LOCATION DURHAM NC+AL GA SC VA
Established Series
Rev. JWC:REH/DTA
11/2017
DURHAM SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (thermic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Raleigh, North Carolina
Depth Class: Very deep
Drainage Class (Agricultural): Well drained
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None
Permeability: Moderate in the upper subsoil and moderately slow in the lower subsoil
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interfluves
Parent Material: Saprolite residuum from granite and/or gneiss
Slope: 0 to 10 percent
Elevation (type location): 700 feet
Frost Free Period: 225 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 59 degrees F.
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 43 inches
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Durham loamy sand--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches (0 to 25 cm); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; common fine roots; 5 percent, by volume, quartz fragments; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
E--10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; few fine roots; 1 percent, by volume, quartz fragments; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--15 to 20 inches (38 to 51 cm); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--20 to 26 inches (51 to 66 cm); strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common faint clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--26 to 33 inches (66 to 84 cm); strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; common medium prominent red (2.5YR 5/8) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt4--33 to 49 inches (84 to 125 cm); yellowish red (5YR 5/8) sandy clay; common fine distinct red (2.5YR 5/8) mottles and few fine distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many distinct clay films on faces of pads; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 18 to 35 inches)
BC--49 to 56 inches (125 to `42 cm); yellowish red (5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; common medium prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) mottles and common medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
C--56 to 70 inches (172 to 178 cm); mottled yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), very pale brown (10YR 8/2), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), and reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) saprolite that crushes to sandy loam; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Lee County, North Carolina; 0.8 mile south of the intersection of Secondary Road 1146 and Secondary Road 1133; 0.1 mile west of the intersection of Secondary Road 1146 and a farm path; 200 feet west of farm path; in a cultivated field. Sanford, North Carolina USGS topographic quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 24 minutes 17 seconds N. and long. 79 degrees 8 minutes 50 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the loamy horizons over saprolite range from 40 to more than 60 inches below the surface. Depth to bedrock is more than 5 feet. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 5 percent throughout. The soil is strongly acid or very strongly acid except where the surface has been limed.
The A or Ap horizons have hues of 7.5YR, 10YR, and 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is sandy loam or loamy sand.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 4 to 8. It has few to common reddish, brownish, or yellowish mottles. Mottles in chroma of 2 or less are below the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon. It is sandy clay loam or clay loam. Some pedons have lower Bt horizon of sandy clay, but the textural control section averages less than 35 percent clay.
The BC horizon is similar in color to the Bt horizon except where the mottles are more contrasting. It is sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. The BC horizon contains weatherable minerals such as mica and feldspar.
The C horizon is mottled saprolite of acid crystalline rock. It is sandy loam or loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES:
Granville soils--lack the moderately slow permeability in the lower subsoil, have a higher exchangeable aluminum content, and form in residuum weathered from Triassic rocks
Pinoka soils--have a moderately rapid permeability and formed in residuum weathered from Triassic rocks
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Durham soils are on nearly level to sloping Piedmont uplands. Slopes are commonly 2 to 5 percent and range from 0 to 10 percent. Durham soils formed in residuum weathered from acid crystalline rocks, chiefly granite and gneiss. Mean annual precipitation is about 47 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F. near the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Appling soils--have more clay in the subsoil
Cecil soils--have more clay in the subsoil and have a red subsoil
Helena soils--are moderately well drained, have more clay in the subsoil, have a slow permeability, and have a high shrink-swell potential
Louisburg soils--have less clay in the subsoil and have a moderately rapid permeability
Pacolet soils--have more clay in the subsoil, have a red subsoil, and have Bt horizons less than 30 inches thick
Santuc soils--are moderately well drained and have a moderately slow permeability
Vance soils--have more clay in the subsoil and have a mixed mineralogy
Wedowee soils--have more clay in the subsoil and have Bt horizons less than 30 inches thick
Worsham soils--are poorly drained and have more clay in the subsoil
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability in upper subsoil and moderately slow permeability in lower subsoil.
USE AND VEGETATION: About two thirds of the total acreage is in cultivation or pasture. The remainder is in mixed hardwood and pine. Common crops grown are corn, soybeans, tobacco, cotton, small grain, and vegetables. Native tree species include loblolly pine, short leaf pine, Virginia pine, sweetgum, white oak, red oak, post oak, hickory, and yellow-poplar. Understory species include flowering dogwood, persimmon, sourwood, red maple, eastern redbud, eastern red cedar, and common sassafras.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Piedmont of North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Raleigh to New Bern Area, North Carolina,
1900.
REMARKS: Durham soils were formerly placed in the Red-Yellow Podzolic great soil group. They ranged in texture of the B horizon from moderately-fine to fine, and in drainage from well drained to moderately well drained. This revision restricts the texture of the argillic horizon to fine-loamy and the drainage class to well drained. The 2017 version moved the type location from Wake County, North Carolina to Lee County, North Carolina. With the update to the Wake County Soil Survey, Durham soils are no longer mapped in Wake County.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0070 DURHAM 0- 10 58- 65 185-240 40- 60 350- 600
NC0123 DURHAM 0- 10 58- 65 185-240 40- 60 350- 600
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0070 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 60-60
NC0123 NONE 4.0-6.0 PERCHED DEC-MAR 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0070 0-15 LCOS LS 0- 3 90-100 2-10 1- 3
NC0070 0-15 SL FSL 0- 3 90-100 5-20 1- 4
NC0070 15-33 SCL CL 0- 3 90-100 18-35 2- 4
NC0070 33-49 CL SC SCL 0- 3 90-100 25-45 3- 5
NC0070 49-56 SCL SL 0- 3 90-100 8-30 1- 4
NC0070 56-70 LS SL SCL 0- 3 85-100 5-20 1- 3
NC0123 0-15 LCOS LS 0- 3 90-100 2-10 1- 3
NC0123 0-15 SL FSL 0- 3 90-100 5-20 1- 4
NC0123 15-33 SCL CL 0- 3 90-100 18-35 2- 4
NC0123 33-49 CL SC 0- 3 90-100 25-45 3- 5
NC0123 49-56 SCL SL 0- 3 90-100 8-30 1- 4
NC0123 56-70 LS SL SCL 0- 3 85-100 5-20 1- 3
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0070 0-15 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0070 0-15 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0070 15-33 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0070 33-49 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW
NC0070 49-56 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0070 56-70 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0123 0-15 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0123 0-15 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0123 15-33 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0123 33-49 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW
NC0123 49-56 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0123 56-70 4.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.