LOCATION BANNERTOWN NC+VA
Established Series
RJL-DCC/Rev. JAK/DTA
06/2026
BANNERTOWN SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (mesic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Moderately deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat excessively drained
Index Surface Runoff: Low to medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: High
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from felsic metamorphic or igneous rock
Slope: 2 to 95 percent
Elevation (type location): 323 meters (1060 feet)
Frost Free Period (type location): 174 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 14 degrees C (57 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1168 millimeters (46 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Bannertown gravelly coarse sandy loam (in an area of Rhodhiss-Bannertown-Rock outcrop complex, 25 to 60 percent slopes), on a 35 percent slope, in an area of woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise indicated.)
A--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and common medium and coarse roots; few fine flakes of mica; 20 percent fine quartz gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 25 centimeters (2 to 10 inches) thick)
BA--10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and common medium and coarse roots; common fine pores; common fine flakes of mica; few fine grains of feldspar; 20 percent fine quartz gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches)
Bw1--20 to 36 centimeters (8 to 14 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine pores; common distinct brown (10YR 4/3) fillings of BA material between peds and in old root channels; common fine flakes of mica; common fine grains of feldspar; 15 percent fine quartz gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--36 to 48 centimeters (14 to 19 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine pores; common fine flakes of mica; common fine grains of feldspar; 15 percent fine quartz gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 25 to 76 centimeters (10 to 30 inches)
C--48 to 69 centimeters (19 to 27 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam saprolite of granite; massive; friable; common coarse and few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; common distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay fillings in old root channels and in relict rock fractures; common fine flakes of mica; common fine grains of feldspar; 15 percent fine gravel; very strongly acid. (0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) thick)
Cr--69 to 76 centimeters (27 to 30 inches); slightly weathered gray granite; weakly cemented; moderate excavation difficulty; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick)
R--76 centimeters (30 inches); gray granite; very strongly cemented; very high excavation difficulty.
TYPE LOCATION: Surry County, North Carolina; about 1.0 mile southwest of Mount Airy, 0.2 mile north of the intersection of Secondary Roads 1359 and 1363 on Secondary Road 1359, 0.6 mile southeast on farm road (in county industrial park), 800 feet northeast across pasture in woodland; USGS Dobson North Carolina topographic quadrangle.
Latitude--36.4761
Longitude-- -80.6464
Datum--WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of Cambic horizon: 10 to 38 centimeters (4 to 15 inches)
Depth to base of Cambic horizon: 38 to 89 centimeters (15 to 35 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Greater than 152 centimeters (60 inches)
Rock Fragment Content: 5 to 35 percent by volume throughout, mostly gravel, cobbles, or stones
Mica Content: 0 to 20 percent, by volume throughout
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to moderately acid, except where limed
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A horizon or Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
E horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
BA horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Bw horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam. Some pedons have thin layers or pockets of sandy clay loam.
C horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 8, chroma of 4 to 8, or is variegated in shades of these colors
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy coarse sand saprolite
Cr horizon:
Bedrock kind--felsic crystalline rock, mostly granite
Bedrock hardness--extremely weakly cemented to moderately cemented
Fracture interval--greater than 4 inches
Excavation difficulty--low to high
R horizon:
Bedrock kind--felsic crystalline rock, mostly granite
Bedrock hardness--strongly cemented to indurated
Fracture interval--greater than 4 inches
Excavation difficulty--very high or extremely high
COMPETING SERIES:
Devotion soils--are moderately deep (51 to 102 centimeters) (20 to 40 inches) to soft bedrock and deep (102 to 152 centimeters) (40 to 60 inches) to hard bedrock
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from felsic metamorphic or igneous rock; mostly granites
Slope: 2 to 95 percent
Elevation: 91 to 488 meters (300 to 1,600 feet)
Frost Free Period: 160 to 205 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C (52 to 57 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1016 to 1397 millimeters (40 to 55 inches)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Clifford soils--are very deep, clayey, and red in color; on similar landforms
Devotion soils--are moderately deep to soft rock; on similar landforms
Fairview soils--are very deep, clayey, and red in color; on similar landforms
Nathalie soils--are very deep and clayey; on similar landforms
Rhodhiss soils--are very deep and fine-loamy; on similar landforms
Stott Knob soils--are moderately deep to soft rock and are fine-loamy; on similar landforms
Toast soils--are very deep and clayey; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat excessively drained
Index Surface Runoff: Low to medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: High
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Urban development, woodland, and some pastureland
Dominant Vegetation: Where cultivated--corn, tobacco, small grain, hay, and apples. Where wooded--eastern white pine, Virginia pine, red oak, white oak, post oak, hickory, blackgum, red maple, and dogwood.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina and Virginia
Extent: Moderate
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surry County, North Carolina, 2003.
REMARKS: Bannertown soils were previously mapped as Ashlar soils. The 04/1997 relocation of the mesic/thermic line in MLRA 136 in North Carolina and Virginia necessitated the establishment of the Bannertown series as a mesic counterpart. The June 2026 revision changed the format. No data was changed.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) (A and BA horizons)
Cambic horizon--the zone from 20 to 48 centimeters (8 to 19 inches) (Bw horizon)
Paralithic contact--the contact of soft bedrock at a depth of 69 centimeters (27 inches) (top of Cr layer)
Lithic contact--the contact of hard bedrock at a depth of 76 centimeters (30 inches) (top of R layer)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory Data: No laboratory data available.
Database Information:
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID--411639
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
BANNERTOWN 2-95 52-57 160-205 40-55 300-1600
FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NONE >6.0 - 20-40 HARD
Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
0-8 SL FSL 0-2 75-100 5-18 -
0-8 ST-SL ST-FSL 0-5 65-95 5-18 -
0-8 GR-SL GR-FSL GR-CSL 0-2 50-75 5-18 -
0-8 GR-COS GR-LCOS 0-2 50-75 2-10 -
8-27 SL FSL GR-SL 0-8 50-100 5-18 -
27-30 WB - - - -
30 UWB - - - -
Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
0-8 3.5- 5.5 0.5-1. 0-0 2.0-6.0 LOW
8-27 3.5- 5.5 0.0-0.5 0-0 2.0-6.0 LOW
27-30 - - - - -
30 - - - - -
________________________________________
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.