LOCATION WATAUGA NC+GA SC TN VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, paramicaceous, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Watauga loam--pasture, 10 to 25 percent slopes, on southwest facing slope, in a pasture field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; common fine flakes of mica; 2 percent by volume gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 21 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent by volume gravel; many fine flakes of mica; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
BC--21 to 28 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many fine flakes of mica; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C1--28 to 52 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) saprolite that is loam; massive; friable; 10 percent by volume gravel; few fine roots; many flakes of mica; strongly acid.
C2--52 to 72 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) saprolite is loam; massive; friable; 10 percent by volume gravel; many flakes of mica; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Alleghany County, North Carolina; 1.5 miles south of Laurel Springs; 100 yards northeast of North Carolina 18, 100 feet southwest of small cemetery in pasture. The longitude is West 81 degrees 15 minutes 18 seconds. The latitude is North 36 degrees 23 minutes 52 seconds. Laurel Springs Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 20 to 60 inches thick. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Content of coarse fragments ranges from 0 to 35 percent in the A, Ap, AB, or E horizon, and 0 to 15 percent in the B horizon. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid unless limed. Flakes of mica are common or many in the surface layer and upper B horizon and many in the lower B and C horizons.
The A or Ap horizon, or AB horizon where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Where value is 3 or less, this horizon is less than 7 inches thick. Texture is loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Some pedons have E horizons that have slightly higher values and chroma than the A or Ap horizon. Texture is loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BE or BA horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Mottles, if they occur, are in shades of red, yellow, or brown. Texture is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Mottles, if they occur, are in shades of red, yellow, or brown. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam, or loam.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Mottles, if they occur, are in shades of red, yellow, or brown. The texture of the fine earth is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, and coarse sandy loam.
The C horizon is multicolored or has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 8. It is saprolite weathered from high-metamorphic rocks high in mica content such as mica schist and mica gneiss Texture is loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: The Fannin series is the only other known series in this family. The Brownwood, Cashiers, Chandler, Grover, Manor, Micaville, and Mt. Airy series are in closely related families. Fannin soils have Bt horizons of 5YR or redder hues. Brownwood, Cashiers, Chandler, Manor, Micaville, and Mt. Airy soils do not have argillic horizons. In addition, the Mt. Airy soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section. Brownwood soils are moderately deep and Micaville soils are deep to a paralithic contact, respectively. Grover soils are in a thermic soil temperature class.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Watauga soils are on gently sloping to very steep ridges and side slopes in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Slopes range from 2 to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from 1,400 to 4,000 feet. They formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part, and is weathered from high-grade metamorphic rocks that are high in mica content such as mica gneiss and mica schist. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 46 to 57 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 45 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Brownwood, Cashiers, Chandler, Fannin, Manor, and Micaville series, these are the Brevard, Chestnut, Clifton, Cowee, Edneyville, Evard, Hayesville, Saunook, Tate, Thunder, and Tusquitee series. Brevard, Saunook, Tate, Thunder, and Tusquitee formed in colluvium, have less mica, and are in coves. Brownwood, Cashiers, Chandler, Chestnut, Clifton, Cowee, Edneyville, Evard, Fannin, Manor, and Micaville soils are on ridges and side slopes. In addition, the moderately deep Chestnut and the very deep Edneyville soils contain less mica and have a cambic horizon. The moderately deep Cowee and very deep Evard soils contain less mica. Clifton and Hayesville soils are in a fine particle-size class.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: About half of the areas of this series is cleared and used for corn, small grain, tobacco, truck crops, hay, or pasture. Some areas are being used for Christmas tree production. Common trees include scarlet oak, chestnut oak, black oak, white oak, hickory, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, and pitch pine. Yellow poplar and northern red oak are common in the northern portions of MLRA 130. The dominant understory is flowering dogwood, mountain laurel, rhododendron, and sourwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Blue Ridge (MLRA 130) of North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. The series is extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lexington, Kentucky
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Watauga County, North Carolina; 1941.
REMARKS: This series was formerly classified as Gray-Brown Podzolic soils.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 7 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - 7 to 21 inches (Bt horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
MLRA = 130 SIR = NC0091