (2 or 3 counties)" no longer excludes map units whose status is "additional", since map unit status is now null in SSURGO 2.1 exports.

Item:  Updated the contents of tables "SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature Type" and "SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature" on 10/03/2003.

Item:  Report parameter form "Report Parameters - Soil Interpretations" was updated to obtain the default report title and disclaimer text from the corresponding report record in table "SYSTEM - Soil Reports", rather than being hard-coded.  To accomplish this, two new functions were added, "GetDefaultReportTitle()" and "GetDefaultDisclaimerText()".

Report parameter forms "Report Parameters - Component Text Kinds & Categories" and "Report Parameters - Mapunit Text Kinds & Categories" were also updated to obtain the default report title from the corresponding report record in table "SYSTEM - Soil Reports", rather than being hard-coded.

Item:  In all reports having either a map unit or component group header, for the corresponding group header, attribute "Keep Together" was set to "With First Detail".  This should reduce the stray group headers from appearing quite so much.

Item:  The Selected Soil Interpretation reports now indicate which interpretations are "limitations", and which are "suitabilities", by indicating with asterisks following the interpretation name in the page header.  The meaning of the asterisk or asterisks is defined in the header text on the first page of the report.  A corresponding description appears in the report header only when a corresponding interpretation of that kind is selected for inclusion.  So for numbers in the value column, people will now know when closer to 1 is more limiting, and when closer to 0 is more limiting.

Item:  The following Template Database Information report sections were renamed as follows:

"SSURGO Static Metadata Version" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata Version".
"Static Metadata Change History" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata Change History".
"Metadata" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata Reports".
"Template Version" was renamed to "Template Database Version".
"Database Security" was renamed to "Template Database Security/Customization".

The sections in the Template Database Information report were reordered.

Almost every section in the Template Database Information report was updated.

Item:  Added new section titled "Soil Data Versioning" to the system report titled "SYSTEM - Template Database Information".

Item:  The following reports were renamed as follows:

"Static Tabular Metadata - Domains" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata - Domains"
"Static Tabular Metadata - Indexes" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata - Indexes".
"Static Tabular Metadata - Relationships" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata - Relationships".
"Static Tabular Metadata - Table Column Descriptions" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata - Table Column Descriptions".
"Static Tabular Metadata - Table Columns" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata - Table Columns".
"Static Tabular Metadata - Tables" was renamed to "SSURGO Metadata - Tables".

Item:  The RUSLE Related Attributes report was modified to display Kf rather than Kw.

Item:  The capability to import soil spot feature descriptions was added.  Feature descriptions are not imported with the tabular data.  Even though the feature descriptions are tabular in nature, they are actually a part of the spatial data associated with a survey area.
New Macro:  Import Feature Descriptions
New Form:  Import Feature Descriptions
New Function:  import_feature_desciptions

Item: Incorporated as many as possible of the changes that the NSSC editors requested be made to the Soil Data Mart reports, to the template DB soil reports, in order to make the soil reports in the template DB as consistent as possible with the reports in the Soil Data Mart.  The requested changes are too numerous to be listed here.  Most of these changes are listed in the SSURGO Template Database Customization Guide.

Item:  Soil reports in the template DB no longer display total pages in report page footers due to the delay this causes before the initial page of the report is displayed.

Item:  For soil reports that have corresponding narrative description, that description can now be optionally included at the end of the report.  A report's corresponding descriptions is stored in "SYSTEM - Soil Reports.Report Documentation".  In the Soil Reports form, the button used to include this text is titled "Include Report Description".  This enhancement required the addition of a report footer and an On Open event procedure to all soil reports.  This enhancement also required changes to the code associated with the Soil Reports form.  A new global variable (blnIncludeReportDescription) and several new functions (GetReportDescription, IncludeReportDescription) were added to the module named "Report Functions".

Item:  Report "SYSTEM - Template Database Change History" was renamed to "Template Database Change History".  Report "SYSTEM - Template Database Information" was renamed to "How to Understand and Use this Database".  Text directing new users to the report titled "How to Understand and Use this Database" was added to the Import and Soil Reports forms.

1.28 - 3/27/2003
Item:  The logic for formatting ponding frequency class in report "MANU - Table K1 - Water Features" was changed from "=IIf(IsNull([pondfreqcl]),"None",[pondfreqcl])" to "=IIf(IsNull([pondfreqcl]) And IsNull([ponddurcl]),"None",IIf(IsNull([pondfreqcl]) And Not IsNull([ponddurcl]),"---",[pondfreqcl]))".  The previous version of this change was incorrect, and when a user generated report Table K1. - Water Features, they were mistakenly prompted for parameters (the misspelled column names).

1.27 - 03/11/2003
Item:  The original function designed for joining tabular data to spatial data, getmukey(musym), was not working as intended, and has been fixed.  This function is referenced in query "Sample Soil Polygon Attribute Table Update Query".  Note that we provide two different examples of how to perform the function of joining tabular and spatial data.  The alternative example shown in query "Sample Soil Polygon Attribute Table Alternate Update Query" still works as expected.

Item:  The logic for formatting ponding frequency class in report "MANU - Table K1 - Water Features" was changed from "=IIf(IsNull([pondfreqcl]),"None",[pondfreqcl])" to "=IIf(IsNull([pondfreqcl]) And IsNull([pnddurcl]),"None",IIf(IsNull([pndfreqcl]) And Not IsNull([pnddurcl]),"---",[pondfreqcl]))".

1.26 - 11/13/2002
Item:  In report "SYSTEM - Template Database Information, updated section "SSURGO Static Metadata Version" and added new section "Static Metadata Change History".

Item:  The FSA-CRP data generation function was fixed so that any "order by" on a value returned by function "RV" is handled as a numeric sort rather than a character sort.

Item:  The following entries were added to table "SYSTEM - Survey Area-County Geographic Coincidence":

STCOID  STSSAID
TX141     TX624
TX495     TX615

1.25 - 10/31/2002
Item:  Fixed error in function that generates FSA-CRP data.  When slope length USLE is populated, value wasn't being converted from meters to feet before looking up LS topographic factor.

1.24 - 10/22/2002
Item:  Added a new report named "MANU - Table WMS-1. Water Management w/fuzzy rating".

Item:  The reports included in this database no longer modify the case of soil survey area, county or parish, map unit or component names.  The National Soil Survey Center has completed a cleanup of standard soil survey area and county or parish names.  Calculations have been added to NASIS to assist users in establishing map unit and component names in appropriate case.  Therefore, we now assume that soil survey area, country or parish, map unit and component names are already in the case desired by the data steward.  The existing case of soil survey area, county or parish, map unit and component names is also maintained in the user interface.  And last, but not least, the reports included in this database no longer modify the case of taxonomic classification or plant common names, in order to be consistent with the corresponding reports in NASIS.

Item:  Added FSA-CRP (Farm Service Agency - Conservation Reserve Program) data generation facilities.  For more information on this capability, please see the section titled "FSA-CRP Data Generation" in the report titled "System - Template Database Information".  The following permanent database objects were added:

Table:  SYSTEM - FSA-CRP Data
Table:  SYSTEM - FSA-CRP - Warnings and Rejects
Table:  SYSTEM - Long Leaf Pine Counties
Table:  SYSTEM - Palouse Soil Survey Areas
Table:  SYSTEM - Survey Area-County Geographic Coincidence
Query:  FSA-CRP - Input
Form:  FSA-CRP - Create Data and Export
Macro:  FSA-CRP - Create Data
Macro:  FSA-CRP - Create Data and Export
Module:  FSA-CRP Functions (numerous new functions)

Item:  The form and macro named "Win-Pst - Export" were renamed to "Win-Pst - Create Data and Export", in order to emphasize that Win-Pst data is regenerated as part of this process.

Item:  Added the ability to either import data from an external Access soil database, or attach to the soil data tables in an external Access soil database.  For more information on these capabilities, please see the section titled "Accessing an External Soil Database" in the report titled "System - Template Database Information".  The following permanent database objects were added:

Form:  Access External Soil Database
Macro:  Access External Soil Database
Module:  Access External Soil Database Functions (numerous new functions)

Item:  The original method we recommended for updating the MUKEY column of a soil polygon attribute table sometimes fails for larger soil survey areas.  We haven't been able to figure out why this query fails to complete in some cases.  We have included another sample query that uses an alternate method of updating the MUKEY column of a soil polygon attribute table.  The name of this query is "Sample Soil Polygon Attribute Table Alternate Update Query".

Item:  The National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln NE has decided that, for the time being, national forestry interpretations are not going to be updated to take advantage of the new interpretation generation paradigm that was discussed for template version 1.21.  Therefore all national forestry interpretation reports have been changed back to the older style, where interpretation results for components that represent miscellaneous areas are automatically suppressed.

Item:  The scrip that runs when the database is opened was modified to determine whether or not map units and/or interpretation results need to be sorted.  Up to this point, this sorting was done anytime that data was imported via the import form, which until now was the only way that data could be loaded into this database.  The soil data mart that is under development will export data directly from the data mart database into the Access SSURGO template database.  Such a process bypasses the existing import processing, and as a result the data imported directly from the data mart is not sorted.  Data that has not been sorted doesn't show up in the report interface.  So when the user opens a database that has been populated directly from the data mart, the soil reports user interface is empty.

The modified startup script now determines if tables that store the mapunit and interpretation sort results contain the correct number of records.  If they do not, data is then automatically resorted.  Since sort results are permanently saved, subsequent opening of a database that had previously been resorted, should not result in another sort.  In addition to the changes described above, I decided to add a macro named "Sort Mapunits and Interpretation Results".  A user can run the macro to force map units and interpretation results to be resorted.  There really shouldn't be any reason that a user would need to do this, but I added the macro, just in case.  This is a relatively benign process that shouldn't ever cause a problem.  The only consequence of needlessly running this macro is slightly increasing the size of the database each time this macro is run.

Item:  Fixed the Hydric Soils List report so that it no longer fails when it encounters null hydric criteria.

Item:  We discovered that the Drop Soil Survey Area function fails for larger soil survey areas, due to a lack of system resources.  To fix this problem, data for a survey area is now deleted in multiple steps rather than in one fell swoop.

1.23 - 07/26/2002
Item:  Changed error logging to write to a file named "ssurgodberr.txt: located in the same directory as the current SSURGO template Access database.  Previous versions of the template logged errors to a file named "nasiserr.txt" in the root directory of the C drive.  This change was made because 1) future CCE (Common Computing Environment) configurations are much more restrictive in regards to which directories are writable and 2) in the past I didn't know how to determine the directory in which the current Access database resides.

Item:  Corrected a logic error in the WinPst data generation function.  A soil with a water table where an initial non-wet layer is followed by one or more wet layers, followed by a non-wet layer, was not being classified as a perched water table.  Prior to fixing this error, the only case in which a water table was classified as perched was when the first soil moisture layer encountered was wet, and a subsequent lower layer was non-wet.

1.22 - 05/31/2002
Item:  Fixed reports C1 (Range Production) and C2 (Range Production & Plants w/o Forest Understory) to display ecological site names whose ultimate origin is the Ecological Site table in NASIS.  This change should have been made in the previous template version, corresponding to the release of NASIS 5.1.

1.21 - 05/20/2002

Item:  Modified function "GetLandforms" and report "Hydric Soils List" in order to improve performance of this report.  The NameCase conversion of the landform string is now performed within the GetLandforms function rather than within the landforms control of the Hydric Soils List report.  Not sure why this makes such a difference, but it does.

Item:  The spelling of "Gypsum" was corrected in the heading of report "Table J2. - Chemical Properties of the Soils".

Item:  The soil interpretation staff at the NSSC in Lincoln NE has decided to make some fundamental changes to what interpretation results can be generated in the face of insufficient data.  This change was in response to the issue that under the old paradigm, an interpretation always returned non-null fuzzy values, regardless of how much data was missing or not populated.  Under the new paradigm, an interpretation can be written to return a null fuzzy value in the face of insufficient data, which is then interpreted as "Not Rated".  The actual phrase used to connote "Not Rated" can vary from interpretation to interpretation.

In previous versions of the SSURGO template database, the interpretation rating class for components whose kind was "miscellaneous area" was automatically set to "Not Rated", and no reasons were reported for "miscellaneous area" components.  Now, the interpretation rating class is always reported as is, regardless of component kind, and reasons are not displayed only when the main rating class is "Not Rated" (i.e. the value of cointerp.interphr is Null).

The interpretation paradigm related changes resulted in changes to the following database objects:

cointerp (Table) (interpll, interplr, interphr and interphh can now be null)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 1 (Query)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 2 (Query)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 3 (Query)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 1 (Report)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 2 (Report)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 3 (Report)
FormattedInterpReason (Function)
Template Interpretation Report - 1 Interpretation (Report)
Template Interpretation Report - 2 Interpretations (Report)
Template Interpretation Report - 3 Interpretations (Report)
Selected Soil Interpretations (Report)

Item:  The Component Text and Mapunit Text reports were modified so that mapunit name doesn't appear by itself on a page without at least part of the corresponding narrative text.

Item:  All interpretation reports were modified in order to improve performance.  An interpretation report for an entire soil survey now completes in a reasonable amount of time.  This enhancement resulted in changes to the following database objects:

Soil Reports (Form)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 1 (Query)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 2 (Query)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 3 (Query)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 1 (Report)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 2 (Report)
Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 3 (Report)
Template Interpretation Report - 1 Interpretation (Report)
Template Interpretation Report - 2 Interpretations (Report)
Template Interpretation Report - 3 Interpretations (Report)
Selected Soil Interpretations (Report)

Item:  Report "Selected Soil Interpretations" was split into 3 reports, a 1 interpretation version, a 2 interpretation version and a 3 interpretation version.

Item:  Included local phase name as part of the component name for report "Component Text".  This was an oversight to begin with.  Every report that prints component name includes the local phase name as part of the component name.

Item:  Whenever component name/local phase name is printed, local phase name is now printed "as is".  Up to this point, the NameCase function was applied to both component name and local phase name.

Item:  Added a new report named "RUSLE Related Attributes".

Item:  Added the capability to drop the data for one or more soil survey areas from the database.  This function may be invoked either by running the macro titled "Drop Soil Survey Area" or by opening the form named "Drop Soil Survey Area".

One case where this capability may be of value is when a database currently contains data for more than one soil survey area, and the data for only one of those soil survey areas needs to be updated.  The import process is not currently capable of performing an update, so any existing data for a particular soil survey area must be deleted before updated data for that same soil survey area can be imported.

If all of the data in a particular database needs to be updated, it may be easier to simply download a current copy of the blank template database, and then re-import all required data.  The Drop Soil Survey Area process does not reclaim the space occupied by the deleted data, and if data is dropped and reloaded enough times, the size of the database may become an issue.  Of course an existing database can always be compacted by selecting "Database Utilities: Compact Database" from the Tools menu in MS Access.

Item:  A new "System - Template Database Information" report section titled "Deleting/Updating Data" was added.

Item:  The template database was synchronized with NASIS data dictionary 5.1.3.  The corresponding SSURGO Static Metadata Version was updated to 2.0.3.

There were additions and changes to a number of domains.

A handful of table and attribute descriptions were corrected or improved.

The following columns may now be null:

cointerp.interpll
cointerp.interplr
cointerp.interphr
cointerp.interphh

The data type of the following columns was changed from Integer to Single:

coforprod.fprod_l
coforprod.fprod_r
coforprod.fprod_h
coforprodo.fprod_l
coforprodo.fprod_r
coforprodo.fprod_h

The field size of the following columns was changed:

coecoclass.ecoclasstypename:  from 254 to 60
coecoclass.ecoclassid:  from 248 to 30

Item:  Updated the contents of tables "SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature Type" and "SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature" on 04/23/2002.

1.20 - 01/09/2002 - Added 2 new reports: "Component Text" and "Mapunit Text".  Each report allows the user to select one or more text kind/text category combinations to be included in the report.  As is the case for all runtime report parameters, available choices are restricted to those that exist for the current soil survey area.

Added 2 new tables: "SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature Type" and "SYSTEM - Geomorphic Feature".  Prior to now, the complete geomorphic feature metadata was not available in the SSURGO template database.

Added new function "PluralGeomorphicFeatureName(Geomorphic_Feature_Type_Name, Singular_Geomorphic_Feature_Name).  This function returns the plural form of a geomorphic feature name.

Changed the export function to not present any options other than directory location.  The export function now produces only SSURGO standard exports of all data that currently resides in the template database.  Note that all data that could previously be exported can still be exported, but there is no longer an option to produce exports where text fields are not delimited with double quotes.  The reasons for doing this are:

1.  We currently have no known requirement to export data in any other format other than SSURGO format.
2.  We believe that the primary purpose of the export function will be to export data in a field office for the purpose of then importing that data back into an updated version of the template database.  We see no reason to provide options that might: a) confuse users or b) produce an export that cannot be re-imported back into a SSURGO template database or c) produce an import that does not contain all required SSURGO data.

The "System - Template Database Information" report section titled "Importing Data" was updated.

A new "System - Template Database Information" report section titled "Exporting Data" was added.

1.19 - 11/29/2001 - Modified function WinPst_Create_Data to not abort on null water table depths to top.  In reverse engineering water table information, only records were RV water table depth to top is not null are considered, and RV water table depth to top is now substituted when either water table depth to top low or water table depth to top high is null.

Modified all main forms to display template version in the form title bar.  This was done to make the template version more prominent and easier to find during support calls.

Numerous changes were made to help make customizing the SSURGO template database easier.  Interpretation reports were modified to be completely table driven.  This required modifications to the design of tables "SYSTEM - Soil Reports" and "SYSTEM - Soil Reports - Interpretations".  A number of new functions were added to retrieve values from these two tables at report generation time.  Other modifications were made to the existing contents of table "SYSTEM - Soil Reports" in order to make existing entries consistent with SSURGO template database customization guidelines.

1.18 - 10/15/2001 - Made the following minor metadata corrections, not all of which even pertain to SSURGO per se:
Description for attribute "initial_cooperator_acres_goal" was updated.
Description for attribute "update_cooperator_acres" was updated.
Description for domain "soil_survey_area_status" choice "maintenance" was updated.
Status of domain "taxonomic_subgroup" choice "lithic-ruptic-entic hapludults" was changed from "obsolete" to "current".

1.17 - 09/19/2001 - Updated SSURGO metadata reports to include metadata version number.  Added new function GetSSURGOStaticMetadataVersion.

1.16 - 09/12/2001 - Resynchronized with NASIS data dictionary 5.0.17.  SSURGO data dictionary version is now 2.0.2.  There were some domain changes and additions, and some attribute descriptions were updated.

1.15 - 07/16/2001 - Corrected an error in function WinPst_Create_Data.  Changed all format specifications of "#.#" to "0.0".  With the previous format specification, water table depths of zero were being converted to "." rather than "0.0".

1.14 - 07/10/2001 - As of NASIS 5.0, plant scientific name is no longer a required field, due to the inclusion of "plants" such as "other annual forbs", etc.  This change was mistakenly not implemented in the SSURGO template database.  Plant scientific name was made nullable in the following tables:

cocanopycover - Component Canopy Cover
coeplants - Component Existing Plants
coforprod - Component Forest Productivity
copwindbreak - Component Potential Windbreak
cotreestomng - Component Trees to Manage

1.13 - 06/15/2001 - Added Win-Pst data generation facilities.  The following permanent database objects were added:

Table: SYSTEM - Win-Pst Data
Query: Win-Pst - Input
Form: Win-Pst Export
Macro: Win-Pst - Create Data
Macro: Win-Pst - Export
Function: Win-Pst Functions.WinPst_Create_Data
Function: Win-Pst Functions.WinPst_Export

1.12 - 05/22/2001 - Report "Hydric Soils List" was added.

Report "Soil Component Legend" was renamed "Component Legend" and reformatted to be more consistent with other reports.

The display order of the non-manuscript reports in the Soil Reports form "Select Report" combo box list was changed.

The closing and reopening of form "Soil Reports" when importing data was changed to occur only after data has been successfully imported.

1.11 - 04/25/2001 - Report "MANU - Table A1 - Acres by County (2 or 3 counties)" was modified to always append a state alpha FIPS code to the county name.  Situations exist where a soil survey crosses a state boundary and includes two counties with the same name.  To implement this change, new function "GetCountyOrParishState" was added.

The function "NameCase" was modified to also capitalize any letter following a dash.

Form "Soil Reports" was modified such that when a user selects a report that requires parameters, the caption of button cmdGenerateReport is changed to "Select Parameters".  The value of "SYSTEM - Template Database Information.Item Narrative", where "SYSTEM - Template Database Information.Item Name" = "Generating Reports", was updated to reflect this change.

1.10 - 04/18/2001 - Fixed problem with report MANU - Table K1 - Water Features where water table information was not printing for months that had no flooding or ponding.  This fix required a change to query "Subreport - Table K1 - Water Features - Subquery" such that the selection criteria for selecting "Subreport - Table K1 - Water Features - Water Table - Months.month" was independent of all other selection criteria.

