LOCATION FORTESCUE NC
Established Series
Rev. RLV:AG
06/2000
FORTESCUE SERIES

The Fortescue series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils in the Lower Coastal Plain. These soils formed in silty marine sediments over organic material around the larger lakes. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Near the type location, mean annual temperature is about 62 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 52 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, acid, thermic Cumulic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Fortescue silty clay loam--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine pores; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 40 inches thick)
AB--10 to 21 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine vesicular pores; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
B--21 to 31 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; friable; slightly sticky; slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine vesicular pores; few fine very pale brown (10YR 8/4) pockets of wood ash; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2Oa1--31 to 39 inches; black (10YR 2/1, broken face and rubbed) sapric material; about 5 percent fibers, less than 1 percent rubbed; moderate medium subangular blocky structure ; friable; slightly fluid; few fine and medium roots; many very pale brown (10YR 7/4) pockets and distontinuous layers of wood ash; common logs and stumps; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
2Oa2--39 to 55 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2, broken face and rubbed) sapric material; about 5 percent fibers, less than 1 percent rubbed; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; moderately fluid; slightly sticky; common medium and coarse roots; common logs and stumps; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Oa horizon is 20 to 52 inches)
3Ab--55 to 61 inches; black (10YR 2/1) very fine sandy loam; massive; friable; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Hyde County, North Carolina; about 0.3 miles east of the intersection of State Road 1305 and State Road 1311; 240 feet north of State Road 1311 on farm path; 50 feet west of farm path on north bank of east-west running ditch; Fairfield NW USGS topographic quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 32 minutes 12 seconds N. and long. 76 degrees 10 minutes 12 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The surface mineral horizons range from 16 to 40 inches thick. The underlying organic horizons range from 8 to more than 52 inches thick. The soil ranges from extremely to strongly acid throughout, except where the surface has been limed. The underlying mineral horizons of some pedons may be moderately acid or slightly acid.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture of the Ap or upper A horizon is very fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or mucky loam. The lower A horizon is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam.
The 2Oa horizons have hue of 2.5YR to 5Y or are neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 4. The organic material ranges from weak blocky structure in the upper layers to massive in the lower layers. Stumps, logs, and fragments of charcoal are common throughout the 2Oa horizons of most pedons.
The 3Cg horizons are stratified grayish or greenish sands, loamy sands, and sandy loams.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series listed in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fortescue soils are on nearly level surfaces of 0 to 2 percent around large lakes in the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain. They formed in silty lacustrine sediments deposited over organic material. Elevations range from 1 to 10 feet above sea level. The mean annual temperature ranges from about 61 to 65 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation ranges from about 50 to 54 inches near the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Belhaven, Engelhard, Hydeland, Pasquotank, Ponzer, Scuppernong, Weeksville and Wysocking series. Belhaven, Ponzer, and Scuppernong soils have organic material at the surface and are located on slightly lower landscapes. Engelhard, Hydeland, Pasquotank, and Weeksville soils are mineral soils but lack buried organic horizons. In addition, Englehard, Pasquotank, Weeksville and Wysocking soils are coarse-silty.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability in the upper mineral horizons and moderately slow to moderately rapid in the organic horizons. The water table is within 12 inches of the surface for 4 to 6 months during most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: About one-half of these soils have been cleared and are used for corn, soybeans, pasture, and truck crops. Natural vegetation consists of mixed hardwood species. The common species are sweetgum, (Liquidambar styraciflua), red maple (Acer rubrum), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), southern baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), willow oak (Quercus phellos), water oak (Quercus nigra), and sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Lower Coastal Plain of North Carolina and perhaps Virginia around large lakes. The soils are thought to be associated with the formation of lakes. They are of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, North Carolina; 1979.
REMARKS: These soils would have been classified as Alluvial in the 1938 classification. They were formerly mapped as a phase of the Hyde series. These soils are tentatively classified in the fine-silty family since a strongly contrasting particle-size class of fine-silty over muck is not recognized in soil taxonomy. These soils would be Thapto-Histic if such a subgroup was provided under Humaquepts.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in the typical pedon are:
Umbric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 26 inches (Ap and A horizons)
Aquic conditions - observed endosaturation from the surface to a depth of 74 inches (all horizons)
MLRA(s): 153A, 153B
TABULAR SERIES DATA: SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation NC0124 FORTESCUE 0- 2 61- 64 200-260 50- 54 1- 10

SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness
NC0124 RARE 0-0.1 APPARENT DEC-MAY 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
NC0124 0- 6 L SIL MK-L 0- 0 100-100 7-27 3- 17
NC0124 6-26 L SIL SICL 0- 0 100-100 18-35 4- 12
NC0124 26-64 MUCK 0- 0 - 0- 0 20- 95
NC0124 64-74 VAR - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
NC0124 0- 6 3.5- 5.5 2.-12 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW
NC0124 6-26 3.5- 5.5 1.-5. 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW
NC0124 26-64 3.5- 5.5 20-95 0- 0 0.2- 6.0 LOW
NC0124 64-74 - - - -


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.