LOCATION EVARD SC+GA NC TN VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, parasesquic, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Evard sandy loam - forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam, weak fine granular structure; very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and few medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
E--2 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and few medium roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 9 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and few medium roots; few distinct clay films on faces of some peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--9 to 29 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 12 to 28 inches.)
BC--29 to 37 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) very fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few pebbles of quartz at top of horizon; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 17 inches thick)
C1--37 to 49 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) saprolite that has a texture of very fine sandy loam; massive; very friable, few fine roots; common very fine flakes of mica;; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
C2--49 to 72 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) saprolite that has a texture of loamy fine sand; common coarse distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) and few medium prominent black (5YR 2.5/1) mottles; massive; very friable; few fine roots; common very fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Oconee County, South Carolina; 3.5 miles south of Stumphouse Ranger Station and 5.2 miles southeast of Whitstone; from junction of Stumphouse Road (South Carolina Secondary Road 290) and Rich Mountain Road (USFS 744) go 3.0 miles generally south on Rich Mountain Road, then at 320 degrees north from center of road go 425 feet.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the argillic horizon ranges from 12 to 28 inches. Solum thickness ranges from 20 to more than 40 inches. Depth to weathered bedrock is more than 60 inches. The A and E horizons are extremely acid to moderately acid except where surface layers have been limed, and the B and C horizons are very strongly acid or strongly acid. Content of flakes of mica is few or common throughout. The content of rock fragments ranges from 0 to 35 percent throughout
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Where value is 3, this horizon is less than 7 inches thick. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam, in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 3 to 8. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, in the fine-earth fraction.
The BA or BE horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. In pedons that do not have a BA horizon, the upper part of the Bt horizon has the colors and textures described for the BA horizon.
The Bt horizon in pedons with a BA horizon and the lower part of the Bt horizon in pedons without a BA horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. Non-redoximorphic mottles in shades of red, brown, or yellow are in some pedons. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.
The C horizon is multicolored, or has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8, commonly with non-redoximorphic mottles in shades of red, brown, or yellow. Gray or black mottles of relic rock material are in some pedons. It is saprolite that has a texture of sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brevard, Cowee, Stott Knob (T), and Walhalla series. Brevard soils formed in colluvium or old alluvium on high stream terraces, and colluvial benches, toe slopes, and fans.. Cowee,and Stott Knob soils are have a paralithic contact with weathered bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Brevard and Walhalla soils have argillic horizons thicker than 28 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Evard soils are on gently sloping to very steep ridges and side slopes of low and intermediate mountains of the Blue Ridge (MLRA 130). Elevations are dominantly 1,400 to 4,000 feet. Slopes are typically between15 and 50 percent but range from 2 to 95 percent. Evard soils formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part, and weathered from felsic to mafic, igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks such as mica gneiss, hornblende gneiss, and amphibolite. Precipitation ranges from 35 to 80 inches per year. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 46 to 57 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Brevard, Cowee, and the closely related Edneytown, and Pigeonroost series, these are Ashe, Chestnut, Cleveland, Clifton, Edneyville, Fannin, Huntdale, Plott, Porters, Rabun, Saluda, Thunder, Trimont, Unaka, Walhalla, and Watauga series. Edneytown and Pigeonroost soils are 7.5YR or browner. Additionally, Pigeonroost soils have a paralithic contact with weathered bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Clifton soils have a fine particle size class. Ashe, Chestnut, Cleveland, Edneyville, Plott, Porters, and Unaka soils do not have an argillic horizon. Fannin, and Watauga soils are in a micaceous and paramicaceous mineralogy class, respectively. Saluda soils have a paralithic contact with weathered bedrock at less than 20 inches. Rabun soils have argillic horizon with value 3 or less and are in a fine particle-size class. Saunook, Trimont, and Thunder soils have surface horizons with Humic features which are greater than or equal to 7 inches thick. Huntdale, Plott, Porters, and Unaka have umbric epipedons. All these soils formed on ridges and side slopes except Brevard, Saunook, and Thunder soils which are on colluvial benches, toe slopes, and fans. Also, Huntdale, Plott, Porters, Trimont, and Unaka soils are on the ridges and side slopes of cooler, north to east aspects.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderate in the subsoil and moderately rapid in the underlying material. Runoff class is low on gentle slopes, medium on strong or moderately steep slopes, and high on steeper slopes. Runoff is much lower where forest litter has little or no disturbance.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is in forest. Common trees are chestnut oak, white oak, scarlet oak, black oak, and hickory with some eastern white pine, Virginia pine, pitch pine, and shortleaf pine. The understory includes flowering dogwood, American chestnut sprouts, sourwood, mountain laurel, flame azalea, blueberry, and buffalo nut. Cleared areas are commonly used for pasture and hayland and occasionally burley tobacco.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Ridge (MLRA 130) of South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia. The series is of large extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lexington, Kentucky
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Greenville County, South Carolina, 1972.
REMARKS: The 1/98 revision places the Evard series in a parasesquic mineralogy family. It was formerly in an oxidic family.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 5 inches (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 5 to 29 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Parasesquic mineralogy class - total iron oxide, by weight (DCB Fe multiplied by 1.43) plus percent, by weight, gibbsite of more than 10 in the fine-earth fraction.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle-size and chemical analysis is on file for this pedon.
MLRA: 130 SIR(s): SC0083, SC0135 (GRAVELLY)
Revised: 11/92-ECH,DJD; 9/96-BPS,DHK; 1/98-DHK; 2/02-MKC