LOCATION EASTHAMLET VA
Established Series
DHE-HLG-MHC/Rev. JAK/Rev. DTA
04/2026
EASTHAMLET SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (mesic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Moderately deep to bedrock
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Very high
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Low
Shrink-Swell Potential: Very high
Landscape: Piedmont
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from Triassic sandstone, mudstone, siltstone, or shale
Slope: 2 to 25 percent
Elevation (type location): 128 meters (420 feet)
Frost Free Period (type location): 190 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 14 degrees C (57 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1067 millimeters (42 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Aquertic Chromic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Easthamlet sandy loam (in an area of Wolftrap-Easthamlet complex, 2 to 8 percent slopes), in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil, unless otherwise indicated.)
Ap--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, moderate medium granular structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 centimeters (2 to 10 inches) thick.)
Btss1--13 to 41 centimeters (5 to 16 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; common nonintersecting slickensides; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common fine prominent pale brown(10YR 6/3) iron depletions and many fine prominent red (10R 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btss2--41 to 61 centimeters (16 to 24 inches); yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; common nonintersecting slickensides; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common fine prominent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions and few fine prominent red (10R 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btss horizon is 38 to 76 centimeters (15 to 30 inches.)
Bt--61 to 76 centimeters (24 to 30 inches); reddish brown (2.5YR 5/3) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm, sticky, plastic; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) thick.)
Cr--76 to 104 centimeters (30 to 41 inches); sandstone bedrock; moderately cemented; high excavation difficulty; abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 51 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) or more thick)
R--104 centimeters (41 inches); sandstone bedrock; strongly cemented; very high excavation difficulty.
TYPE LOCATION: Halifax County, Virginia; 4,500 feet northeast of intersection of State Route 724 and 344, 250 feet south of State Route 724, about 1.0 mile north of Scottsburg, in a field; USGS Scottsburg, Virginia topographic quadrangle.
Latitude--36.7683
Longitude-- -78.7856
Datum--WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of Argillic horizon: 13 to 38 centimeters (5 to 15 inches)
Depth to base of Argillic horizon: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) to soft bedrock (paralithic contact) and 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches) or more to hard bedrock
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 15 to 46 centimeters (6 to 18 inches), December to March
Rock Fragment Content: 0 to 10 percent, by volume, throughout
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid throughout, unless limed
Other Soil Features: Nonintersecting slickensides range from 5 to 50 percent in the Btss horizon
Exchangeable Aluminum Content: 10 to 25 milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil in the Btss horizon
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
Ap horizon or A horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam. Eroded phases include sandy clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
E horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 3 to 6
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam
Btss horizon:
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture--clay, silty clay, or sandy clay
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray and masses of oxidized iron, in shades of red, yellow, or brown
Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture--clay, silty clay, or sandy clay
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray and masses of oxidized iron, in shades of red, yellow, or brown
BC horizon (if it occurs)
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture--silty clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Redoximorphic features (if they occur)--iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray and masses of oxidized iron, in shades of red, yellow, or brown
C horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 7, chroma of 2 to 8
Texture--variable, ranging from sandy loam to clay
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray and masses of oxidized iron, in shades of red, yellow, or brown
Cr horizon:
Bedrock kind--Triassic siltstone, mudstone, shale, or sandstone
Bedrock hardness--extremely weakly cemented to moderately cemented
Fracture interval--greater than 10 centimeters (4 inches)
Excavation difficulty--low to high
R horizon:
Bedrock kind--Triassic siltstone, mudstone, shale, or sandstone
Bedrock hardness--strongly cemented to indurated
Fracture interval--greater than 10 centimeters (4 inches)
Excavation difficulty--very high or extremely high
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from Triassic sandstone, mudstone, siltstone, or shale
Elevation: 91 to 259 meters (300 to 850 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:
Ayersville soils--are fine-loamy and moderately deep, 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) to soft and hard bedrock; on higher landforms
Clover soils--are very deep to bedrock, have moderate shrink-swell potential, and are well drained; on higher landforms
Lackstown soils--are moderately well to somewhat poorly drained; on similar landforms
Pinkston soils--are coarse-loamy and are moderately deep to bedrock; on higher landforms
Rockbarn soils--are moderately deep (51 to 102 centimeters) (20 to 40 inches) to soft bedrock and deep or very deep (102 centimeters) (40 inches or more) to hard bedrock; on higher landforms
Stoneville soils--are deep (102 to 152 centimeters) (40 to 60 inches) to soft bedrock; on higher landforms
Straightstone soils--are very deep to bedrock and are well drained; on higher landforms
Wolftrap soils--have very high shrink-swell potential and are moderately well drained; on lower-lying landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Very high
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland or cropland and pasture
Dominant Vegetation: Where cultivated--corn, small grain, and hay. Where wooded--shortleaf pine, sweetgum, red oak, willow oak, and white oak. Understory plants include eastern red cedar, flowering dogwood, winged elm, eastern hophornbeam, eastern redbud, greenbrier, sassafras, honeysuckle, and poison ivy.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Virginia and possibly North Carolina
Extent: Small
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Halifax County, Virginia, 2003.
