Bethlehem soil and landscape
Soil profile: Bethlehem soils have soft weathered sillimanite schist bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. The rock can be dug by hand tools. Its hardness generally increases as depth increases. (Soil Survey of Rutherford County, North Carolina; by Scott C. Keenan, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and J. Craig Harris, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
archive.org/details/rutherfordNC
Landscape: Bethlehem soils occur on ridgetops and side slopes in the upper part of the thermic Piedmont. They form in residuum weathered from high-grade metamorphic rocks such as sillimanite schist, phyllite schist, and mica schist. Slopes range from 2 to 45 percent. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 58 to 63 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Approximately half of the acreage is cleared. Chief crops are hay, corn, tobacco small grain, and pasture.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludults
The solum ranges from 20 to 40 inches thick over a Cr horizon of weathered bedrock. Hard bedrock is deeper than 40 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid unless limed. Content of flakes of mica ranges from few to common in the A and upper B horizons, and from few to many in the lower B and C horizons. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 60 percent by volume in the A horizon, from 0 to 35 percent in the E, BA, BE, and Bt horizons, and from 15 to 60 percent in the BC and C horizons. Fragments are dominantly gravel or cobbles.
USE AND VEGETATION: Approximately half of the acreage is cleared. Chief crops are hay, corn, tobacco small grain, and pasture. The remainder is in mixed hardwoods and pines including shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, scarlet oak, chestnut oak, white oak, and black oak. Common understory plants are sourwood, flowering dogwood, greenbrier, sassafras, grape, poison ivy, American holly, and blueberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. This series is of moderate extent.
For a detailed description of the soil, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BETHLEHEM.html
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
Bethlehem soil and landscape
Soil profile: Bethlehem soils have soft weathered sillimanite schist bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. The rock can be dug by hand tools. Its hardness generally increases as depth increases. (Soil Survey of Rutherford County, North Carolina; by Scott C. Keenan, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and J. Craig Harris, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
archive.org/details/rutherfordNC
Landscape: Bethlehem soils occur on ridgetops and side slopes in the upper part of the thermic Piedmont. They form in residuum weathered from high-grade metamorphic rocks such as sillimanite schist, phyllite schist, and mica schist. Slopes range from 2 to 45 percent. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 58 to 63 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Approximately half of the acreage is cleared. Chief crops are hay, corn, tobacco small grain, and pasture.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludults
The solum ranges from 20 to 40 inches thick over a Cr horizon of weathered bedrock. Hard bedrock is deeper than 40 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid unless limed. Content of flakes of mica ranges from few to common in the A and upper B horizons, and from few to many in the lower B and C horizons. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 60 percent by volume in the A horizon, from 0 to 35 percent in the E, BA, BE, and Bt horizons, and from 15 to 60 percent in the BC and C horizons. Fragments are dominantly gravel or cobbles.
USE AND VEGETATION: Approximately half of the acreage is cleared. Chief crops are hay, corn, tobacco small grain, and pasture. The remainder is in mixed hardwoods and pines including shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, scarlet oak, chestnut oak, white oak, and black oak. Common understory plants are sourwood, flowering dogwood, greenbrier, sassafras, grape, poison ivy, American holly, and blueberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. This series is of moderate extent.
For a detailed description of the soil, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BETHLEHEM.html
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit: