USDA Soil Scientist John Kelley preparing deep cut of Vaucluse soil to describe, sample, and photograph
For detailed description of Vaucluse soil, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/V/VAUCLUSE.html
The land area of the Coastal Plain is rather flat in most areas, but the topography, or land surface, has more rolling hills in the western portion. Elevations in the Coastal Plain range from sea level to 660 feet (200 meters). The soils in the Coastal Plain are relatively uniform compared to soils found in the Piedmont region.
The Coastal Plain geology consists mostly of marine sedimentary rocks overlain by fluvial (waterborne) deposits. Sand and clay are the primary sediment types. Coastal Plain soils developed from sandy to clayey unconsolidated marine and fluvial deposits. These deposits are primarily sand and clay from the ocean and rivers that have been laid down over many thousands of years. They are called unconsolidated because they have not hardened into large beds of rock.
An aquitard, or confining water perching layer, exists approximately 3 to 30 feet below most North Carolina Coastal Plain soils throughout the area (the bulging area starting at about 120 cm in the soil profile). This aquitard restricts the movement of ground water downward and lateral flow of shallow, unconfined ground water contributes approximately 70% of the stream flow in this region. As a consequence, nitrate that enters the ground water in the Coastal Plain can become part of the surface water pollution problem.
The Coastal Plain can be divided into distinct regions: the Lower Coastal Plain; the Tidewater and Barrier Island regions, which are subdivisions of the Lower Coastal Plain; the Middle Coastal Plain; and the Upper Coastal Plain. The Upper Coastal Plain grades into the Piedmont just east of Raleigh, NC.
USDA Soil Scientist John Kelley preparing deep cut of Vaucluse soil to describe, sample, and photograph
For detailed description of Vaucluse soil, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/V/VAUCLUSE.html
The land area of the Coastal Plain is rather flat in most areas, but the topography, or land surface, has more rolling hills in the western portion. Elevations in the Coastal Plain range from sea level to 660 feet (200 meters). The soils in the Coastal Plain are relatively uniform compared to soils found in the Piedmont region.
The Coastal Plain geology consists mostly of marine sedimentary rocks overlain by fluvial (waterborne) deposits. Sand and clay are the primary sediment types. Coastal Plain soils developed from sandy to clayey unconsolidated marine and fluvial deposits. These deposits are primarily sand and clay from the ocean and rivers that have been laid down over many thousands of years. They are called unconsolidated because they have not hardened into large beds of rock.
An aquitard, or confining water perching layer, exists approximately 3 to 30 feet below most North Carolina Coastal Plain soils throughout the area (the bulging area starting at about 120 cm in the soil profile). This aquitard restricts the movement of ground water downward and lateral flow of shallow, unconfined ground water contributes approximately 70% of the stream flow in this region. As a consequence, nitrate that enters the ground water in the Coastal Plain can become part of the surface water pollution problem.
The Coastal Plain can be divided into distinct regions: the Lower Coastal Plain; the Tidewater and Barrier Island regions, which are subdivisions of the Lower Coastal Plain; the Middle Coastal Plain; and the Upper Coastal Plain. The Upper Coastal Plain grades into the Piedmont just east of Raleigh, NC.