LOCATION MANDALE NC
Established Series
JWL-STE-RJL/Rev. DTA
03/2026
MANDALE SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (thermic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Very deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately high or moderately low
Shrink-swell Potential: Low
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Flats, depressions, sloughs, drainageways
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from Carolina slate, dominantly argillite formed in sediments derived from fine-grained volcanic and metavolcanic rocks
Slope: 0 to 15 percent
Elevation (type location): 171 meters (560 feet)
Frost Free Period (type location): 210 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 15 degrees C (59 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1168 millimeters (46 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, siliceous, subactive, thermic Aeric Epiaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Mandale silt loam (in an area of Mandale-Secrest complex, 2 to 6 percent slopes), on a concave 2 percent slope in mixed hardwoods. (Colors are for moist soil, unless otherwise indicated)
A--0 to 2 centimeters (0 to 1 inch); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) silt loam; weak fine angular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots and common very coarse roots throughout; few fine and medium tubular pores; 2 percent fine subrounded 2- to 75-millimeter quartz fragments; 15 percent medium faint light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) BE material; very strongly acid, pH 4.5, Hellige-Truog; abrupt smooth boundary. 2 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches) thick
BE--2 to 18 centimeters (1 to 7 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam; weak medium angular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium and common coarse and few very coarse roots throughout; few fine and common medium tubular pores; 10 percent medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of oxidized iron; 2 percent fine subrounded 2- to 75-millimeter quartz fragments; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, Hellige-Truog; clear wavy boundary. 0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches) thick
Bt1--18 to 41 centimeters (7 to 16 inches); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine, medium, and coarse and few very coarse roots throughout; few fine and common medium tubular pores; 15 percent medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of oxidized iron; 5 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent fine subrounded quartz gravel; positive reaction with alpha,alpha-dipyridyl; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, Hellige-Truog; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--41 to 63 centimeters (16 to 25 inches); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium and few coarse and very coarse roots throughout; few medium tubular pores; 10 percent medium distinct light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions; 20 percent medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; 5 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent fine subrounded quartz gravel; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, Hellige-Truog; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt3--63 to 81 centimeters (25 to 32 inches); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine, medium, coarse, and very coarse roots throughout; few medium tubular pores; 20 percent medium and coarse distinct light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions; 30 percent medium and coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; 20 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; 12 percent fine subrounded 2- to 75-millimeter quartz fragments; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, Hellige-Truog; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt4--81 to 122 centimeters (32 to 48 inches); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silty clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; 20 percent medium and coarse distinct light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions; 30 percent medium and coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; 20 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent fine subrounded quartz gravel; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, Hellige-Truog; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizon, 76 to 124 centimeters (30 to 49 inches)
BCtg--122 to 140 centimeters (48 to 55 inches); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots between peds; and 30 percent coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; 30 percent coarse distinct pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) masses of oxidized iron; 10 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, Hellige-Truog; abrupt wavy boundary. 0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) thick
C--140 to 163 centimeters (55 to 64 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy loam; massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots in old rock fractures; 15 percent medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/1) iron depletions; 30 percent coarse yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; 30 percent coarse distinct pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) masses of oxidized iron; strongly acid, pH 5.5, Hellige-Truog; abrupt irregular boundary. 0 to 36 centimeters (0 to 14 inches) thick
Cr--163 to 198 centimeters (64 to 78 inches); soft argillite bedrock; fractured at intervals of 10 to less than 46 centimeters (4 to less than 18 inches; weakly cemented; high excavation difficulty; abrupt smooth boundary. (Greater than 25 centimeters (10 inches) thick.)
R--198 to 203 centimeters (78 to 80 inches); hard argillite bedrock; fractured at intervals of 10 to less than 46 centimeters (4 to less than 18 inches); very strongly cemented; very high excavation difficulty.
TYPE LOCATION: Alamance County, North Carolina; about 13 miles southeast of Burlington, 1.1 miles southwest of the junction of Greenhill Road (SR-2345) and Russel Road (SR-2343) on Greenhill Road, 230 feet north of road in mixed hardwoods. USGS Silk Hope, North Carolina topographic quadrangle.
