LOCATION WILBANKS NC
Established Series
Rev. DLN/DTA
09/2026
WILBANKS SERIES
MLRA(s): 133A, 153A
Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Southeast
Depth Class: Very deep
Agricultural Drainage Class: Very poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible to low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Class: Moderately low
Shrink-Swell Potential: Moderate
Landscape: Coastal Plain river valleys
Landform: Flood plains
Parent Material: Clayey and loamy fluvial or marine sediments
Slope: 0 to 2 percent
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, semiactive, acid, thermic Cumulic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Wilbanks silt loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 centimeters (0 to 1 inch); organic litter of deciduous trees and shrubs.
A1--2 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; few fine prominent yellowish red mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine, medium, and coarse roots and pores; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick)
A2--15 to 43 centimeters (6 to 17 inches); black (N 2/0) clay; common coarse distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, and plastic; many fine and medium roots and pores; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 41 centimeters (8 to 16 inches) thick)
A3--43 to 58 centimeters (17 to 23 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; many fine and medium roots and pores; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 30 centimeters (5 to 12 inches) thick)
A4--58 to 102 centimeters (23 to 40 inches); black (N 2/0) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure in upper part grading to massive in lower part; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; common fine and medium roots and pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (28 to 51 centimeters (11 to 20 inches) thick)
2Cg1--102 to 135 centimeters (40 to 53 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam; common fine and medium distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) mottles; massive, friable; few fine and medium roots and pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 51 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) thick)
2Cg2--135 to 150 centimeters (53 to 59 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam; massive; friable; few fine and medium roots and pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 51 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) thick)
2Cg3--150 to 163 centimeters (59 to 64 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam; common medium and coarse distinct black (10YR 2/1) mottles; massive; friable; few fine and medium roots and pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 51 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) thick)
2Cg4--163 to 185 centimeters (64 to 73 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy sand; massive; very friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 51 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) thick)
3Cg5--185 to 201 centimeters (73 to 79 inches); greenish gray (5G 5/1) silty clay loam; massive; firm; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Wilson County, North Carolina; 1.25 mile west of intersection of U.S. 30l and NC 42 on NC 42 to intersection of NC 42 Bypass; 0.95 mile north on NC Bypass; 600 feet east of NC 42 Bypass on dirt road; 25 feet south of dirt road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum Thickness: 38 to more than 152 centimeters (15 to more than 60 inches)
Depth to Bedrock: Greater than 203 centimeters (80 inches)
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: 0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches), November to April
Soil Reaction: Strongly acid to extremely acid to a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches), strongly acid to neutral below 102 centimeters (40 inches), except where limed
Organic matter content in the umbric epipedon ranges from 2 to 12 percent. The 25 to 102 centimeters (10 to 40 inch) control section averages more than 35 percent clay.
RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL HORIZONS:
A1 horizon (if it occurs):
Color--hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture--loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam
A2 horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 1 or 2; or hue of N, value of 2 or 3.
Texture--clay loam, silty clay, or clay
A3 horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 1 or 2; or hue of N, value of 2 or 3.
Texture--clay loam, silty clay, or clay
A4 horizon:
Color--hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 1 or 2; or hue of N, value of 2 or 3.
Texture--clay loam, silty clay, or clay
AC horizon (if it occurs )
Color--hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, chroma of 1 or 2. Mottles are in shades of gray or brown.
Texture--loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam
Cg horizon:
Color--stratified grayish or brownish
Texture--sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, sandy clay, or clay.
Buried A horizons are common. Marl deposits, if they occur, are 1.5 to 2.4 meters (5 to 8 feet) below the surface of the soil.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Coastal Plain river valleys
Landform: Flood plains
Parent Material: Clayey and loamy fluvial or marine sediments
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 15 to 18 degrees C (59 to 65 degrees F)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 1143 to 1473 millimeters (45 to 58 inches)
Frost Free Period: 190 to 250 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Ballahack soils--are fine-loamy
Bibb soils--are coarse loamy
Cape Fear soils--have argillic horizons and surface layers less than 61 centimeters (24 inches) thick
Chastain soils--have kaolinitic mineralogy and lack umbric epipedons
Johnston soils--are coarse loamy
Leaf soils--have argillic horizons and lack umbric epipedons
Myatt series--are fine-loamy
Santee soils--have argillic horizons and surface layers less than 61 centimeters (24 inches) thick
Wasda soils--are fine-loamy and have histic epipedons
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Agricultural Drainage Class: Very poorly drained
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible to very low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Woodlands of water tolerant hardwoods. Where drained, cropland and pasture.
Dominant Vegetation: Where wooded--native species include southern baldcypress, sweetgum, water oak, red maple, green ash, swamp white oak, and willow oak. Some understory plants are greenbrier, switchcane, honeysuckle, sweetbay magnolia, and sourwood. Where cultivated--corn and soybeans
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: North Carolina and possibly Virginia and South Carolina.
Extent: Small
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wilson County, North Carolina, 1980.
REMARKS: The Wilbanks series was formerly mapped in the Johnston series and classified in the Humic Gley great soil group. The soil horizon depths were revised on 10/2021 to ensure the description began at the soil surface. The 09/2026 revision changed the format. No data was changed.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory Data, North Carolina State University, one pedon from Wilson County, North Carolina.
Horizon Clay O.C. Sand Silt
A2 67.7 5-16@ 10.9 21.4
2.90
A3 44.1 16-22@ 13.3 42.6
4.29
A4 48.5 22-39@ 25.3 26.1
1.73
Cg1 26.2 39-52@ 25.6 48.2
0.85
Horizon Mineralogy: VFS Quartz Mica Feldspar HVY+Opg Other
Cg1 9-52@ 83.1 5.3 10.2 0.6 0.8
CLAY
X-ray diffraction traces were interpreted as 50% kaolinite and 50%
slightly interlayered vermiculite.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
NC0101 WILBANKS 0-2 59-65 190-250 45-58 5-170
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0101 FREQ 0-1.0 APPARENT NOV-MAY >60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0101 0-6 L SIL FSL 0-0 100-100 5-25 3-10
NC0101 6-40 SIC C CL 0-0 100-100 35-55 8-15
NC0101 40-79 VAR - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0101 0-6 3.5- 5.5 2.-5. 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW
NC0101 6-40 3.5- 5.5 1.-3. 0-0 0.06-0.6 MODERATE
NC0101 40-79 - - - -
________________________________________
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.