LOCATION GUYOT NC+TN
Established Series
DJT-ARK-HCD; Rev: BPS
02/2011
GUYOT SERIES
The Guyot series consists of deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils on mountain summits and side slopes at the higher elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. They formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part, and weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks such as slate, thinly bedded metasandstone, and phyllite. Slope ranges from 8 to 95 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Humudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Guyot clay loam, on 11 percent ridge summit, at an elevation of 5130 feet--forested (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed organic litter and root mat.
A1--1 to 4 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay loam; strong fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine, common medium to very coarse roots throughout; 5 percent metasandstone channers by volume; few fine flakes of mica; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary.
A2--4 to 11 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots throughout; 5 percent metasandstone channers by volume; few fine flakes of mica; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 7 to 20 inches)
Bw--11 to 19 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium and coarse roots throughout; 10 percent metasandstone channers by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
BC--19 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; 10 percent metasandstone channers by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
C1--28 to 35 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; massive; very friable; 10 percent metasandstone channers by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
C2--35 to 59 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), gray (10YR 6/1), and black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam; massive; very friable; 10 percent metasandstone channers by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Cr--59 to 72 inches; weathered metasandstone bedrock; partly consolidated but can be dug with difficulty with hand tools.
TYPE LOCATION: Haywood County, North Carolina; Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at Polls Gap trailhead, Balsam Mountain Road; 150 feet southeast of parking area. USGS Bunches Bald Topographic Quadrangle: latitude 35 degrees, 33 minutes, 44 seconds N.; longitude 83 degrees, 09 minutes, 39 seconds W.; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to paralithic contact is 40 to 60 inches. Depth to lithic contact is greater than 60 inches. The soil is extremely acid to strongly acid throughout. Content of mica flakes is none or few. Content of rock fragments is less than 35 percent throughout, mainly channers in size.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, fine sandy loam, or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The AB horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. It has the same textures as the A horizon.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. They are loam or fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BC horizon, where present, has colors similar to the Bw horizon. It is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon is saprolite weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks such as thinly bedded metasandstone, quartzite, phyllite, and slate. It is multicolored or variable in color and is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Breakneck,
Burton,
Cataloochee,
Oconaluftee,
Tanasee, and
Wayah series. Breakneck soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Burton and Wayah soils formed in residuum and Tanasee in colluvium from high-grade metamorphic rocks and contain fragments of those rocks. Cataloochee soils have paralithic contacts at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Oconaluftee, Tanasee and Wayah soils have bedrock at depths greater than 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Guyot soils are on strongly sloping to very steep summits and side slopes of mountains in the higher elevations of the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. Elevation ranges from about 4,500 to 6,600 feet. On north and east aspects this soil may occur at somewhat lower elevations. Slope ranges from 8 to 95 percent. Guyot soils formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part, and is weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks such as thinly bedded metasandstone, quartzite, slate, and phyllite. Mean annual air temperature is about 45 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 85 inches near the type location. Moist atmospheric conditions are prevalent and fog is common in these high mountain areas.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing
Breakneck,
Cataloochee, and
Oconaluftee series, these include the
Chiltoskie,
Clingman,
Heintooga,
Horsetrough,
Pinnacle, and
Pullback series. Chiltoskie, Heintooga, and Horsetrough soils formed in colluvium. Heintooga soils are in a loamy-skeletal particle-size class. Horsetrough soils are in a sandy-skeletal particle-size class and are poorly drained. Clingman and Pinnacle soils are comprised of organic soil material. Pullback soils formed in residuum and have a lithic contact at less than 20 inches. Cataloochee soils have paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very little runoff where forest litter has not been disturbed or only partially disturbed; medium to very rapid runoff where litter has been removed; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of this soil is in forest. Common trees at the lower elevation range are northern red oak, black birch, American beech, yellow birch, black cherry, sugar maple, eastern hemlock, and yellow buckeye. At higher elevations, red spruce and fraser fir become the dominant tree species. In many areas the trees are stunted due to wind and ice damage and a "windswept" phase is recognized. The understory species are serviceberry, striped maple, American chestnut sprouts, pin cherry, rhododendron, mountain-laurel, silverbell, blueberry, and flame azalea. Common forbs are hay-scented fern, wood fern, New York fern, Solomon's seal, yellow mandarin, and trillium. A small acreage is covered by heath balds vegetated with rhododendron, flame azalea, blueberry, hawthorn, and mountain ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Higher elevations of the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B of Tennessee and North Carolina and possibly Virginia. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Madison County, North Carolina, 2006.
REMARKS: The Guyot series was formerly included with the Oconaluftee series. However, Oconaluftee soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock. Fine-loamy particle-size class placement is based on the presence of amorphous (non-crystalline) clay-size material associated with the relatively high organic matter content found in these soils. Although field estimates, laboratory measurements, and calculated values may vary, clay content in the particle-size control section is generally less than 25 percent. Although Guyot soils may exhibit some of the characteristics of andic soil properties, they lack the volcanic glass found in soils of similar taxa in the Western United States.
Revisions made 9/07(HCD) adjusted OSD to reflect Lab Data.
The Guyot series has the following diagnostic horizons:
Umbric epipedon - The zone from the mineral surface to 11 inches (Al, and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 11 to 28 inches below the surface (Bw and BC horizon).
Paralithic contact - weathered bedrock contact at 59 inches (upper boundary of Cr horizon).
Isotic mineralogy class - In more than one-half of the control section, a 1500 kPa water to clay ratio of 0.6 or more and a pH in NaF solution of more than 8.4.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data from NSSC-SSL sample SNC00-087-001.
NASIS Site ID: 113874
NASIS Pedon ID: 114698
NASIS User Pedon ID: Guyot OSD
NASIS DMU ID: 410010 (Standard Component Data)
MLRA=130B
02/11-BPS: Taxonomic Classification -- 11th Keys, update competing and associated series, MLRA clarification
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.