LOCATION LEATHERWOOD NC
Established Series
ARK-DJT-HCD
02/2011
LEATHERWOOD SERIES
The Leatherwood series consists of very deep, well drained, soils on ridges and side slopes in the Southern Blue Ridge (MLRA 130B). These soils formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part and weathered from intermediate to mafic igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. Slopes range from 8 to 95 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Humudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Leatherwood cobbly clay, on a 50 to 95 percent north-facing mountain side slope at an elevation of 3,760 feet--forested. (Colors are for moist colors unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed deciduous leaves, twigs and roots.
A1--1 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) cobbly clay; strong fine to very coarse granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse and common very coarse roots throughout; 2 percent by volume gneiss gravel, 12 percent by volume gneiss cobbles and 2 percent by volume gneiss stones; common very fine to fine flakes of mica; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
A2--7 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay; medium fine to very coarse granular structure; very friable; common medium to very coarse roots throughout; 12 percent by volume gneiss cobbles and 2 percent by volume gneiss stones; common very fine to fine flakes of mica; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw1--15 to 39 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; medium fine to coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium to very coarse roots throughout; 10 percent by volume gneiss cobbles and 2 percent by volume gneiss stones; common very fine to fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--39 to 55 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) clay loam; medium fine to coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium to coarse roots throughout; less than 10 percent by volume gneiss cobbles and 2 percent by volume gneiss stones; common very fine to fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
BC--55 to 79 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) stony sandy clay loam; weak fine to coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; 25 percent by volume gneiss stones and 5 percent by volume gneiss gravel; common very fine to fine flakes of mica; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Swain County, North Carolina; Connelly Creek Watershed, USFS Road 7062; USGS Greens Creek topographic quadrangle; latitude 35 degrees 20 minutes 54 seconds N. and longitude 83 degrees 20 minutes 38 seconds W; NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 40 inches to more than 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. These soils formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part. The part of the profile affected by soil creep is 40 inches or less. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid. Content of mica flakes is few or common. Content of rock fragments ranges up to 35 percent in the A, Bw, and BC horizons. Fragments are of gravel, cobble, and stone size.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is clay or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Thin AB or BA horizons, where present, have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. Textures are the same as for the A horizon.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 5 and chroma of 6 to 8. Mottles, if they occur, are in shades of red, yellow, or brown. It is clay, clay loam or sandy clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The BC or CB horizons, where present, have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 6 to 8. It is loam clay loam or sandy clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon, where present, is variable in color, and is saprolite that has textures of sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or loam, in the fine-earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cheoah,
Colepoint,
Crutchfield,
Meda,
Molalla,
Santeetlah,
Threeforks, and
Tuckasegee series. Cheoah and Santeetlah soils formed in materials weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rocks such as phyllite and slate, and contain fragments of those rocks. Colepoint soils have lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Crutchfield soils have lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Meda soils formed in loamy alluvium and colluvium and contain a lithologic discontinuity. Molalla soils have paralithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Threeforks soils have mollic colors which may extend to depths of 60 inches. Tuckasegee soils formed in colluvium and have C horizons of colluvial material rather than saprolite.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leatherwood soils are, generally, on steep to very steep side slopes of the Blue Ridge (MLRA 130B). However, these soils also occur on strongly sloping to moderately steep shaded ridges. Leatherwood soils are more common in head slopes with slopes greater than 500 feet in length. Elevation ranges from about 2,500 to 4,800 feet. These soils are more common at upper end of the elevation range (above 3,700 feet). These soils are on cool, shaded slopes. In the hottest part of the day (from 2 to 5 P.M.) these soils are in passive sunlight. Slope is commonly between 30 to 80 percent but ranges from 8 to 95 percent. Leatherwood soils formed in residuum, affected by soil creep in the upper part, weathered from intermediate or mafic, igneous or high-grade metamorphic rocks such as hornblende gneiss, mica gneiss, and amphibolite. Mean annual temperature ranges from 46 to 57 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 45 to 80 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing
Tuckasegee series, these include the
Burton,
Cowee,
Craggey,
Cullasaja,
Evard,
Clifton,
Haywood,
Porters,
Tusquitee, and
Wayah series. Burton, Craggey, and Wayah soils are in a frigid soil temperature class, and are at higher elevations. Additionally, Burton soils have lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches, and Craggey soils have lithic contact at depths less than 20 inches.
Chestnut and
Edneyville soils have ochric epipedons and are on warmer and drier parts of the landscapes, typically on south to west aspects. Cullasaja, Haywood, and Tusquitee soils formed in colluvium, have C horizons of colluvial material, and are in coves and on toe slopes at locally lower elevations. Porters soils have lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches and have a thinner A horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the subsoil is moderately high, permeability is moderate; in the underlying material, saturated hydraulic conductivity is high, permeability is moderately rapid. Index surface runoff is medium or high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is in forest. The dominant forest type consists of northern red oak associated with black cherry, sugar maple, American beech, black oak, black birch, yellow birch, sweet birch, yellow-poplar, eastern hemlock, and black locust. The dominant forest type is yellow poplar below 3,000 feet. In the drier, warmer part of the range, upland oaks, hickory, black gum, red maple, and eastern white pine are associated. At elevations greater than 4000 feet, yellow-poplar is replaced with other hardwoods in the cover type. Flowering dogwood, mountain-laurel, silverbell, striped maple, serviceberry, rhododendron, red maple, blueberry, trillium, Solomons seal, and woodfern are common understory species. Approximately 5 percent of this soil is cleared and used for pasture, ornamentals, and Christmas trees. These areas are largely on slopes less than 35 percent.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern The Blue Ridge (MLRA 130B) of North Carolina. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Great Smoky Mountain National Park, 2007
REMARKS: The Leatherwood series was formerly included with the Porters series. However, the Porters series has hard bedrock at depths of 40 to 60 inches below the surface, an A horizon that is 6 to 10 inches thick, and is in the fine-loamy particle size class.
These soils formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part. The upper part of the profile has sub-rounded fragments indicating a down slope movement of this material. The thickness of the transported material is dependent on the length, steepness and shape of the sideslope. In general, soil creep is transport material less than 40 inches thick.
Revisions made 9/07(HCD) adjusted OSD to reflect Lab Data.
Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon the mineral soil surface to 15 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - 15 to 79 inches (Bw1, Bw2 and BC horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE for the following pedons: S99NC-173-006, S01NC-173-002, and S01NC-173-003.
MLRA: 130B SIR(s): NC0219, NC0220 (STONY)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.