Latitude--35.8510
Longitude-- -79.3208
Datum--WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of argillic horizon: 13 to 36 centimeters (5 to 14 inches)
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 76 to 152 centimeters (30 to 60 inches)
Depth to bedrock: Greater than 152 centimeters (60 inches)
Depth to seasonal high water table: less than 51 centimeters (20 inches) (perched); November to March
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid (4.0) to moderately acid (6.0) throughout, unless limed
Rock fragment content: 0 to 35 percent, by volume throughout; mostly quartz gravel and argillite channers or parachanners
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y value of 2 to 6, chroma of 1 to 5
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt, silt loam, or loam
E horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y value of 5 to 7, chroma of 3 or 4 (value of 8 and chroma of 1 or 2 if non-redoximorphic)
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt, silt loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
Eg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y value of 5 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt, silt loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
BE horizon, EB horizon, AB horizon, or BA horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 3 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
BEg horizon, EBg horizon, ABg horizon, or BAg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
Bt horizon (upper part):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
Bt horizon (lower part):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay, clay loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
Btg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay, clay loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
BCtg horizon, BCg horizon, or Btg/C horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 6 or 7, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
BC horizon, BCt horizon, Bt/C horizon, or B/C horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 8, chroma of 3 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
C horizon, CB horizon, C/B horizon, or C/Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 8 chroma of 3 or 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
Cg horizon or CBg horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 6 or 7, chroma of 1 or 2, or is neutral with value of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam
Redoximorphic features--iron depletions in shades of yellow, brown, or gray and masses of oxidized iron in shades of red or brown
COMPETING SERIES:
Biscoe soils--are moderately deep to soft bedrock and deep to hard bedrock
Secrest soils--are deep to soft bedrock
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Flats, depressions, sloughs, drainageways
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from Carolina slate, dominantly argillite formed in sediments derived from fine-grained volcanic and metavolcanic rocks
Slope: 0 to 15 percent
Elevation: 90 to 245 meters (295 to 804 feet)
Frost Free Period: 210 to 225 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 14 to 17 degrees C (57 to 63 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1092 to 1295 millimeters (43 to 51 inches)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Alamance soils--are well drained
Badin soils--are well drained, clayey, and have a depth to soft bedrock of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Callison soils--are moderately well drained and have a depth to soft bedrock of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Cid soils--are moderately well drained and have a depth to hard bedrock of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Georgeville soils--are well drained and clayey
Goldston soils--are well drained, loamy-skeletal, and have a depth to soft bedrock of less than 51 centimeters (20 inches)
Gundy soils--are well drained, clayey, and have a depth to soft bedrock of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches), and have higher base saturation
Herndon soils-- are well drained and clayey
Kirksey soils--are moderately well drained and have a depth to hard bedrock of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches)
Lignum soils--are clayey and have a depth to soft bedrock of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches)
Misenheimer soils--are moderately well drained, loamy, and have a depth to soft bedrock of less than 51 centimeters (20 inches)
Montonia soils--are well drained, fine-loamy, and have a depth to soft bedrock of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Nanford soils--are well drained, clayey, and have a depth to soft bedrock of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches)
Pageland soils--are moderately well drained, have a depth to soft bedrock of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches), and have higher base saturation
Secrest soils--are moderately well drained and have a depth to soft bedrock of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches)
Tarrus soils--are well drained, clayey, and have a depth to soft bedrock of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches)
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Somewhat poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to moderately low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland, pasture and cropland
Dominant Vegetation: Where wooded--mixed hardwoods and pine
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina and possibly South Carolina
Extent: Small
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alamance County, North Carolina; 2009.
REMARKS:
Mandale soils were previously mapped as Orange soils in the 1960 Alamance County Soil Survey Report and were formerly included with the Secrest and Lignum soils in more recent soil mapping of nearby counties. Mandale soils with hue of 10YR in the upper Bt horizon have a positive reaction with alpha, alpha-dipyridyl when saturated. The March 2026 revision updated the format. No data was changed.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 18 centimeters (7 inches) (A and BE horizons)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 18 to 140 centimeters (7 to 55 inches) (Bt and BCtg horizons)
Aquic conditions--periodic saturation and reduction within 18 to 140 centimeters (7 to 55 inches) and one or more unsaturated layers within 203 centimeters (80 inches) of the surface, occurring below the periodically saturated zone (episaturation)
Redox concentrations--the zone from 5 to 163 centimeters (2 to 64 inches) (BE, Bt, BCtg, and C horizons)
Redox depletions with chroma of 2 or less--the zone from 41 to 137 centimeters (16 to 64 inches) (41 to 163 centimeters) (Bt, BCtg, and C horizons)
Paralithic contact--soft bedrock contact at a depth of 163 centimeters (64 inches) (upper boundary of the Cr layer)
Paralithic materials--the zone from 163 to 196 centimeters (64 to 77 inches) (Cr horizon)
Presence of hard bedrock--bedrock contact at 196 centimeters (77 inches) (R horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data are not available at this time.
Database Information:
Data Mapunit ID--To be completed
User Pedon ID--To be completed
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.