LOCATION LOUISBURG GA+AL NC SC VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Louisburg gravelly sandy loam in an area of Rawlings-Louisburg-Buckhead complex, 15 to 45 percent slopes, very stony--forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly sandy loam; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine, fine, and medium and common coarse roots; few fine flakes of mica; 12 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 3 percent stones; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
E--4 to 7 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; few fine flakes of mica; 12 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, common very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; few faint brown (7.5YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; few fine flakes of mica; 10 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--14 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine, fine, and medium, and few coarse roots; few distinct brown (7.5YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; few fine flakes of mica; 8 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 15 to 30 inches)
BC--26 to 36 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine flakes of mica; 10 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear irregular boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C--36 to 60 inches; 50 percent light brown (7.5YR 6/4), 40 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), and 10 percent very pale brown (10YR 8/3) saprolite that crushes to gravelly sandy loam; massive; friable; few very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots in fractures; common fine flakes of mica; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 2 percent highly weathered stones; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Morgan County, Georgia; 800 feet east of Rutledge Road and 4,600 feet north of the Fambaugh Bridge Road bridge over Hard Labor Creek; (USGS Quadrangle, Rutledge North, GA (1971), lat. 33 degrees 38 minutes 59 seconds N., long. 83 degrees 34 minutes 37 seconds W.):
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The solum is underlain by saprolite. Depth to bedrock, both hard and weathered, is more than 5 feet. Content of rock fragments ranges from 0 to 35 percent throughout, but individual subhorizons range up to 60 percent. Rock fragments consist of gravel, cobbles, stones and boulders. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid. Flakes of mica range from none to common in all horizons.
The A horizon is has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand in the fine-earth fraction.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 4 to 8. Mottles range from none to common and are in shades of red, brown, and yellow. Texture is dominantly sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or loam in the fine-earth fraction. Some pedons may have thin subhorizons of sandy clay loam.
The BC, where present, has colors and textures similar to the Bt, but may include loamy sand.
The C horizon is highly weathered saprolite from felsic igneous and metamorphic rock, primarily granite and granite gneiss.
The Cr horizon, where present, is weathered felsic igneous and metamorphic rock, primarily granite and granite gneiss.
The R horizon, where present, is hard felsic igneous and metamorphic rock, primarily granite and granite gneiss.
COMPETING SERIES: The Bojac series is the only competitor. Bojac soils formed in loamy and sandy stratified fluvial sediments and are flood plains and stream terraces.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Louisburg soils are on sloping ridgetops and sideslopes of the Piedmont uplands. Slopes range from 6 to about 45 percent. The soil formed in material weathered from felsic igneous and metamorphic rock, primarily granite and granite gneiss. The mean annual temperature ranges from 59 to 65 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 45 to 52 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Appling, Ashlar, Buckhead, Cecil, Hard Labor, Madison, Pacolet, Rawlings, Rion, Saw, Wateree, Wedowee, and Wilkes series. Appling, Cecil, Hard Labor, Madison, Pacolet, Saw and Wedowee soils are in a fine family. In addition, Saw soils have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Buckhead, Rawlings and Rion soils are in a fine-loamy family. In addition, Rawlings soils have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Ashlar and Wateree soils have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Wilkes soils are in a shallow family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained to excessively drained; runoff is medium to rapid; permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly forested with post oak, white oak, and red oaks but there are some hickories, dogwoods, and shortleaf and loblolly pines. Cultivated areas are used for corn, oats, vegetables, and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Piedmont MLRA 136 of Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: DeKalb County, Georgia; 1938.
REMARKS: Louisburg soils were formerly classified in the Lithosol great soil group. The July 1975 revision changed the series from a moderately deep Typic Dystrochrept to a very deep Ruptic Ultic Dystrochrept with variable depth to lithic or paralithic contact. The purpose was to describe a complex of Dytrochrepts and Hapludults. The series was little used after the 1975 revision as the Ashlar, Wateree and Rion soils were used for these complexes. This revision restores part of the concept of the Louisburg series for the very deep component that occurs in many or most of these map units. 05/07 BC added to RIC. RHB
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 4 inches (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 7 to 26 inches below the surface (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
MLRA=136
ADDITIONAL DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
GA0038 LOUISBURG 2- 50 60- 65 210-240 45- 52 500- 800
GA0059 LOUISBURG 6- 50 60- 65 210-240 45- 52 500- 800
GA0086 LOUISBURG 2- 50 60- 65 210-240 45- 52 500- 800
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
GA0038 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 40-40 HARD
GA0059 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 40-40 HARD
GA0086 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 40-40 HARD
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
GA0038 0- 7 LS LCOS 0- 15 70- 98 2-12 -
GA0038 0- 7 SL FSL 0- 15 75- 95 5-15 -
GA0038 7-24 SL 0- 15 75- 98 7-18 -
GA0038 24-60 WB - - - -
GA0059 0- 7 ST-SL ST-LS ST-LCOS 25- 38 70- 83 2-15 -
GA0059 0- 7 STV-SL 35- 50 70- 83 2-15 -
GA0059 7-24 ST-SL 25- 38 75- 83 7-18 -
GA0059 24-60 WB - - - -
GA0086 0- 7 GR-LS GR-LCOS 0- 15 50- 75 2-12 -
GA0086 0- 7 GR-SL GR-FSL GR-COSL 0- 15 50- 75 5-15 -
GA0086 7-24 SL GR-SL GR-COSL 0- 15 60- 90 7-18 -
GA0086 24-60 WB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
GA0038 0- 7 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0038 0- 7 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0038 7-24 4.5- 6.0 - 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0038 24-60 - - - -
GA0059 0- 7 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0059 0- 7 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0059 7-24 4.5- 6.0 - 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0059 24-60 - - - -
GA0086 0- 7 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0086 0- 7 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0086 7-24 4.5- 6.0 - 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW
GA0086 24-60 - - - -