LOCATION ROLESVILLE NC
Established Series
RDH-MS-SS/Rev. DTA
09/2025
ROLESVILLE SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (thermic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Moderately deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Excessively drained
Index Surface Runoff: Slow
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: High to very high
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from granite and gneiss
Slope: 0 to 45
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 15 degrees C (60 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1194 millimeters (47 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON:
Rolesville loamy sand on an upland ridge, in cropland. (Colors are for moist soils.)
Ap--0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loamy sand; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; common fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2.5 to 36 centimeters (1 to 14 inches) thick)
Bw--30 to 66 centimeters (12 to 26 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; few fine and medium pores; few fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (20 to 58 centimeters (8 to 23 inches) thick)
C--66 to 81 centimeters (26 to 32 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy coarse sand saprolite; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; single grain; very friable; 5 percent by volume pararock fragments of weathered granite; common fine flakes of mica; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) thick)
Cr--81 to 97 centimeters (32 to 38 inches); weathered, moderately fractured granite. (0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) thick)
R--97 centimeters (38 inches); unweathered, slightly fractured granite.
TYPE LOCATION: Wake County, North Carolina; about 0.5 mile north on SR 1945 (Young Street) from the intersection of US Highway 401 and SR 1003 in Rolesville; 0.5 mile west on Daniel Farm Road; about 50 feet south of farm road, in field. USGS Rolesville NC topographic quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees, 55 minutes, 59 seconds N and long. 78 degrees, 28 minutes, 14 seconds W. (NAD 83).
Latitude--35.933056
Longitude-- -78.470556
Datum WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: 25 to 97 centimeters (10 to 38 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: More than 152 centimeters (60 inches)
Rock Fragment Content: 0 to 35 percent, by volume, quartz, granite, and gneiss pararock fragments throughout
Mica Content: 0 to greater than 20 percent in the Bw and C horizons
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid throughout, unless limed
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
Ap or A horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or sand
E horizon, (where present):
Color--hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture(fine-earth fraction)--loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or sand
Bw horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8
Texture(fine-earth fraction)--loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or sand
C horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 8, chroma of 1 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or sand saprolite
Cr horizon:
Color--variable
Texture--weathered fractured granite
R horizon:
Color--variable
Texture-unweathered granite
COMPETING SERIES:
Ashlar soils--are coarse loamy, have a depth to unweathered bedrock of 20 to 40 inches, and occur on the same landscape position
Buncombe soils--formed from fluvial sediments and are on floodplains
Tarboro soils--formed in fluvial and marine sediments and are located in the coastal plain region
Wake soils--are shallow, have a depth to weathered bedrock of 28 to 51 centimeters (11 to 20 inches), and occur on the same landscape position
Wateree soils--are coarse loamy, have a depth to weathered bedrock of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches), and occur on the same landscape position
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont upland
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from granites and gneiss
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 15 to 19 degrees C (59 to 66 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 940 to 1524 millimeters (37 to 60 inches)
Frost Free Period: 180 to 260 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Appling soils--are very deep, clayey, and intermingled on slightly higher landscape positions
Cecil soils--are very deep, clayey, and intermingled in some areas
Durham soils--are very deep, fine-loamy, and intermingled in some areas
Louisburg soils--are very deep, coarse loamy, and intermingled in some areas
Rion soils--are very deep, fine-loamy, and intermingled in some areas
Wedowee soils-are very deep, clayey, and intermingled in some areas
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Excessively drained
Index Surface Runoff: Slow
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: High to very high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland, pasture, and cropland
Dominant Vegetation: Where forested--loblolly pine, white oak, hickory, and dogwood. Where cultivated--soybeans, corn, small grain, and hay.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina and possibly Virginia
Extent: Small
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wake County, North Carolina, 2017
REMARKS: Rolesville soils were previously mapped as Louisburg, Wake, and Wateree soils.
The September 2025 revision reformatted the description. No data was changed.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 30 centimeters (12 inches) (Ap horizon)
Paralithic contact--the zone from 81 to 97 centimeters (32 to 38 inches) (Cr horizon)
Lithic contact--the zone starting at 97 centimeters (38 inches) (R horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Data Map Unit ID:
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
Rolesville 0-45 57-65 180-260 40-55 150-450
FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NONE >6.0 - 20-40 Hard
Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
0-12 LS LCOS S 0-2 95-100 3-15 -
12-26 LS LCOS S 0-0 95-100 5-15 -
26-32 LS LCOS S 0-0 95-100 3-15 -
32-38 WB - - - -
38 UWB - - - -
Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll-
0-12 3.6-5.5 1-3 0-0 2-6 LOW
12-26 3.6-5.5 0-.5 0-0 6.0-20 LOW
26-32 3.6-5.5 0-.5 0-0 6.0-20 LOW
32-38 - - - - -
38 - - - - -
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.