LOCATION GRANTHAM           NC
Established Series
Rev. AG
12/2002

GRANTHAM SERIES


The Grantham series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils on uplands of the Middle and Lower Coastal Plain. Permeability is moderately slow. They formed in loamy and silty marine sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Near the type location, mean annual air temperature is 61 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 47 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleaquults

TYPICAL PEDON: Grantham very fine sandy loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Above the mineral soil surface there is a 3 inch temporal layer of organic material consisting of 2 inches of undecomposed leaves, pine needles, and twigs, and 1 inch of dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) partially decomposed organic matter.

A--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) very fine sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Eg--6 to 11 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

BEg--11 to 13 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

Btg1--13 to 36 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few thin silt coatings and patchy clay films on faces of peds; common medium faint gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), and common fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Btg2--36 to 58 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few thin silt coatings and patchy clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), and few fine prominent red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Btg3--58 to 77 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8), common fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 6/8), and few fine prominent red (10R 4/8) masses of iron accumulation, and common medium faint gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizon is 35 to 72 inches.)

Cg1--77 to 95 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay loam; massive; firm; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Cg2--95 to 110 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) loam; many coarse faint gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions, and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; massive; friable; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Edgecombe County, North Carolina; 1.5 miles west of Pinetops on SR 1124 and 800 feet north of road.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. The soil is strongly acid through extremely acid, except where the surface and upper subsoil have been limed.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is very fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.

The Eg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is very fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.

The BEg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Most pedons have masses of iron accumulation in shades of brown, yellow, or red. Texture is loam or silt loam.

The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. There are few to many masses of iron accumulation in shades of red, yellow, or brown. Texture is loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. The upper 20 inches of this horizon contains more than 30 percent silt, and the sand fraction is dominantly very fine.

The BCg or CBg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, red, or brown are few to many. Texture is loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.

The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of red, yellow, or brown are few to many. Texture is variable, consisting of stratified layers of sandy, loamy, or clayey material of varying thickness.

COMPETING SERIES: The Trebloc series is in the same family and the Bethera, Coxville, Leaf, Liddell, Myatt, Pasquotank, Rains, and Woodington series are in closely-related families. Trebloc soils are on terraces, and in depressions and drainageways on uplands, typically have higher silt content in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon, and have lower average yields. (See "Remarks"). Bethera, Coxville and Leaf soils have more than 35 percent clay in the control section. Liddell, Pasquotank, and Woodington soils have less than 18 percent clay in the control section. Myatt soils have more than 15 percent fine or coarser sand in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon and also have sandy 2C horizons at depths of less than 60 inches. Rains soils have less than 30 percent silt, and fine or coarser sand dominates the sand fraction of the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grantham soils are nearly level and are on uplands in the Middle and Lower Coastal Plain. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in loamy and silty Coastal Plain sediments. The climate is warm and humid. Mean annual air temperature near the type location is 61 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 47 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Liddell and Rains series, these include the Aycock, Exum, Foreston, Goldsboro, Nahunta, and Stallings series. Aycock soils are well drained and Exum, Foreston, and Goldsboro soils are moderately well drained. Stallings and Nahunta soils are somewhat poorly drained. In addition, Goldsboro, Foreston, and Stallings soils have less than 30 percent silt in the argillic horizon. All the associated soils except Rains are in higher positions or are nearer to drainageways.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow to very slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: About two-thirds of the acreage is forested. Common trees include loblolly pine, pond pine, sweetgum, water oak, red maple, yellow poplar, blackgum, and willow oak. Understory plants include greenbrier, giant cane, sweetbay, switchcane, blueberry, fetterbush lyonia, summersweet clethra, redbay, inkberry, southern bayberry, and American holly. About one-third of the acreage has been cleared, drained, and is used primarily for growing corn, soybeans, small grains, and pasture.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Carolina and possibly South Carolina and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Edgecombe County, North Carolina; 1976.

REMARKS: The soils now placed in the Grantham series were formerly included with the Myatt and Trebloc series. The differences between Grantham and Trebloc soils need further study. Trebloc soils are presumed to have mineralogical or chemical differences based on landform and higher silt content.

Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 11 inches (the A and Eg horizons)
Albic horizon - the zone from a depth of 6 to 11 inches (the Eg horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 13 to 77 inches (the Btg1, Btg2, and Btg3 horizons)
Aguic conditions - redoxymorphic features throughout the soil

MLRA(S): 133A, 153A SIR: NC0100
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0100 GRANTHAM 0- 2 58- 63 185-240 45- 55 40- 170

SOI-5  FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind   Months  Bedrock Hardness
NC0100 NONE            0-1.0  APPARENT DEC-MAY  60-60        

SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- NC0100 0-11 VFSL L SIL 0- 0 100-100 6-18 3- 8 NC0100 11-77 L CL SICL 0- 0 100-100 18-35 4- 8 NC0100 77-99 VAR - - - -

SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll NC0100 0-11 3.5- 5.5 2.-4. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW NC0100 11-77 3.5- 5.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW NC0100 77-99 - - - -


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.