IDENTIFIERS

  • Current Taxon Name (Soil Name): Alarka
  • OSD
  • Series Extent
  • User Site ID: 99NC605 Alarka-OSD
  • User Pedon ID: 99NC605 Alarka-OSD
  • Vegetation Plot ID: 99NC605 Alarka-OSD
  • User Site Association ID: GSMNP Pedons
  • Lab Information:
  • Certified Lab Pedon Description - no
  • Lab Source ID - NSSL
  • Lab Pedon # - 00P0232
  • NCSS Pedon Lab Data NASIS Record ID - 11740
  • Print Date: 2/18/2025

    • LOCATION

  • Location In Web Soil Survey
  • AOI is roughly a square mile and pedon is marked in the center.
  • Location in SoilWeb
  • Location in Google Maps
  • Std. Latitude: 35.3337173
  • Std. Longitude: -83.3548838
  • Datum: WGS84
  • Location Description: Swain County, North Carolina; USGS Green's Creek topographic quadrangle; south of Whittier in Alarka Creek watershed; from Whittier on Secondary Road 1173 to Secondary 1193; west on Secondary Road 1193 to Secondary Road 1177, south on Secondary Road 177 to USFS Road 86; south on USFS Road 86 to Wesser Gap; about 1.1 miles from Wesser Gap on USFS Road 86; west of USFS Road 150 feet along small branch.
  • Map Unit: AwB—Alarka-Wesser complex, 0 to 8 percent slopes
  • State: North Carolina
  • County: NC173—Swain
  • MLRA: 130—Blue Ridge
  • Non-MLRA Soil Survey Area: TN640—Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North CarolinaNC605—Swain County Area, North Carolina

    • PEDON

  • Describers Name: Doug Thomas, Mike Sherrill, Tim Harlan
  • Current Taxonomic Class: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Epiaquults
  • Current Taxon Kind: series
  • Pedon Type: OSD pedon
  • Pedon Purpose: full pedon description
  • Pedon Record Orgin: NASIS
  • Correlated Information:
  • Soil Name - Alarka (flagged as OSD)
  • PSC - 25 to 75 cm.
  • Classificaton Date - 4/27/2009
  • Soil Taxonomic Edition - eleventh edition
  • Moisture Class - aquic
  • Moisture Subclass - aeric
  • Sampled As Information:
  • Soil Name - Alarka
  • Classificaton Date - 6/13/2002
  • Dynamic Soil Properties:
  • Erosion Class - 0
  • Pedoderm Loose Cover Indicator - no
  • Hydric: yes


    • SITE

  • Runoff: very low
  • Drainage Class: poorly
  • Flooding: rare flooding for very brief periods
  • Ponding: rare ponding for very brief periods
  • Surface Fragments:
  • Benchmark Soil?: no

    • VEGETATION

    SITE OBSERVATION

  • Observation Date: 6/13/2002 (entry creation date)
  • Surface Cover Properties:
  • Site Obs. Cover Kind 1 - shrub cover
  • Site Obs. Cover Kind 2 - conifers
  • Pedoderm Loose Cover Indicator - no
  • Drained? - no
  • Bedded Soil? - no
  • Forest Plantation? - no
    • Vegetation Plot Plants
    Plant Symbol Scientific Name National Vernacular Name Plant Type Group Canopy Cover % Vegetation Stata Level

    RHODO

    Rhododendron

    rhododendron

    —

    —

    —
    Pedon Restrictions
    Kind Hardness Restriction Depth L-H Restriction Thickness L-RV-H
    cm

    strongly contrasting textural stratification

    —

    91 - 152

    —
    Pedon Diagnostic Features
    Feature Kind Feature Depth L-H Feature Thickness L-RV-H
    cm

    ochric epipedon

    argillic horizon

    aquic conditions

    0—25

    25—53

    25—91

    —-

    —-

    —-
    Setting and Climate
    Slope Slope Length USLE Upslope Length Elev. Corr. Elev Aspect MAP REAP FFD MAAT MSAT MWAT MAST MSST MWST MFFP PE Index Climate Station ID Climate Station Name Climate Station Type
    % m degrees mm mm C mm

    4

    —

    —

    1280.2

    —

    1778

    —

    —

    12.8

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —
    Oe—0 to 8 centimeters (0.0 to 3.1 inches); moderately decomposed plant material; 6.0 very fine roots throughout and 6.0 very coarse roots throughout and 6.0 medium roots throughout and 6.0 fine roots throughout and 6.0 coarse roots throughout; fragments; extremely acid, pH 3.5, pH meter; clear wavy boundary. Lab sample # 00P01686; observed in pit, small
    Oa—8 to 18 centimeters (3.1 to 7.1 inches); highly decomposed plant material; 6.0 medium roots throughout and 6.0 fine roots throughout and 6.0 coarse roots throughout; fragments; ultra acid, pH 3.1, pH meter; clear irregular boundary. Lab sample # 00P01687; observed in pit, small
    A—18 to 25 centimeters (7.1 to 9.8 inches); black (10YR 2/1) mucky fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; 0.8 very fine roots throughout and 3.0 medium roots throughout and 3.0 fine roots throughout and 3.0 coarse roots throughout; fragments; ultra acid, pH 3.4, pH meter; clear irregular boundary. Lab sample # 00P01688; observed in pit, small
    Btg—25 to 33 centimeters (9.8 to 13.0 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/2) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 0.8 medium roots throughout and 0.8 coarse roots throughout; 10 percent black (10YR 2/1), moist, organic stains on surfaces along root channels; 20 percent medium and coarse prominent irregular strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), moist, masses of oxidized iron throughout; 2 percent fine mica flakes, unspecified throughout; fragments; extremely acid, pH 3.7, pH meter; clear wavy boundary. Lab sample # 00P01689; observed in pit, small. continuous - phpvsfiid 319853; continuous - phpvsfiid 319853
    Bt—33 to 53 centimeters (13.0 to 20.9 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 0.3 coarse roots throughout; 10 percent organic stains on surfaces along root channels; 2 percent fine prominent irregular red (2.5YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron throughout and 20 percent medium and coarse prominent irregular dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), moist, clay depletions throughout; 2 percent fine mica flakes, unspecified throughout; fragments; extremely acid, pH 3.9, pH meter; clear wavy boundary. Lab sample # 00P01690; observed in pit, small. continuous - phpvsfiid 319854; continuous - phpvsfiid 319854
    Cg—53 to 91 centimeters (20.9 to 35.8 inches); light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam; massive; friable; 10 percent medium and coarse prominent irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron lining pores; 5 percent by volume 2-?-75 millimeter unspecified fragments; very strongly acid, pH 4.7, pH meter; abrupt wavy boundary. Lab sample # 00P01691; observed in pit, small
    2C—91 to 152 centimeters (35.8 to 59.8 inches); 40 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and 30 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and 30 percent red (2.5YR 5/8) very stony loamy sand; massive; loose; 5 percent by volume 75-?-250 millimeter unspecified fragments and 15 percent by volume 250-?-600 millimeter unspecified fragments and 30 percent by volume 2-?-75 millimeter unspecified fragments; very strongly acid, pH 5.0, pH meter. Lab sample # 00P01692; observed in pit, small