LOCATION CHEWACLA NC+AL GA SC VA
Established Series
RJL/Rev. JAK/DTA; Rev. DTA
12/2025
CHEWACLA SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (thermic part), 137, 133A, 153A
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Very deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible to low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately high
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
Landscape: Piedmont and Coastal Plain river valleys
Landform: Flood plains
Parent Material: Loamy alluvial sediments
Slope: 0 to 2 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 15 degrees C (59 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1118 millimeters (44 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Fluvaquentic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Chewacla loam--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 25 centimeters (1 to 10 inches) thick)
Bw1--10 to 36 centimeters (4 to 14 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; common fine flakes of mica; few medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--36 to 66 centimeters (14 to 26 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; many fine flakes of mica; common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw3--66 to 97 centimeters (26 to 38 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; many fine flakes of mica; common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw4--97 to 119 centimeters (38 to 47 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many fine flakes of mica; common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw5--119 to 152 centimeters (47 to 60 inches); gray (10YR 5/1), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), and red (2.5YR 5/8) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many fine flakes of mica; areas with gray color are iron depletions and areas with red color are masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 15 to 152 centimeters (6 to 60 inches)
C--152 to 203 centimeters (60 to 80 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) and gray (7.5YR 5/1) loam; massive; friable; many fine flakes of mica; areas with gray color are iron depletions very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Halifax County, North Carolina; 1.0 mile east southeast of Norfleet on Secondary Road 1800, 1.3 miles east southeast on a farm path, 1.0 mile south southwest on farm path, 0.5 mile southeast of the farm path, in a wooded area. USGS Palmyra, North Carolina topographic quadrangle.
Latitude--36.1156
Longitude-- -77.2639
Datum--WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: 38 to more than 152 centimeters (15 to more than 60 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 203 centimeters (80 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 15 to 61 centimeters (6 to 24 inches), November to April
Rock Fragment content: Less than 5 percent, by volume, in the A and upper B horizons. In some pedons, gravel content ranges to 15 percent by volume in the lower B horizons.
Mica Content: Few to many throughout
Soil Reaction: Very strongly acid to slightly acid to a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches), very strongly acid to mildly alkaline below 102 centimeters (40 inches), except where limed
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
Ap horizon or A horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 1 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam or clay loam
Ab horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 5, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand
AB or BA horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Bw horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 3 to 8 or variegated in shades of these colors
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features (were present)--masses of oxidized in shades of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray
Bg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)-masses of oxidized iron in shades of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray
BC horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)-- masses of oxidized iron in shades of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray
BCg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features (where present)--masses of oxidized iron in shade of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray
C horizon or 2C horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam. Below 40 inches, texture is commonly variable, ranging from extremely gravelly sand to clay.
Redoximorphic features (if they occur)--masses of oxidized iron in shade of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray
Cg horizon or 2Cg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silt loam or silty clay loam. Below 40 inches, texture is commonly variable, ranging from extremely gravelly sand to clay.
Redoximorphic features (where present)--masses of oxidized iron in shade of red, yellow, or brown and iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray
COMPETING SERIES:
Oakboro soils--have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches and occur in the Carolina Slate Belt
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont and Coastal Plain river valleys that drain out of the Piedmont
Landform: Flood plains
Elevation: 3 to 213 meters (10 to 700 feet)
Parent Material: Loamy alluvial sediments
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 14 to 20 degrees C (58 to 68 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 940 to 1753 millimeters (37 to 69 inches)
Frost Free Period: 185 to 250 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
On flood plains:
Bibb soils--are in a coarse-loamy family and are poorly drained
Buncombe soils--are sandy and excessively drained
Cartecay soils--are in a coarse-loamy family
Chastain soils--are in a clayey family and are poorly drained
Chenneby soils--are in a fine-silty family
Congaree soils--lack a cambic horizon
Enoree soils--are in a coarse-loamy family
Oakboro soils--have bedrock at 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches) and occur in the Carolina Slate Belt
Riverview soils--are well drained
Shellbluff soils--are well drained and in a fine-silty family
Tawcaw soils--are in a clayey family
Wehadkee soils--are poorly drained
On adjacent stream terraces (all of these soils have an argillic horizon):
Altavista soils--are moderately well drained
Augusta soils--are somewhat poorly drained
Dogue soils--are in a clayey family, are moderately well drained, and occur in the Coastal Plain region
Dorian soils--are in a clayey family, are moderately well drained, and occur in the
Piedmont region
Merry Oaks soils--are in a fine-silty family and occur in the
Piedmont region
Moncure soils--are in a fine-silty family, are poorly drained, and occur in the
Piedmont region
Roanoke soils--are in a clayey family and are poorly drained
State soils--are well drained
Wahee soils--are in a clayey family and occur in the Coastal Plain region
Warne soils--are in a clayey family and occur in the
Piedmont region
Wickham soils--are well drained
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible to very low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Pasture, cropland, some woodland
Dominant Vegetation: Where cultivated--corn, small grain. Where wooded--yellow poplar, sweetgum, water oak, eastern cottonwood, green ash, blackgum, red maple, willow oak, and American sycamore. Loblolly pines are in some areas that are not subject to frequent flooding. Common understory plants include river birch, winged elm, hackberry, greenbrier, American holly, black willow, sourwood, eastern and hophornbeam.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
Extent: Large
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hall County, Georgia; 1937.
REMARKS: 4/18/03, DTA. In 2003 version, moved the type location from Burke County, North Carolina to Halifax County, North Carolina. The former type location is located in the mesic part of MLRA 136. The 05/2006 revision removed MLRA 153B. RIC of Ap revised to allow silty clay loam texture. The 12/2025 revision changed the format. No data was changed.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches) (Ap horizon)
Cambic horizon--the zone from 10 to 152 centimeters (4 to 60 inches) (Bw horizons)
Aquic conditions--the soil has redox depletions and concentrations within the upper 61 centimeters (24 inches) of the soil, with periodic saturation and reduction at some time during the year
ADDITIONAL DATA: None
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0055 CHEWACLA 0-2 58-68 185-250 37-69 10-700
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0055 RARE FREQ 0.5-2.0 APPARENT NOV-APR >80
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0055 0-4 FSL SL 0-0 95-100 5-20 4-20
NC0055 0-4 SIL L CL 0-0 95-100 10-35 5-30
NC0055 4-26 SIL SICL CL 0-0 95-100 18-35 10-25
NC0055 26-38 SCL L SL 0-0 95-100 18-35 10-25
NC0055 38-60 SIL CL SICL 0-0 75-100 18-35 10-25
NC0055 60-72 VAR - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0055 0-4 4.5-6.5 1.0-4.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0055 0-4 4.5-6.5 1.0-4.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0055 4-26 4.5-6.5 0.5-2.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0055 26-38 4.5-6.5 0.5-2.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0055 38-60 4.5-7.8 0.5-2.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0055 60-72 - - - - -
________________________________________
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.