LOCATION SAW NC+GAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Saw sandy loam on a 4 percent slope at an elevation of 890 feet--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; reddish brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; common fine roots; 1 percent by volume porphyritic granite gravel and feldspar crystals 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--8 to 20 inches; red (2.5YR 4/8) clay; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 3 percent by volume porphyritic granite gravel and feldspar crystals 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter; common fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
BC1--20 to 23 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 5 percent by volume porphyritic granite gravel and feldspar crystals 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter; common fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
BC2--23 to 26 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; 5 percent by volume porphyritic granite gravel and feldspar crystals 1/16 to 1/2 inch in diameter; many fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the BC horizons is 0 to 10 inches.)
C--26 to 29 inches; multicolored gravelly sandy loam; saprolite weathered from porphyritic granite; massive; very friable; 20 percent by volume porphyritic granite gravel and feldspar crystals 1/16 to 1/2 inch in diameter; many fine flakes of mica; moderately acid. abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
R--29 inches; hard porphyritic granite.
TYPE LOCATION: Rowan County, North Carolina; 4.3 miles west of China Grove on NC 152 highway; 550 feet north on private road; 600 feet west along field irrigation road; 35 feet south of road in field.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 19 to 33 inches. Depth to hard bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid unless limed. Limed soils are typically moderately acid to neutral in the A and E horizons, and very strongly acid to slightly acid in the BA, BE, and Bt horizons. Rock fragments, dominantly of gravel size, range from 0 to 35 percent by volume in the A, Ap, or C horizons, and from 0 to 15 percent by volume in the E, BE, BA, Bt, and BC horizons. Content of feldspar crystals ranges from none to common in the upper part and from none to many in the lower part. Content of mica flakes ranges from few to common in the A, Ap, E, BE, BA, and Bt horizons and from few to many in the BC and C horizons.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. In areas not significantly affected by erosion, it is sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. In eroded areas, texture is sandy clay loam or clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
Some pedons have an E horizon that has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is sandy loam.
Some pedons have a BE or BA horizon that has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. It is sandy clay loam or clay loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. In some pedons, part of the Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. The Bt horizon is clay, sandy clay, or clay loam.
Some pedons have a BC horizon that has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. It is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or sandy loam.
Some pedons have a C horizon that is similar in color to the BC horizon, or is multicolored. It is sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The R horizon is hard felsic igneous bedrock such as porphyritic granite or granite. Some pedons have a thin Cr horizon of soft weathered felsic igneous rock which overlies the R horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Appling, Bethlehem, Cecil, Madison, Nankin, Pacolet, Tumbleton and Wedowee series in the same family. None of these soils except Bethlehem have bedrock within depths of 20 to 40 inches. In addition they typically have thicker Bt horizons. Bethlehem soils have soft weathered bedrock instead of hard bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches, and formed from sillimanite schist and phyllite schist. Tumbleton soils formed in coastal plain sediments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Saw soils are on gently sloping to steep ridges and side slopes in the Piedmont uplands. Slope ranges from 2 to 45 percent, and is commonly 2 to 15 percent. These soils formed in residuum weathered from felsic igneous rocks such as porphyritic granite or granite. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 59 to 62 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 39 to 49 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Appling, Cecil, Madison, and Pacolet soils, and the Ashlar, Helena, Rion, Vance, Wake, and Wedowee soils. Except for Ashlar soils, none of these soils have bedrock within depths of 20 to 40 inches, and except for Wake soils, they typically have thicker Bt horizons. Ashlar soils have a cambic horizon and are in a coarse-loamy family. Helena soils are moderately well drained, Rion soils are in a fine-loamy family, and Vance soils are in a mixed mineralogy family. Wake soils have hard bedrock within depths of 8 to 20 inches. All of these soils except Helena are on ridges and side slopes. Helena soils are on toe slopes and around the heads of drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: More than half of the acreage is cultivated, with the remainder in pasture or woodland. The main crops are corn, soybeans, small grain, and hay. Common trees in forested areas are loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, white oak, northern red oak, southern red oak, post oak, scarlet oak, sweetgum, and hickory. Common understory plants include flowering dogwood, American holly, muscadine grape, sourwood, honeysuckle, greenbrier, and poison ivy.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Piedmont area of North Carolina and Georgia. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rowan County, North Carolina; 1996
REMARKS: The Saw series was formerly included with the Pacolet and Lockhart series. However, Pacolet soils do not have bedrock within depths of 20 to 40 inches, and Lockhart soils are in a loamy-skeletal family.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 8 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone between depths of 8 and 20 inches (Bt horizon)
Kandic horizon - the zone between depths of 8 and 20 inches (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact - the occurrence of hard bedrock at a depth of 29 inches (R horizon)
MLRA: 136
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation NC0240 SAW 2- 45 59- 62 184-241 39- 49 700-1000SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness NC0240 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 20-40 HARD
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- NC0240 0- 8 SL 0- 5 80-100 5-20 3- 6 NC0240 0- 8 SCL CL 0- 5 85-100 20-40 3- 7 NC0240 0- 8 GR-SL 5- 15 55- 85 5-20 2- 5 NC0240 8-20 C SC CL 0- 5 80-100 35-60 3- 9 NC0240 20-29 SCL SL GR-SL 0- 15 55-100 5-30 2- 6 NC0240 29-39 UWB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll NC0240 0- 8 4.5- 7.3 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW NC0240 0- 8 4.5- 7.3 .5-1. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW NC0240 0- 8 4.5- 7.3 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW NC0240 8-20 4.5- 6.5 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW NC0240 20-29 4.5- 6.0 0.-.5 0- 0 0.6- 6.0 LOW NC0240 29-39 - - - -