LOCATION GOLDSTON NC+GA SC VA
Established Series
Rev. DJT:HS:DTA
10/2021
GOLDSTON SERIES
The Goldston series consists of shallow, well drained to excessively drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in residuum weathered from fine-grained metasedimentary or metavolcanic rocks in the Carolina Slate Belt. This soil averages more than 35 percent coarse fragments by volume. Slope ranges from 2 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 47 inches and mean annual temperature is 60 degrees F. near the type location.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, semiactive, thermic, shallow Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Goldston very channery silt loam--forested.(Colors for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed organic matter.
A--1 to 2 inch; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very channery silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; slate fragments 1/4 inch to 3 inches in size comprise 40 percent by volume; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
E--2 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very channery silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; slate fragments 1/4 inch to 3 inches in size comprise 40 percent by volume; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--8 to 17 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very channery silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; slate fragments 1/2 inch to 6 inches in size comprise 58 percent by volume; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Cr--17 to 37 inches; multicolored, weathered, fractured argillite; few seams of yellowish brown silt loam in cracks.
R--37 inches; hard fractured argillite.
TYPE LOCATION: Stanly County, North Carolina; from intersection of U.S. Highway 52 and NC Highway 49 in Richfield, 2.8 miles southwest on NC Highway 49; 150 feet south of NC 49 and 600 feet east of Big Bear Creek.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum and depth to a paralithic contact is 10 to 20 inches. This soil has a weighted average of more than 35 percent coarse fragments by volume. Depth to a lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches or more. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in all horizons except where limed.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Rock fragments, from 1/4 inch to 6 inches or more in size, comprise 15 to 60 percent by volume.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Rock fragments, from 1/4 inch to 6 inches or more in size, comprise 15 to 60 percent by volume.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Mottles in shades of brown, yellow and red are in some pedons. Rock fragments ranging from 1/2 inch to 6 inches or more in size comprise 35 to 70 percent by volume.
The Cr horizon is weathered fractured fine-grained metasedimentary or metavolcanic rock.
The R horizon is unweathered fractured fine-grained metasedimentary or metavolcanic rock.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known competing series in the same family. Those in closely related families are the
Misenheimer,
Montevallo, and
Nashoba series. Misenheimer soils are moderately well drained. Montevallo soils are shaly, have mixed mineralogy, and lack R horizons. Nashoba soils lack bedrock at depths less than 20 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Goldston soils are on narrow gently rolling interstream ridges and sloping to steep sides of ridges between intermittent and perennial streams in the southern Piedmont. Slopes are dominantly from 4 to 25 percent but range from 2 to 60 percent. These soils formed in residuum weathered from felsic slates. Mean annual precipitation is about 47 inches and mean annual temperature about 60 degrees F., near the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Alamance,
Badin,
Georgeville,
Herndon,
Kirksey,
Lignum,
Misenheimer,
Nanford,
Tarrus, and
Orange series. Alamance and Kirksey have a fine-loamy or fine-silty particle size class and have a depth to bedrock of greater than 20 inches. Badin, Georgeville, Herndon, Lignum, Nanford, Orange, and Tarrus soils have a fine particle size class and have a depth to bedrock of greater than 20 inches. Kirksey, Lignum, Misenheimer, and Orange soils have iron depletions of chroma of 2 or less.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained to excessively drained; runoff is rapid and internal drainage is medium to rapid; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the areas are in forests of blackjack, white, post, and red oaks, hickory, dogwood, cedar, and shortleaf pine. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the areas have been cleared in the past but most have been allowed to revert to forest. Cleared areas are used mainly for growing grain sorghum, small grain, corn, pasture, and hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Piedmont of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chatham County, North Carolina; 1933.
REMARKS: The present concept excludes soils having hard bedrock at depths within 20 inches of the surface.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 8 inches.
Cambic horizon - the zone between depths of 8 and 17 inches.
Paralithic contact - the occurrence of weathered, fractured bedrock at a depth of 17 inches.
Lithic contact - the occurrence of hard fractured bedrock at a depth of 37 inches.
Description depths were modified on 10/2021 to begin description at soil surface (O horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA:
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0033 GOLDSTON 2-60 59-63 190-240 40-60 300-700
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0033 NONE >6.0 - 10-20 SOFT
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0033 0- 8 CN-SIL CN-VFSL 10-20 50-80 5-27 1-7
NC0033 0- 8 CNV-SIL CNV-VFSL 20-50 30-80 5-15 1-5
NC0033 8-17 CNV-SIL CNV-VFSL 20-50 30-80 5-27 1-6
NC0033 17-37 WB - - - -
NC0033 37-47 UWB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0033 0- 8 3.5- 5.5 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0033 0- 8 3.5- 5.5 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0033 8-17 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW
NC0033 17-37 - - - -
NC0033 37-47 - - - -
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.