DERIVATION:

Ordovician and Silurian greywackes and shales.

TYPES OF PARENT MATERIALS MAPPED:

Glacial till
Glacial drift
Shallow drift onto rock
Morainic deposits
Cryogenic deposits

COLOUR:

Greyish brown in subsoil, sometimes reddish brown.

TEXTURE:

Sandy silt loam within topsoil but finer textures 
e.g. clay loam at depth. Drift deposits are slightly coarser in texture. Slightly stony.

DOMINANT LAND USE:

Permanent pasture, forestry and recreation.

LANDFORMS:

Highly variable, drumlins and undulating terrain within lowland areas, hill or valley sides, with gentle 
or moderate slopes and upland hill summits.

SOIL CHEMISTRY:

Moderate acidity (pH around 5 under semi-natural conditions and low to moderate percentage base saturation and phosphorus within the subsoil. Low available cobalt and copper in some soils.

SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

Potential rooting depth up to 50cm unless restricted by presence of rock or induration. Weak to moderate structural development within subsoil.