LOCATION ROWAN NC+GA
Established Series
DTA, RLV; Rev DTA
06/2026
ROWAN SERIES
MLRA(s): 136 (thermic part)
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Very deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Index Surface Runoff: Medium
Permeability: Moderate (Medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately high
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from intermediate or mafic metamorphic or igneous rock
Slope: 2 to 60 percent
Elevation (type location): 219 meters (720 feet)
Frost Free Period (type location): 200 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature (type location): 16 degrees C (60 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation (type location): 1168 millimeters (46 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Typic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Rowan loam in an area of Poindexter-Rowan complex, 15 to 25 percent slopes. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
E--5 to 23 centimeters (2 to 9 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt1--23 to 38 centimeters (9 to 15 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--38 to 53 centimeters (15 to 21 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy clay loam; common fine distinct very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and common fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
BC--53 to 74 centimeters (21 to 29 inches); mottled strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; few fine flakes of mica; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
C1--74 to 107 centimeters (29 to 42 inches); multicolored fine sandy loam saprolite; massive; very friable; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--107 to 152 centimeters (42 to 60 inches); multicolored loam saprolite; massive; friable; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Rowan County, North Carolina; 0.8 mile north on Academy Street in Cleveland, 500 feet south across a creek, in a wooded area; USGS Cleveland, North Carolina topographic quadrangle.
Latitude--35.74
Longitude-- -80.6678
Datum--WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to top of Argillic horizon: 10 to 38 centimeters (4 to 15 inches)
Depth to base of Argillic horizon: 51 to 127 centimeters (20 to 50 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 45 percent in the A and E horizons, and 0 to 35 percent in the B and C horizons
Soil Reaction: Strongly acid to neutral in the A and E horizon, moderately acid to neutral in the B and BC horizon, and slightly acid to slightly alkaline in the C horizon
Mica Content: 0 to 20 percent, by volume mica flakes. Individual layers in the C horizon range to 50 percent.
Other Soil Features: Content of dark minerals ranges from 0 to 30 percent, by volume.
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 or 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
E horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 2 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Bt horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 6, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam
Mottles (if they occur)--non-redoximorphic in shades of black, red,
yellow, brown, olive, green, gray, or white
BC horizon:
Color--hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 6, chroma of 3 to 8
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Mottles (if they occur)--non-redoximorphic in shades of black, red, yellow, brown, olive, green, gray, or white
C horizon:
Color--hue of 5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 8, chroma of 1 to 8 or is variegated in shades of these colors
Texture (fine-earth fraction)--loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam saprolite
Mottles (if they occur)--non-redoximorphic mottles in shades of black, red, yellow, brown, olive, green, gray, or white
COMPETING SERIES:
Poindexter soils--are moderately deep to soft bedrock
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Piedmont uplands
Landform: Interstream divides, ridges, and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from intermediate or mafic metamorphic or igneous rock, commonly amphibolite, hornblende-biotite gneiss, biotite gneiss
Slope: 2 to 60 percent
Elevation: 122 to 396 meters (400 to 1,300 feet)
Frost Free Period: 160 to 205 days
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 14 to 19 degrees C (58 to 66 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1016 to 1397 millimeters (40 to 55 inches)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing
Poindexter series, they include:
Enon soils--are clayey; on similar landforms
Iredell soils--are moderately well drained or somewhat poorly drained and clayey; on lower-lying landforms
Mecklenburg soils--are clayey and formed in residuum from mixed felsic to mafic metamorphic and igneous rock; on similar landforms
Sedgefield soils--have moderately high or moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity and are clayey; on lower-lying landforms
Lloyd soils--are very deep, have rhodic colors, and are clayey; on similar landforms
Virgilina soils--are clayey and have a seasonal high water table at 30 to 61 centimeters (12 to 24 inches); on similar landforms
Wilkes soils--are shallow to hard bedrock and formed in residuum from mafic metamorphic or igneous rock
Winnsboro soils--are clayey, are deep to soft bedrock, and have moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity; on similar landforms
Wynott soils--are clayey and are moderately deep to soft bedrock; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Well drained
Index Surface Runoff: Medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodland and some cropland
Dominant Vegetation: Where cultivated--corn, soybeans, hay, and pasture. Where wooded--Upland oaks, yellow poplar, and hickory.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina, Georgia, and possibly South Carolina and Virginia
Extent: Small
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rowan County, North Carolina, 2009.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included with the Mocksville series which was reclassified as occurring in a mesic temperature regime. The June 2026 revision changed 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 to 51 centimeters (6 to 20 inches) (Bt horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: None
Database Information:
Typical Pedon Data Mapunit ID--479415
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0205 ROWAN 2-45 58-77 180-225 37-60 400-900
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0205 NONE >6.0 - >60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0205 0-6 SL FSL L 0-3 85-100 8-20 4-15
NC0205 6-20 L SCL CL 0-3 85-100 18-35 5-20
NC0205 20-25 SL FSL L 0-3 85-100 15-25 5-15
NC0205 25-60 LS SL L 0-5 80-100 3-20 1-15
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0205 0-6 5.1-7.3 .5-2. 0-0 2.0-6.0 LOW
NC0205 6-20 5.6-7.3 0.-.5 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0205 20-25 5.6-7.3 0.-.5 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0205 25-60 6.1-7.8 0.-.5 0-0 2.0-6.0 LOW
________________________________________
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.