LOCATION SEDGEFIELD NC +GA VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Aquultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Sedgefield sandy loam--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; few large roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
E--3 to 7 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam; few fine faint yellowish brown mottles; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
BE--7 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) E material in pores, root channels and tongues make up 10 percent of the horizon; few quartz pebbles less than 1 inch in diameter; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 23 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) clay; moderate medium subangular and angular blocky structure; firm; sticky, plastic; few medium roots; few fine pores; thick prominent clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--23 to 33 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm; sticky, plastic; few fine roots; thick prominent clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 14 to 24 inches)
BCg--33 to 37 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; 10 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) saprolite; common coarse distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
C--37 to 65 inches; mottled light gray (10YR 7/1), yellow (10YR 7/6), and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy loam saprolite; massive; friable; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Orange County, North Carolina; 1.5 miles north of Walnut Grove Church on SR 1001, 1 mile west of SR 1001 on SR 1510, 100 feet south of SR 1510 in woods.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Content of rock fragments in the surface layers ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The soil ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid in the A and upper Bt horizons and from moderately acid to moderately alkaline in the lower Bt and C horizons.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, sandy clay loam, or loam.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, or loam.
The BA or BE horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Iron depletions with chroma 2 or less are in the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizon. Soft masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red may also be present. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay.
The Btg horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Soft masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red may be present. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay.
The BCg horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Soft masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red may be present. Texture is sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, or loam.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8, or is mottled. Iron depletions with chroma 2 or less and soft masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red may also be present. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay.
The C horizon is mottled in shades of yellow, brown, red, or gray. It is
saprolite that weathered from intermediate and mafic crystalline rocks and is variable in texture but typically is loamy.
The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Soft masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red may be present. Texture is variable and can include sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay, or loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family. Soils in closely related families are the Brewback(T), Crawfordville(T), Enon, Helena, Iredell, and Winnsboro, and series. Brewback and Crawfordville soils have a depth to soft bedrock of 20 to 40 inches. In addition, Crawfordville soils have an abrupt textural change between the A and Bt horizon. Enon, Iredell, and Winnsboro soils lack redox depletions of chroma 2 or less in the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizon. Helena soils have less than 35 percent base saturation and are strongly or very strongly acid throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sedgefield soils are on nearly level to gently sloping ridges or depressions and around heads of drainageways in the thermic Piedmont. Frequently, they are on lower parts of the slope, but also are on broad flat areas. Slopes range from 0 to 10 percent. The soil formed in residuum weathered from intermediate and mafic crystalline rocks. Near the type location the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F., and annual precipitation is about 47 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar Brewback(T), Crawfordville(T), Enon, Helena, Iredell, and Winnsboro series, and the Pittsboro, Virgilina, Wilkes, and Wynott, series. Pittsboro soils have iron depletions of chroma 2 or less below the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizon and a depth to soft bedrock of 20 to 40 inches. Virgilina soils have smectitic mineralogy and a depth to hard bedrock of 20 to 40 inches. Wilkes soils are well drained and have a depth to soft bedrock of less than 20 inches. Wynott soils are well drained and have a depth to soft bedrock of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium to slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: About two-thirds of this soil is used for crops and pasture. The remaining is in forest of hardwoods and pine. Native species include loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, sweetgum, willow oak, red oak, white oak, yellow-poplar, and American elm. Understory species include summersweet clethra, greenbrier, flowering dogwood, honeysuckle, and American holly.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Piedmont of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Orange County, North Carolina; 1975.
REMARKS: Sedgefield was formerly included with the Helena series but is less acid and has higher base saturation.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 13 inches.
Albic horizon - the zone from 7 to 13 inches below the surface.
Argillic horizon - the zone from 13 to 33 inches below the surface.
Features of Aquultic Hapludalfs - gray redox depletions in the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon (Bt1) and base saturation of 35 to 60 percent in the zone between depths of 37 and 65 inches.
Revised: RLV 9/5/97; DTA 6/2/05 to update format.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation NC0099 SEDGEFIELD 0-10 58-66 180-225 40-60 400-800SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness NC0099 NONE 1.0-1.5 PERCHED JAN-MAR >60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- NC0099 0-13 LS 0-5 85-100 3-10 2-10 NC0099 0-13 FSL SL L 0-5 85-100 8-20 4-15 NC0099 0-13 SCL 0-5 85-100 20-35 10-25 NC0099 13-33 SC CL C 0-5 95-100 35-60 15-35 NC0099 33-37 SL SCL CL 0-5 90-100 10-35 4-20 NC0099 37-65 VAR - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll NC0099 0-13 4.5-6.5 .5-2. 0-0 2.0-6.0 LOW NC0099 0-13 4.5-6.5 .5-2. 0-0 2.0-6.0 LOW NC0099 0-13 4.5-6.5 .5-2. 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW NC0099 13-33 4.5-6.5 0.-.5 0-0 0.06-0.2 HIGH NC0099 33-37 5.6-8.4 0.-.5 0-0 0.6-2.0 MODERATE NC0099 37-65 - - - -