LOCATION MONTONIA NC
Established Series
Rev. MKC:AG
10/2021
MONTONIA SERIES
The Montonia series consists of moderately deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils on ridges and side slopes in uplands of the Southern Piedmont. These soils formed in residuum weathered from fine-grained, high-grade metamorphic rock such as sericite schist and phyllite. Slopes range from 2 to 60 percent. Near the type location, mean annual precipitation is 49 inches and mean annual air temperature is 59 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Montonia very channery silt loam, on a convex 35 percent side slope -- forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; loose deciduous leaves and twigs and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) partially decomposed organic matter.
A--2 to 5 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium, and few coarse roots; 45 percent channers and 5 percent flagstones by volume; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
AB--5 to 10 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) channery silt loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; 25 percent channers by volume; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt--10 to 21 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) channery clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent channers by volume; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
BCt--21 to 31 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) channery loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent channers by volume; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Cr--31 to 44 inches; multicolored weathered sericite schist bedrock.
R--44 inches; hard unweathered sericite schist bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Cleveland County, North Carolina; 1.9 miles south of Kings Mountain on N.C. 161; 1.3 miles on Secondary Road 2289; 100 feet southeast in woods; USGS Kings Mountain topographic quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 12 minutes 4 seconds N. and long. 81 degrees 21 minutes 13 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to a paralithic contact with weathered bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to lithic contact with hard bedrock is 40 to 60 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in all horizons except where the surface has been limed. Rock fragment content is 15 to 60 percent by volume in the A, AB, BA, and E horizons, 5 to 35 percent in the Bt horizon, and 15 to 60 percent in the BC and C horizons. Fragments are dominantly channers, with a few flagstones in the A horizon of some pedons. Some areas have stones or boulders scattered about on the surface and are mapped as stony or bouldery phases.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 8. In uneroded or slightly eroded pedons, it is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction. In eroded pedons, the Ap horizon may be silty clay loam or clay loam in the fine earth fraction.
The AB or BA horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. The AB or BA horizon is silt loam or loam in the fine earth fraction.
Some pedons have an E horizon that has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, or loam in the fine earth fraction and has more than 30 percent silt.
The BC horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8, or is mottled with these colors. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam in the fine earth fraction.
Some pedons have a C horizon that has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8, is mottled in these colors, or is multicolored. It is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam in the fine earth fraction.
The Cr horizon is commonly multicolored weathered sericite schist, phyllite, or other fine-grained metamorphic rock. It can be dug with difficulty with a spade.
Typically, the R horizon is hard unweathered sericite schist, phyllite, or other fine-grained high-grade metamorphic rock.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cheaha,
Fruithurst,
Rion,
Rome,
Sherless,
Sherwood,
State,
Sugargrove,
Tidings, and
Wickham series. Cheaha and Sherless soils are moderately deep to sandstone bedrock and contain sandstone fragments, and Cheaha has hard bedrock within 20 to 40 inches. Fruithurst soils have slate bedrock, contain slate fragments, and hard bedrock is below 60 inches. Rion, Rome, Sherwood, State, and Wickham soils are very deep and have thicker sola. Sugargrove soils have hard limestone bedrock at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Tidings soils have weathered sandstone bedrock at 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Montonia soils are gently sloping to steep and are on ridges and side slopes in the Southern Piedmont. Slopes are commonly 15 to 45 percent, but range from 2 to 60 percent. These soils formed in residuum weathered from fine grained metamorphic rock such as sericite schist and phyllite. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 47 to 49 inches and mean annual air temperature ranges from 59 to 61 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are
Badin,
Georgeville,
Goldston,
Lignum,
Nanford,
Tarrus, and
Uwharrie series. Badin, Georgeville, Lignum, Nanford, Tarrus, and Uwharrie soils are fine. Badin, Georgeville, Goldston, Nanford, Tarrus, and Uwharrie soils occur in the same landscape positions as Montonia soils. Goldston soils are shallow and lack a Bt horizon. Lignum soils are moderately well drained and somewhat poorly drained and are on toe slopes and around heads of drains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in woodland. Common trees are chestnut oak, white oak, hickory, loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, and Virginia pine. Common understory species are American holly, flowering dogwood, mountain laurel, sourwood, and American hornbeam. The rest is mainly in pasture and hayland.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Thermic Piedmont Plateau of North Carolina, and possibly South Carolina and Virginia. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, North Carolina; 1997.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly included in the Badin series. However, Badin soils are fine. This soil is in a fine-loamy particle size class because it contains, by weight, more than 15 percent particles that are fine sand or coarser, including fragments up to 7.5 cm in diameter. The soil horizon depths were revised on 10/2021 to ensure the description began at the soil surface.
Laboratory Data on particle size distribution and cation exchange capacity from N.C. State University, 1992:
Horizon Depth Sand Silt Clay CEC meq/100g clay
------- ------ ---- ---- ---- -----------------
Bt 8-19" 23.2 47.5 29.3 17.1
BC 19-29" 39.5 34.2 26.3 16.9
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 10 inches (the Oi, A and AB horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 10 inches to 31 inches (the Bt and BC horizons).
Paralithic contact - the upper boundary of weathered sericite schist bedrock at a depth of 31 inches (the upper boundary of the Cr horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA:
MLRA: 136 SIR: NC0288
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0288 MONTONIA 2- 60 59- 61 180-210 47- 49 500-1700
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0288 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 20-40 SOFT
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0288 0- 10 CN-SIL CN-L CN-VFSL 5- 15 55- 85 5-20 2- 3
NC0288 0- 10 CNV-SIL CNV-L 20- 50 30- 80 5-20 1- 3
NC0288 10-21 CN-CL CN-SIL L 0- 10 60- 90 20-35 3- 5
NC0288 21-31 CN-L CN-SICL CN-CL 5- 15 50- 80 10-35 1- 5
NC0288 31-44 WB - - - -
NC0288 44-54 UWB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0288 0- 10 4.5- 6.0 .5-3. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0288 0- 10 4.5- 6.0 .5-3. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0288 10-21 4.5- 6.0 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0288 21-31 4.5- 6.0 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0288 31-44 - - - -
NC0288 44-54 - - - -
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.