Texture is similar to the EB horizon. The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 through 5 and chroma from 2 through 4, with the lowest chroma being inherited from weathered dark shale. Texture is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or silty clay loam. In some pedons, the Bt horizon has faint redoximorphic features in the lower part. Consistence is friable or firm.
Reaction ranges from moderately acid to mildly alkaline.
Some pedons have a BC horizon that is neutral or slightly alkaline and has a lower clay content than the overlying Bt horizon. The C horizon has colors similar to the Bt horizons. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline. The Dunkirk soil is the only series in the same family. The Allard , Amboy , Collamer , Hudson , and Unadilla series are similar soils in related families.