IDENTIFIERS

  • Current Taxon Name (Soil Name): Breakneck
  • OSD
  • Series Extent
  • User Site ID: S2002NC173007
  • User Pedon ID: S2002NC173007C
  • Vegetation Plot ID: S2002NC173007
  • Lab Information:
  • Certified Lab Pedon Description - no
  • Lab Source ID - NSSL
  • Lab Pedon # - 02N1024
  • NCSS Pedon Lab Data NASIS Record ID - 15643
  • Print Date: 12/9/2025

    • 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: 35.5674896
  • Std. Longitude: -83.4808578
  • Datum: WGS84
  • Location Description: Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Noland Divide Trail, 300 feet from gate on Clingman's Dome Rd., 50 feet north of trail.
  • Map Unit: BpD—Breakneck-Pullback complex, 15 to 30 percent slopes, very rocky
  • State: North Carolina
  • County: NC173—Swain
  • MLRA: 130—Blue Ridge
  • Non-MLRA Soil Survey Area: TN640—Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

    • PEDON

  • Describers Name: Anthony Khiel, Doug Thomas
  • Current Taxonomic Class: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Humic Dystrudepts
  • Current Taxon Kind: series
  • Pedon Type: classifies to current taxon name, full description
  • Pedon Purpose: full pedon description
  • Pedon Record Orgin: NASIS
  • Pedon #: 7
  • Correlated Information:
  • Soil Name - Breakneck
  • PSC - 25 to 58 cm.
  • Classificaton Date - 2/16/2010
  • Soil Taxonomic Edition - twelfth edition
  • Moisture Subclass - udic
  • Sampled As Information:
  • Soil Name - Breakneck
  • Taxonomic Class - Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Humudepts
  • Taxon Kind - series
  • Classificaton Date - 7/16/2002
  • Soil Taxonomic Edition - twelfth edition
  • Dynamic Soil Properties:
  • Erosion Class - 1
  • Pedoderm Loose Cover Indicator - no
  • Pedon Vegetation and Crop Cover Information:
  • Forest Overstory Veg. Type - tree
  • Forest Understory Veg. Type - tree
  • Forest Groundcover Veg. Type Dominant - perennial forbs or herbaceous
  • Forest Groundcover Veg. Type Secondary - perennial forbs or herbaceous
  • Hydric: no


    • SITE

  • Parent Material: residuum weathered from metasedimentary rock
  • Landscape: mountains
  • Landform: ridge
  • Geomorphic Component Hills: crest
  • Geomorphic Component Mountains: mountaintop
  • Hill Slope Profile: summit
  • Runoff: very low
  • Drainage Class: well
  • Flooding: none flooding
  • Bedrock: indurated metasedimentary rock, unspecified at 76cm
  • Geology: Thunerhead Sandstone, Anakeesta Slate formation.
  • Surface Fragments: 2.00 percent subangular indurated 600- to 2400-millimeter metasedimentary, unspecified,
  • Benchmark Soil?: no

    • VEGETATION

    SITE OBSERVATION

  • Observation Date: 7/25/2002 (entry creation date)
  • Surface Cover Properties:
  • Site Obs. Cover Kind 1 - tree 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

    ABFR

    BEAL2

    PIRU

    Abies fraseri

    Betula alleghaniensis

    Picea rubens

    Fraser fir

    yellow birch

    red spruce

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

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

    bedrock, paralithic

    bedrock, lithic

    moderately coherent

    very strongly coherent

    58 - 76

    76 - 101

    - 18 -

    - 25 -

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

    umbric epipedon

    cambic horizon

    paralithic contact

    lithic contact

    5—25

    25—58

    58—76

    76—101

    —20—

    —33—

    —18—

    —25—
    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

    25

    —

    —

    1792.2

    —

    45

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

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    Oe—0 to 5 centimeters (0.0 to 2.0 inches); moderately decomposed plant material; fragments.; moist when described; observed in pit, small
    A1—5 to 15 centimeters (2.0 to 5.9 inches); black (10YR 2/1) loam; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; very friable; 6.0 very fine to medium roots throughout and 6.0 very coarse roots throughout and 6.0 coarse roots throughout; 10 percent by volume nonflat subangular 2-75-150 millimeter metasedimentary, unspecified fragments; clear wavy boundary. Lab sample # 02N04915; moist when described; observed in pit, small
    A2—15 to 25 centimeters (5.9 to 9.8 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; very friable; 3.0 very coarse roots throughout and 3.0 fine and medium roots throughout and 3.0 coarse roots throughout; 10 percent by volume flat subangular 2-75-150 millimeter metasedimentary, unspecified fragments; abrupt wavy boundary. Lab sample # 02N04915; moist when described; observed in pit, small
    Bw—25 to 58 centimeters (9.8 to 22.8 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; 0.5 medium and coarse roots throughout; 10 percent by volume flat subangular 2-75-150 millimeter metasedimentary, unspecified fragments; abrupt wavy boundary. Lab sample # 02N04916; moist when described; observed in pit, small
    Cr—58 to 76 centimeters (22.8 to 29.9 inches); bedrock; fragments; clear wavy boundary. Lab sample # 02N04917; moist when described; observed in pit, small
    R—76 to 101 centimeters (29.9 to 39.8 inches); bedrock; fragments.; observed in pit, small