Soil Profile Descriptions

INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill in correct horizon designations; give diagnostic horizons, soil order, parent material, drainage class, and evaluate for potential use in agriculture, forestry, and urban uses (good or bad, and why….).

 


1. TOCCOA SERIES; on floodplain, Blue Ridge province, in pasture, 0-2 % slopes.  

 

____ 0 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, many fine roots; few fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
____ 10 to 24 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive; very friable; few fine roots; few fine flakes of mica; bedding planes and thin strata of loamy sand; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
____ 24 to 34 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; massive; friable; few fine roots; many fine flakes of mica; bedding planes and thin strata of loamy sand; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
____ 34 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive; very friable; many fine flakes of mica; bedding planes; moderately acid.



2. ENON SERIES; in Piedmont, 10-15% slopes, backslope position, in pasture.
____ 0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; few medium fragments of quartz and black concretions; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
____ 3 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots and root channels; few medium black concretions; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
____ 8 to 11 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, few distinct clay films on faces of peds; few fine roots and root channels; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 11 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) clay; moderate, medium, prismatic structure that parts to moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, many distinct clay films on faces of peds; few fine and medium roots between peds; few fine pores and root channels; common fine and medium black concretions; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 21 to 33 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, few fine roots and pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; many medium black concretions; few medium gravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 33 to 75 inches; mottled brownish yellow (10YR 6/8), black 10YR 2/1), and dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) loam saprolite; massive; friable; neutral.



3. EDNEYTOWN SERIES; on Sand Mt., Valley and Ridge province, in forest on 10-15% slope, shoulder position.
____ 1 1/2 to 0 inches; decomposing forest litter (mostly leaves and twigs).
____ 0 to 1 inches; black decomposed forest litter.
____ 1 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, abrupt smooth boundary.
____ 3 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few fine flakes of mica; few fine pores; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
____ 5 to 16 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine flakes of mica; few small fragments of quartz; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 16 to 30 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine flakes of mica; common distinct clay films of faces of peds; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 30 to 37 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; few fine distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine flakes of mica; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 37 to 52 inches; mottled brown (10YR 5/3) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; few fine distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) mottles; massive; very friable; fine flakes of mica; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 52 to 61 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand; common medium distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) and few medium distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) mottles; massive; very friable; strongly acid.



4. ALBANY SERIES; on low uplands, Coastal Plain province, in pasture, 2-5% slope.
____ 0 to 7 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sand; single grained; loose; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
____ 7 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sand; single grained; loose; few fine distinct yellow (2.5Y 7/6) masses of iron accumulation and light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
____ 32 to 48 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) loamy sand; single grained; loose; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and many medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/1) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
____ 48 to 56 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; few lenses of light gray sand; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), few medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation, and common medium faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) and common medium distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
____ 56 to 64 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), light gray (10YR 7/1), yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; discontinuous clay films in some pores; sand grains coated and bridged; few fine lenses of light gray sand; the areas in shades of light yellowish brown, yellowish brown, and pale yellow are iron accumulations and the areas in shades of light gray are iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. ____ 64 to 70 inches; gray (10YR 6/0) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; sand grains coated and bridged; few fine light gray (2.5Y 7/1) lenses of sand; many coarse prominent pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) and yellow (10YR 7/6), and few fine prominent red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
____ 70 to 88 inches; gray (N 6/0), red (10R 4/8), and yellow (2.5Y 7/6) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common medium lenses of light gray (N 7/0) sand; the areas in shades of red and yellow are iron accumulations and the areas in shades of gray are iron depletions; very strongly acid.



5. LOUISBURG SERIES: on backslope, Piedmont uplands, 20-45% slope, in abandoned pasture.
____ 0 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly sandy loam; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; 12 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 3 percent stones; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
____ 4 to 7 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine flakes of mica; 12 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
____ 7 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, common very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; few faint brown (7.5YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; few fine flakes of mica; 10 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
____ 26 to 36 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) gravelly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine flakes of mica; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; few pieces of highly weathered brownish red saprolite; moderately acid; clear irregular boundary.
____ 36 to 60 inches; 50 percent light brown (7.5YR 6/4), 40 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), and 10 percent very pale brown (10YR 8/3) saprolite that crushes to gravelly sandy loam; massive; friable; common fine flakes of mica; 10 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent highly weathered stones; strongly acid.