LOCATION MECKLENBURG             NC+AL GA SC VA

Established Series
Rev. CMM:RBS:AG
04/2022

MECKLENBURG SERIES

The Mecklenburg series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in residuum weathered from intermediate and mafic crystalline rocks of the Piedmont uplands. Slopes range from 2 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 45 inches, and mean annual temperature is 59 degrees near the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Ultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Mecklenburg loam--pastured. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 8 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; common fine pores; common fine black concretions; slightly acid, clear smooth boundary. (2 to 11 inches thick)

Bt1--8 to 17 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; many fine black concretions; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--17 to 25 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; common fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; common black concretions; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 12 to 35 inches.)

BC--25 to 36 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay loam; common medium faint reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) and common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; weak subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine black concretions; common fine lenses of gray clayey saprolite; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)

C--36 to 60 inches; mottled yellowish red (5YR 4/6), reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) highly weathered saprolite that has a sandy clay loam texture; massive; friable; many black and gray minerals; slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Davidson County, North Carolina; 0.7 mile west of Linwood on SR 1134; 20 feet north in pasture at bend in road.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 5 feet. The soil ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid in the A horizon and is moderately acid to neutral in the B and C horizons. Content of rock fragments of gravel and cobble size range from 0 to 30 percent by volume in the A horizon and 0 to 10 percent in the B horizon. Manganese concretions are few to many in the A and B horizons. Content of flakes of mica ranges from none to few.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. A or Ap horizons with moist values less than 4 are less than 6 inches thick. The A horizon is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam, loam, or their gravelly analogues. Eroded phases are sandy clay loam or clay loam.

The BE or BA horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.

The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR. In the upper part, value is 3 to 6 and chroma is 4 to 8. In the lower part, value is 4 to 6 and chroma is 4 to 8. Few to common mottles in shades of brown, yellow or red are in the lower Bt horizon in most pedons. The Bt horizon is clay with clay content from 40 to 60 percent.

The BC horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 4 to 8 and is often mottled in these colors. It is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam, and contains up to 25 percent saprolite.

The C horizon is mottled or multicolored saprolite weathered from mafic crystalline rock. It is variable in texture but typically is loamy.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Brantley, Canton Bend, Capshaw, Cowton, Enon, Gundy, Hallsummit, Hampshire, Maben, Magnet, Spray, Zion, and Zuber series in the same family. Those in closely related families are Coronaca, Iredell, and Wilkes series. Brantley, Canton Bend, Capshaw, Cowton, Hallsummit, and Maben soils are more acid in the B horizons than Mecklenburg. Coronaca soils have moist colors of values of less than 4 throughout. Enon, Hampshire, Iredell, and Zuber soils have hue of 7.5YR or yellower in the Bt horizon; and in addition Zuber soils have sandy A and AB horizons. Gundy soils are more permeable and developed from slate or fine grained schist. Magnet soils are more permeable and formed in residuum from syenite and other intrusive igneous rocks. Spray soils developed from mudstone, siltstone, or shale. Wilkes and Zion soils have bedrock at a depth of less than 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mecklenburg soils are on nearly level to moderately steep Piedmont uplands. Slope gradients are 0 to 25 percent, most commonly between 2 and 10 percent. These soils have developed in weathered intermediate and mafic crystalline rocks. Average annual precipitation is about 45 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is about 59 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Coronaca, Enon, Iredell, Wilkes, Winnsboro, and Zion Series, these are Cecil, Cullen, Davidson, Gaston, Lloyd, and Pacolet series. These soils have a base saturation less than 35 percent.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to medium and internal drainage is slow. Permeability is slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used primarily for corn, soybeans, small grain, hay, and pasture. Forested areas are in shortleaf, loblolly and Virginia pines, yellow- poplar, sweetgum, southern red oak, northern red oak, white oak and hickory. Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, sourwood, winged elm, sassafras, greenbrier, and American holly are common in the understory.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; 1910.

REMARKS:
The 4-2022 update replaced an offensive soil series name with Hallsummit.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth to 8 inches.
Argillic horizon - the zone between depth of 8 and 25 inches.
Ultic Hapludalfs feature - base saturation of 35 to 60 percent in the zone between 36 and 60 inches.

MLRA = 136

SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0072 MECKLENBUR 2- 25 58- 66 180-225 37- 60 400- 900

SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0072 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 60-60

SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0072 0- 8 L FSL SL 0- 5 80-100 8-25 4- 20
NC0072 0- 8 GR-L GR-SL GR-FSL 2- 10 55- 85 8-25 4- 20
NC0072 0- 8 CL SCL 0- 5 90-100 20-35 10- 25
NC0072 8-25 C 0- 5 85-100 40-60 15- 35
NC0072 25-36 L SCL CL 0- 5 85-100 20-35 10- 20
NC0072 36-60 VAR - - - -

SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0072 0- 8 5.6- 7.3 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0072 0- 8 5.6- 7.3 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0072 0- 8 5.6- 7.3 .5-1. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0072 8-25 5.6- 7.3 0.-.5 0- 0 0.06- 0.2 MODERATE
NC0072 25-36 5.6- 7.3 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0072 36-60 - - - -

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.