LOCATION WAYAH NC+TN
Established Series
DJT-SAB-AG; Rev. BPS
02/2011
WAYAH SERIES
The Wayah series consists of very deep, well drained soils on ridges and side slopes at high elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. They formed in residuum that is affected in the upper part by soil creep, and weathered from felsic to mafic igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. Near the type location, mean annual air temperature is about 40 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is 100 inches. Slope ranges from 2 to 95 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Humudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Wayah sandy clay loam on a 20 percent southwest-facing side slope at an elevation of 6023 feet--forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed leaves and twigs.
Oe--2 to 4 inches; partially decomposed organic litter and root mat.
A1--4 to 14 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 2 percent gravel by volume; few fine flakes of mica; 18 percent organic matter; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary.
A2--14 to 18 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; 2 percent gravel by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 20 inches.)
Bw--18 to 44 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gravelly sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; 33 percent gravel by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick.)
C1--44 to 50 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gneiss saprolite that is gravelly sandy loam; few medium faint light gray (10YR 7/2) and very pale brown(10YR 8/2) mottles; massive rock controlled structure; very friable; 16 percent gravel by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--50 to 69 inches; mottled yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), yellowish red (5YR 5/6), very pale brown(10YR 8/2) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gneiss saprolite that is gravelly sandy loam; massive rock controlled structure; very friable; 17 percent gravel by volume; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Jackson County, North Carolina, at Richland Balsam 200 feet west of parking area on Blue Ridge Parkway in woods; USGS Sam's Knob topographic quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 21 minutes 46 seconds N. and long. 82 degrees 59 minutes 34 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to more than 60 inches thick over saprolite. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 35 percent by volume in the A and Bw horizons and 0 to 50 percent in the C horizons.. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid. Content of flakes of mica is few or common throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3; or it is neutral with value of 3. It is sandy clay loam, clay loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction. A few pedons have an A horizon that is loamy sand in some part. The A horizon in most pedons contains 8 to 20 percent organic matter.
The AB horizon, where it occurs, has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4. It has textures in the fine-earth fraction similar to that of the A horizon.
The BA horizon, where it occurs, has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Mottles, if they occur, are in shades of brown. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Mottles, if they occur, are in shades of brown. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or sandy clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The BC horizon, where it occurs, has the same colors as the Bw horizon. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or coarse sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon is saprolite weathered from felsic to mafic igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It is variable in color. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, loamy fine sand, coarse sandy loam, or loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Breakneck,
Burton,
Cataloochee,
Guyot,
Oconaluftee, and
Tanasee series. Breakneck and Burton soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Cataloochee soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Guyot soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Oconaluftee soils have C horizons of saprolite weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks. Tanasee soils formed on colluvial benches, fans, and toeslopes, and do not have C horizons of saprolite.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wayah soils are on gently sloping to very steep ridges and side slopes in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. Elevation commonly ranges from about 4800 to 6600 feet. On north and east aspects this soil may occur at somewhat lower elevations. Slope ranges from 2 to 95 percent. Wayah 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 granite, mica gneiss, and hornblende gneiss. Mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is about 100 inches near the type location. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 60 to 110 inches, and mean annual air temperature ranges from 35 to 45 degrees F. Moist atmospheric conditions in the form of fog and cloud cover are prevalent throughout the year in these high mountain areas.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing
Burton and
Tanasee series, these are the
Balsam,
Clingman,
Craggey, and
Longhope series. Balsam soils formed in colluvium on benches, fans, and toeslopes, and are in a loamy-skeletal particle-size class. Clingman and Craggey soils have a lithic contact less than 20 inches deep. Longhope soils are very poorly drained and have organic horizons 16 to 30 inches thick overlying mineral soil material. They occur in broad drainageways or fens (locally referred to as "bogs").
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderate permeability in the subsoil and moderately rapid permeability in the underlying material. Runoff class is low on gentle slopes, medium on strongly sloping 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 acreage is in State or Federal ownership and is used for watershed protection, recreation, and wildlife habitat. In areas higher than about 5400 feet, red spruce and fraser fir are the dominant trees. At the lower elevations, northern red oak, chestnut oak, American beech, yellow birch, black cherry, sugar maple, eastern hemlock, and yellow buckeye are common trees. In many areas, the trees are stunted due to wind and ice damage and a "windswept" phase is recognized. Common understory plants are serviceberry, striped maple, American chestnut sprouts, silverbell, pin cherry, rhododendron, flame azalea, blueberry, hay-scented fern, woodfern, New York fern, blue grass, and sedges. A small acreage is covered by heath balds. These balds are vegetated with rhododendron, mountain laurel, blueberry, flame azalea, hawthorn, and mountain ash. A small acreage is used for native pasture and Christmas tree production.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. of North Carolina and Tennessee, and possibly Virginia. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Macon County, North Carolina; 1990. The name is from Wayah Bald.
REMARKS: The Wayah series was formerly included with the Burton and Porters series. However, Burton soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches below the surface, and Porters soils are mesic.
The 1/97 revision placed Wayah soils in a fine-loamy family. This series was previously placed in a coarse-loamy family. Laboratory PSA (pipette method) and corresponding field texture estimates (feel method) indicate control section clay contents of generally 12 to 24 percent, with most pedons marginally coarse-loamy. 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 Wayah 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.
The Wayah series has the following diagnostic horizons and features:
Umbric epipedon - The zone from the mineral soil surface to a depth of 18 inches having value of 3 or less, moist, and 5 or less, dry (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 18 to 44 inches below the surface (Bw 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.
Revised: 10/92-DJT,SAB,AG; 1/97-DHK, 12/97-DHK; 3/03-MKC
02/11-BPS: Taxonomic Classification -- 11th Keys, update competing and associated series, MLRA clarification
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE for the following pedons: S85NC-099-001, S88NC-121-009, S88NC-121-010, S88NC-199-009, S91NC-021-005, S91NC-121-005A and S91NC-021-006.
NASIS Data Map Unit ID: NASIS data for the typical pedon in Jackson County, NC are represented by DMU # 369469.
MLRA: 130B SIR(s): NC0188, NC0187 (STONY)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.