Cataloochee soil and landscape
Soil profile: The Cataloochee series consists of moderately deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils on mountain summits and side slopes at the higher elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. They formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part, and weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rock. Slope ranges from 8 to 95 percent. (Soil Survey of Buncombe County, North Carolina; by Mark S. Hudson, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Landscape: High mountain summer pasture in an area of Oconaluftee-Guyot-Cataloochee complex, windswept, 15 to 30 percent slopes, bouldery. Open areas such as these provide good habitat diversity for wildlife.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Humudepts
Depth to paralithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to lithic contact is greater than 40 inches. The soil is ultra acid to strongly acid throughout. Content of mica flakes is none or few throughout. Content of rock fragments is less than 35 percent throughout, and are mainly channers in size.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of this soil is in forest. Common trees at the lower elevation range are northern red oak, black birch, American beech, yellow birch, black cherry, sugar maple, eastern hemlock, and yellow buckeye. At higher elevations, red spruce and fraser fir become the dominant tree species. In many areas the trees are stunted due to wind and ice damage and a "windswept" phase is recognized. The understory species are serviceberry, striped maple, American chestnut sprouts, pin cherry, rhododendron, mountain-laurel, silverbell, blueberry, and flame azalea. Common forbs are hay-scented fern, wood fern, New York fern, Solomon's seal, yellow mandarin, and trillium. A small acreage is covered by heath balds vegetated with rhododendron, flame azalea, blueberry, hawthorn, and mountain ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Higher elevations of the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B of Tennessee and North Carolina and possibly Virginia. This series is of moderate extent.
The Cataloochee series was formerly included with the Oconaluftee series. However, Oconaluftee soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock. Fine-loamy particle-size class placement is based on the presence of amorphous (non-crystalline) clay-size material associated with the relatively high organic matter content found in these soils. Although field estimates, laboratory measurements, and calculated values may vary, clay content in the particle-size control section is generally less than 25 percent. Although Cataloochee soils may exhibit some of the characteristics of andic soil properties, they lack the volcanic glass found in soils of similar taxa in the Western United States.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/north_carolina...
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CATALOOCHEE.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Cataloochee soil and landscape
Soil profile: The Cataloochee series consists of moderately deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils on mountain summits and side slopes at the higher elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B. They formed in residuum that is affected by soil creep in the upper part, and weathered from low-grade metasedimentary rock. Slope ranges from 8 to 95 percent. (Soil Survey of Buncombe County, North Carolina; by Mark S. Hudson, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Landscape: High mountain summer pasture in an area of Oconaluftee-Guyot-Cataloochee complex, windswept, 15 to 30 percent slopes, bouldery. Open areas such as these provide good habitat diversity for wildlife.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Humudepts
Depth to paralithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to lithic contact is greater than 40 inches. The soil is ultra acid to strongly acid throughout. Content of mica flakes is none or few throughout. Content of rock fragments is less than 35 percent throughout, and are mainly channers in size.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of this soil is in forest. Common trees at the lower elevation range are northern red oak, black birch, American beech, yellow birch, black cherry, sugar maple, eastern hemlock, and yellow buckeye. At higher elevations, red spruce and fraser fir become the dominant tree species. In many areas the trees are stunted due to wind and ice damage and a "windswept" phase is recognized. The understory species are serviceberry, striped maple, American chestnut sprouts, pin cherry, rhododendron, mountain-laurel, silverbell, blueberry, and flame azalea. Common forbs are hay-scented fern, wood fern, New York fern, Solomon's seal, yellow mandarin, and trillium. A small acreage is covered by heath balds vegetated with rhododendron, flame azalea, blueberry, hawthorn, and mountain ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Higher elevations of the Southern Blue Ridge mountains, MLRA 130B of Tennessee and North Carolina and possibly Virginia. This series is of moderate extent.
The Cataloochee series was formerly included with the Oconaluftee series. However, Oconaluftee soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock. Fine-loamy particle-size class placement is based on the presence of amorphous (non-crystalline) clay-size material associated with the relatively high organic matter content found in these soils. Although field estimates, laboratory measurements, and calculated values may vary, clay content in the particle-size control section is generally less than 25 percent. Although Cataloochee soils may exhibit some of the characteristics of andic soil properties, they lack the volcanic glass found in soils of similar taxa in the Western United States.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/north_carolina...
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CATALOOCHEE.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit: