Soil Genesis and Classification of Ten Pedons Using Soil Characterization Laboratory Data and Field Soil Survey in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Cades Cove is located within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP). The study site is a geologic window and an erosional catchment basin for material washing from slopes of the surrounding Mountains. All of the pedons located in Cades Cove, GSMNP are in the Blue Ridge physiographic region (MLRA 130). The objective of this research is to define the pedogenic processes of soil formation in Cades Cove through detailed soil characterization based on the laboratory and field data. The soils were described and sampled using standard soil survey procedures as outlined by the National Cooperative Soil Survey guidelines. The soil morphology was described for each pedon, and particular attention was paid to the existence of buried soil horizons, discontinuities and the presence of rock fragments. Samples were collected from the horizons in each pedon and were subjected to laboratory analysis. The analyses included total carbon content, pH, CEC, particle size, and dithionite-citrate iron. All of the pedons were classified to the family level of soil classification. Results from the investigation revealed that the soils in Cades Cove are in a relatively stable state and that all ten of the study pedons are the result of transported parent materials. Three of the pedons developed on the flood plain in alluvial parent material. Four others developed on stream terraces in alluvial parent material, while three others developed on colluvial fans with colluvium over alluvium. The soils that formed on the higher terraces in the cove are classified as Hapludults, while those on the lower terraces and flood plain are Dystrudepts.