New report "Soil Component Legend" was added.

1.9 - 04/10/2001 - Changed startup and import procedures as follows:
On startup, if database is empty, the Import form is displayed.
On startup, if database is not empty, the Soil Reports form is displayed.
(The autoexec macro now calls new function StartUp, rather than always opening the
Soil Reports form.)
The Import main function now closes the Soil Reports form before the import process begins, and then reopens the Soil Reports form after the import process has completed.  This means that the Soil Reports form now always reflects the current contents of the database, immediately after an import.

1.8 - 03/15/2001 - Made the following modifications to improve performance of soil interpretation related reports:
Established primary key for table "SYSTEM - Selected Mapunit Keys".
Established duplicate index on column "depthseq" for table "SYSTEM - Interp Depth Sequence".
Established duplicate index on column "mrulename" for table "cointerp".
Established duplicate index on column "ruledepth" for table "cointerp".
Modified design of the following queries:
"Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 1"
"Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 2"
"Subreport - Interp Reasons - Interp 3"

1.7 - 03/12/2001 - Because SSURGO Version 2 downloads need to be generated prior to the conversion of the Component Potential Ecosystem table, the SSURGO Version 2 export was reset to export from the Component Potential Ecosystem table rather than from the Component Ecological Site and Component Other Vegetative Classification tables.  Due to this change, the criteria for "ecoclasstypename" in query "Subreport - Rangeland Productivity - Eco Site - Subquery" was changed from "NRCS Rangeland Site" to "Range site".

1.6 - 03/08/2001 - All references to SSURGO 2000 were changed to SSURGO version 2.  Import main routine was modified to expect "SSURGOV2" in file version.txt.  The functions "permanent_database_create_main" and "permanent_database_drop_main" were removed from module "Mains and Miscellaneous" in order to avoid compile error messages when converting database between Access versions.

1.5 - 02/20/2001 - In MUSymCompare changed integer1 and integer2 from "Integer" to "Long", since numeric map unit symbols may exceed 32768.

1.4 - 02/05/2001 - Modified database to sort data immediately after importing rather than
when the Soil Reports form is opened.

1.3 - 02/01/2001 - Resynchronized with NASIS data dictionary version 5.0.15.

1.2 - 01/29/2001 - Column label for muaggatt.flodfreqmax changed from "Flooding Frequence - Maximum" to "Flooding Frequency - Maximum".

1.1 - 01/17/2001 - Modified interpretation reason subreport queries and subreports and added a new function (FormattedInterpretationReason) so that interpretation reason fuzzy values will be properly formatted on reports.


Item Narrative:
This database has not been secured in any way.  Therefore there is no security to prevent the deletion or modification of any existing database object (table, query, form, report, macro or module).  Because so many database objects are referenced from multiple locations, deleting or modifying an existing database object may result in the unanticipated disabling of certain database objects or functions.

If you want to alter or customize this database, we suggest that you do so by always creating new database objects.  Of course you can always make a copy of an existing object, and give it a different name, in order to modify an existing database object.  A document is available that describes recommended practices when customizing this database.  This document can be downloaded from the following web page:

http://nasis.nrcs.usda.gov/downloads/

At the top of this page, select the link for SSURGO related downloads.  Then select the link titled “Download SSURGO Template Database Customization Guide (zipped Word document)”.

Before you commit to making a lot of customizations, please keep in mind that this SSURGO template database is frequently updated and enhanced.  See the system report titled “Template Database Change History” for the gory details.  If you want to keep relatively current with the latest version of the template database, you will be responsible for reapplying your customizations to new versions of the template database.


Item Narrative:
The template database version is the overall version of ALL tables, queries, forms, reports, macros and modules in the underlying MS Access template database.  Although there is always a new template database version when something changes in the SSURGO standard, the template database version can also change when nothing in the SSURGO standard has changed.  In fact, the template database version changes much more frequently than the SSURGO version does.

This MS Access template database is just one of a number of possible alternatives for delivering SSURGO data.  This database implementation is not part of the SSURGO standard, per se.

When corrections or enhancements are made to this database, the template database version is always updated.  The system report “Template Database Change History” records the changes associated with a particular template database version.


