LOCATION MEADOWFIELD NC+VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, subactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Meadowfield very gravelly loam (in an area of Meadowfield-Stott Knob complex, 8 to 15 percent slopes, very stony), on a 16 percent slope, in woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise indicated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine tubular pores; few fine flakes of mica; 35 percent, by volume gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 1 percent stones; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 8 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very gravelly loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) fillings in old root channels and between peds; few fine flakes of mica; 30 percent, by volume gravel, 15 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--8 to 22 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; few thin faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine flakes of mica; 35 percent, by volume gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent paragravel; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 10 to 30 inches.)
C/Bt--22 to 28 inches; 80 percent red, yellow, and brown extremely gravelly loam saprolite and 20 percent red (2.5YR 4/8) very gravelly clay loam; C material is massive and Bt material is weak medium subangular blocky; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few fine flakes of mica; 35 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent paragravel; very strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
R--28 inches; sillimanite schist; very strongly cemented; very high excavation difficulty
TYPE LOCATION: Surry County, North Carolina; about 6.9 mile northeast of Mount Airy, at the North Carolina-Virginia state line, 0.4 mile east of the intersection of Virginia Road 668 and Secondary Road 1742 on Virginia Road 668, 0.4 mile southeast of Virginia Road 668 on farm and access road along power line right of way (into Surry County) to top of ridge, 0.1 mile east north east on woods road, 55 feet south of road in woodland; USGS Mount Airy North, NC topographic quadrangle; lat. 36 degrees 33 minutes 01 seconds N. and long. 80 degrees 30 minutes 53 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of Argillic horizon: 1 to 10 inches
Depth to base of Argillic horizon: 15 to 35 inches
Depth to Bedrock: 20 to 40 inches to hard bedrock
Rock Fragments: 15 to 70 percent, by volume throughout, mostly; gravel, paragravel, cobbles, channers, and flagstones
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to moderately acid, throughout, except where surface layers have been limed
Mica Content: 0 to 20 percent, by volume, mica flakes in the A and upper B horizons and 0 to 20 percent in lower B and the C horizons
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A horizon or Ap horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam. Eroded phases included sandy clay loam or clay loam.
E horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam
BA or BE horizons (if they occur):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 6
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
BC or Bt/C horizons (if they occur):
Color--hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Non-redoximorphic mottles (if they occur)--in shades of red, brown, and yellow
C/Bt horizon:
Colors--hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons are variegated in shades of these colors.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam in the C part and loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam in the Bt part
C horizon (if it occurs):
Colors--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons are variegated in shades of these colors.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam
Ct horizon (if it occurs):
Colors--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons are variegated in shades of these colors.
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--hard bedrock with fractures less than 4 inches apart with clay flows in fractures
R horizon:
Bedrock kind--high-grade metamorphic rock, commonly sillimanite schist
Bedrock hardness--strongly cemented to indurated
Fracture interval--greater than 4 inches
Excavation difficulty--very high or extremely high
COMPETING SERIES:
Cliffield soils--occur in the Southern Appalachian Mountains above 1,400 feet elevation
Pilot Mountain soils--are very deep and formed in colluvium
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: Hill, ridge
Geomorphic Component: Crest, side slope, nose slope, head slope
Hillslope Profile Position: Summit, shoulder, backslope
Parent Material: Residuum from metamorphic rock, commonly sillimanite schist
Slope: 8 to 60 percent
Elevation: 900 to 1,900 feet
Frost Free Period: 160 to 190 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 52 to 57 degrees
Mean Annual Precipitation: 40 to 55 inches
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Buffstat soils--have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are deep (40 to 60 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Bugley soils--are shallow (10 to 20 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Fairview soils--have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are very deep (greater than 60 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Fairystone soils--have a fine particle-size control section; on similar landforms
Littlejoe soils--have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are very deep (greater than 60 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Stott Knob soils--have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Strawfield soils--have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Westfield soils--have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are deep (40 to 60 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
Woolwine soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to bedrock; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Depth Class: Moderately deep to bedrock
Drainage Class (Agricultural): Well drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very deep
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None
Index Surface Runoff: Medium to high
Permeability: Moderate
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland, some areas of pasture, lawns, and gardens
Dominant Vegetation: Where wooded--scarlet oak, chestnut oak, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, red maple. Understory--mountain laurel, flowering dogwood, sourwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina and Virginia
Extent: Moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surry County, North Carolina, 2003.
REMARKS: Meadowfield soils were previously mapped as Cliffield soils and as inclusions with Littlejoe, Buffstat, and Bugley soils.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 4 to 24 inches (Bt horizons)
Lithic contact--the contact at 28 inches (R horizon)
Other soil features identified with this pedon:
Skeletal feature--more than 35 percent rock fragments in particle-size control section
Series control section--the zone from 0 to 28 inches
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory Data: No laboratory data available. Classification based on data available for Cliffield series, the counterpart series mapped in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Database Information:
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID--411635
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation 8-60 52-57 160-205 40-55 900-1900FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness NONE NONE 20-40 HARD
Depth Texture 3-inches No-10 Clay% 0-4 GR-L GR-FSL CN-SL 0-10 50-75 10-27 0-4 GR-CL GR-SCL 0-10 50-75 20-40 0-4 CNV-FSL GRV-L 0-10 15-50 10-27 4-28 FSL L SCL CL 0-10 15-75 10-40 28 UWB
Depth -pH- O.M. Permeab Shnk-Swll 0-4 3.5-6.0 0.5-2.0 2.0-6.0 LOW 4-28 3.5-6.0 0.0-0.5 0.2-2.0 LOW 28