LOCATION NEWHAN NC+FL SC VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Thermic, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Newhan fine sand--in a sparsely vegetated Coastal dune. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (l0YR 5/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
C1--2 to 50 inches; light gray (l0YR 7/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots in upper part of horizon; common small fragments of colored marine shells; 5 percent of the sand grains are black and dark brown; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--50 to 72 inches; light gray (l0YR 7/2) sand; single grained; loose; about 5 percent of the grains are black and dark brown; common small, medium and large fragments of marine shells; few whole shells; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: New Hanover County, North Carolina; north end of Carolina Beach, about 0.4 mile north of Johnnie Mercer's fishing pier and 0.2 mile west of surf, in beach dunes.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the A and C horizons is more than 72 inches. Reaction is extremely acid to slightly alkaline. Calcareous shell fragments mostly of sand size make up to 35 percent of the soil by volume. The soil contains few to common grains of dark minerals. Silt plus clay in the 10-to 40- inch control section is less than 5 percent.
The A horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 6. Low chromas are not due to wetness. Mottles in shades of yellow or brown are present in some pedons. It is sand or fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fripp, Kershaw, Ortega and Penney series. Fripp soils are not affected by salt spray and they support tree growth. Kershaw soils lack calcareous shell fragments. Ortega soils have a water table between 3.5 and 5 feet during much of the year and gray mottles below 40 inches. Penney soils have lamella.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Newhan soils are on gently undulating dunes commonly near beaches and waterways along the coast. Slopes are commonly 2 to 7 percent but range from 0 to 30 percent. The elevation of these soils commonly ranges up to about 75 feet or more above mean sea level. The soil consists of sand and shell fragments deposited mainly by wind along the Atlantic Coast. However, some areas are a result of dredge spoil material. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 47 to 60 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 53 to 74 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Carteret, Corolla, Currituck, and Duckston series. Carteret soils are on nearly level tidal marshes that are flooded by daily tides. Corolla soils are on flats and gently slopes between Newhan soils and they are moderately well and somewhat poorly drained. Currituck soils are thin organic, on marshes, and are flooded with fresh water. Duckston soils are poorly drained and have a water table at or near the surface more than 50 percent of the time.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; slow runoff; very rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Large acreages have been developed for urban beach cottages, recreation, and wildlife areas. Native vegetation consists of scattered wax myrtle, yaupon, holly, live oak, northern bayberry, sea-oats, seacoast bluestem, and American beachgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: New Hanover County, North Carolina; 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 2 inches (the A horizon).
Low chromas are not due to wetness.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation NC0089 NEWHAN 0- 30 58- 70 200-270 47- 58 5- 75SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness NC0089 NONE RARE 6.0-6.0 - 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- NC0089 0-64 FS S 0- 0 95-100 0- 0 0- 0
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll NC0089 0-64 3.5- 7.8 0.-.5 4-16 20- 20 LOW