LOCATION RASALO VA+NC
Established Series
DHE/DTA
09/2025
RASALO SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (mesic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Very deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Index Surface Runoff: Very high
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Low
Shrink-Swell Potential: High
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from hornblende gneiss, gabbro, or other mafic crystalline rock
Slope: 2 to 15
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 15 degrees C (60 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1194 Millimeters (47 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Ultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Rasalo sandy loam--in a wooded site. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6); sandy loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; very friable; non-sticky; non-plastic; few fine and medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2.5 to 25 centimeters (1 to 10 inches) thick)
Bt1--15 to 51 centimeters (6 to 20 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6); clay; strong medium angular blocky structure; firm; sticky; plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; few 2 mm diameter grains of feldspar; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bt2--51 to 76 centimeters (20 to 30 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/8); sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky; non-plastic; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; few very fine flakes of mica; few 1 mm diameter grains of feldspar; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) thick)
C--76 to 152 centimeters (30 to 60 inches); multicolored in shades of green, yellow, and black sandy loam saprolite; massive; friable; non-sticky; non-plastic; few very fine and medium flakes of mica; slightly acid. (76 to 102 centimeters (30 to 40 inches) thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Halifax County, Virginia; about 3000 feet east on State Road 809 from the junction with State Road 708; 1600 feet north of State Road 809; in a cutover area; in woods; Vernon Hill, Virginia USGS topographic quadrangle.
Latitude--36.644167
Longitude-- -78.977778
Datum--WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: 76 to 152 centimeters (30 to 60 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 152 centimeters (60 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: Greater than 152 centimeters (60 inches)
Rock Fragment Content: 0 to 20 percent, by volume in the A and E horizons and 0 to 15 percent in the Bt and C horizons
Content of Mica: 0 to 20 percent, by volume, throughout
Soil Reaction: Strongly acid to slightly acid, except where limed
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A or Ap horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6
Texture--sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam, in the fine earth fraction
E horizon (if it occurs)
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6
Texture--sandy loam or loam fine sandy loam, in the fine earth fraction
BA or BE horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8
Texture--loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture--clay, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
BC horizon: (if it occurs)
Color--hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture--sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam
C horizon:
Color--variable
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam saprolite
COMPETING SERIES:
Fauquier soils-have red Bt horizons, moderate permeability and is mapped in MLRAs 130, 147, and 148
Montalto soils--have a red subsoil and occur on uplands of MLRA 148 and 130
Zion soils--have a depth to hard bedrock of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from hornblende gneiss, gabbro, or other mafic rock
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 15 degrees C (60 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1194 millimeters (47 inches)
Frost Free Period: 180 to 260 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Minniville soils--are red and are intermingled on slightly higher landscape positions
Spriggs soils--have a fine-loamy particle size class, are moderately deep to soft bedrock and deep to hard bedrock, and are intermingled in some areas
Siloam soils--have a loamy particle size class, are shallow to soft bedrock, and occur on steeper side slopes
Jackland soils--are moderately well to somewhat drained, have a smectitic mineralogy class and are on less convex segments of the same landscape
Halifax soils--are moderately well drained, are derived from felsic crystalline residuum, and are on less convex segments of the same landscape
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Index Surface Runoff: High
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: mixed hardwood and pine forest
Dominant Vegetation: Where forested--loblolly pine, red maple, sweet gum, black gum, water oak, winged elm, and willow oak.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Virginia and North Carolina
Extent: Small
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Halifax County, Virginia, 2005
REMARKS: Rasalo soils were previously mapped as Enon soils. They replace Enon soils in the new mesic Southern Piedmont MLRA (136). The September, 2025 revision updated the format. No data was changed.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches) (A horizon)
Argillic horizon--the zone from 15 centimeters to 76 centimeters (6 to 30 inches) (Bt horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Data Map Unit ID:
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
Rasalo 2-15 57-65 180-260 40-55 150-450
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NONE >60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
0-6 SCL L 0-0 95-100 7-20 -
6-30 C CL SCL 0-0 95-100 30-55 -
30-60 L SCL SL 0-0 95-100 7-27 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll-
0-6 3.6-5.5 1-3 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
6-30 3.6-5.5 .5-1 0-0 0.06-0.2 HIGH
30-60 3.6-5.5 .5-1 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
________________________________________
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.