LOCATION NORTHCOVE NC+TNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Northcove very cobbly sandy loam on a 15 percent west facing slope at an elevation of 2,040 feet--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed hardwood and pine litter.
Oe--1 to 3 inches; moderately decomposed hardwood and pine litter.
A--3 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very cobbly sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 35 percent by volume quartzite stones, cobbles, and gravel; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
BA--6 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 40 percent by volume quartzite stones, cobbles, and gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bw1--9to 33 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; 45 percent by volume quartzite stones, cobbles, and gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--33 to 63 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very cobbly loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; 50 percent by volume quartzite stones, cobbles, and gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw subhorizons is 24 to 70 inches.)
C--63 to 83 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly sandy loam; massive; very friable; few very fine and fine roots; 60 percent by volume quartzite stones, cobbles, and gravel; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: McDowell County, North Carolina; 2.0 miles east of Woodlawn on State Road 1560 at Sevier Station, 1.3 miles east on a private road and U.S, Forest Service gravel access road, 75 feet east northeast of the road in woods.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 35 to 60 inches or more. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid unless limed. Rock fragment content ranges from 35 to 60 percent in the A and B horizons, and 35 to 80 percent in the C horizon. The fragments may be channers, gravel, cobbles, flag stones, stones, or boulders.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. The A horizon is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The BA or AB horizons, where present, have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. The BA or AB horizons have the same textural range as the A horizon.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. The Bw horizon has the same textural range as the A horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand in the fine earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bremo, Cardiff, Greenlee, Handshoe, and Konnarock series. Bremo and Konnarock soils have lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Cardiff soils have lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Greenlee soils formed in colluvium from high grade metamorphic rocks and contain fragments of those rocks. Handshoe soils formed in colluvium from sedimentary rocks and contain fragments of those rocks.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Northcove soils are in coves, colluvial fans, foot slopes, and benches in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Slopes are commonly 8 to 30 percent but range from 4 to 80 percent. Elevation ranges from about 1,200 to 3,800 feet. The soil formed in colluvial material weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks such as quartzite, phyllite, slate, metagraywacke, and metasandstone. Mean annual temperature near the type location is 56 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is 43 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Brasstown, Cataska, Ditney, Junaluska, Lonon, Soco, Santeetlah, Spivey, Stecoah, Sylco, Tsali, and Unicoi series. None of these soils is in a loamy-skeletal family except for Spivey soils. Also, all are in higher positions on ridges and side slopes except for Lonon, Santeetlah and Spivey soils. Brasstown, Junaluska, Lonon, and Tsali soils have an argillic horizon. Cataska, Ditney, Junaluska, Soco, Sylco, and Unicoi soils are either shallow or moderately deep to bedrock. Santeetlah and Spivey soils have an umbric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very little runoff where forest litter has not been disturbed or is only partly disturbed; medium to very rapid runoff where litter has been removed; moderately rapid permeability. These soils receive surface and subsurface water from surrounding uplands and seeps and springs are common.
USE AND VEGETATION: More than 80 percent is in native woodland of hardwoods and pines. Cleared areas are used for pasture, Christmas trees, homesites, and as a source of gravel and stone.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Blue Ridge (MLRA 130) of North Carolina, and possibly Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McDowell County, North Carolina; 1989.
REMARKS: This series was formerly included with the Spivey series. However, Spivey soils have an umbric epipedon. The 2/99 revision updates the classification to the 8th Edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy. This soil is placed in the semiactive CEC activity class based on comparison with associated soils such as Ditney.
Northcove soils have the following diagnostic horizons and features:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the mineral soil surface to a depth of 9 inches (A and BA horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 9 to 63 inches below the surface (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Loamy-skeletal feature - The presence of more than 35 percent rock fragments by volume in the 10 to 40 inch control section (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).