REMARKS: The Easthamlet soils were previously mapped with the Polkton series. The April 1997 relocation of the mesic/thermic soil temperature regime boundary necessitated the establishment of the Easthamlet series. The April 2026 revision reformatted the description to semi-tabular. No data was changed.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 13 to 76 centimeters (5 to 30 inches) (Btss1, Btss2 and Bt horizons)
Slickensides--presence of slickensides in the zone from 13 to 61 centimeters (5 to 24 inches) (Btss1 and Btss2 horizons)
Paralithic contact--bedrock contact at a depth of 76 centimeters (30 inches) (upper boundary of the Cr horizon)
Other soil features identified with this pedon:
Linear extensibility--total of 6.0 centimeters or more between the mineral soil surface and paralithic contact
Base saturation by sum of cations--increases with depth and ranges from 35 to 60 percent immediately above the paralithic contact
Presence of hard bedrock at 104 centimeters (41 inches) (R horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory Data: No laboratory data available.
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID--103385
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0285 EASTHAMLET 2-25 52-57 160-205 40-55 300-850
NC0287 EASTHAMLET 2-25 52-57 160-205 40-55 300-850
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0285 NONE 1.0-1.5 PERCHED DEC-MAR 20-40 SOFT
NC0287 NONE 1.0-1.5 PERCHED DEC-MAR 20-40 SOFT
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0285 0-5 FSL SL 0-3 95-100 10-20 5-15
NC0285 0-5 L SIL 0-3 95-100 7-27 5-15
NC0285 5-24 C SC SIC 0-3 90-100 35-70 20-40
NC0285 24-30 CL SCL SICL C 0-3 95-100 20-40 10-25
NC0285 30-41 WB - - - -
NC0285 41 UWB - - - -
NC0287 0-5 C 0-3 95-100 40-45 10-25
NC0287 0-5 SCL CL SICL 0-3 95-100 27-40 5-15
NC0287 5-24 C SC SIC 0-3 90-100 35-70 20-40
NC0287 24-30 CL SCL SICL 0-3 95-100 20-40 10-25
NC0287 30-41 WB - - - -
NC0287 41 UWB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0285 0-5 3.5-5.5 .5-2. 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0285 0-5 3.5-5.5 .5-2. 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0285 5-24 3.5-5.5 0.-.5 0-0 0.0-0.06 VERY HIGH
NC0285 24-30 3.5-5.5 0.-.5 0-0 0.06-0.6 HIGH
NC0285 30-41 - - - 0.00-0.06
NC0285 41 - - - 0.00-0.01
NC0287 0-5 4.5-6.5 .1-.5 0-0 0.06-0.2 HIGH
NC0287 0-5 4.5-6.5 .2-1. 0-0 0.2-0.6 MODERATE
NC0287 5-24 4.5-5.5 0.-.5 0-0 0.0-0.06 VERY HIGH
NC0287 24-30 4.5-5.5 0.-.5 0-0 0.06-0.6 HIGH
NC0287 30-41 - - - 0.00-0.06
NC0287 41 - - - 0.00-0.01
________________________________________
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.