LOCATION ARPATUTU CA

Established Series
BJM/CES/TKK/JW
09/2018

ARPATUTU SERIES

The Arpatutu series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from phyllite, schist, and other metasedimentary rocks. The Arpatutu soils are on mountain slopes and hills, and in canyons. Slopes range from 15 to 90 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 955 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 15 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, mesic Ultic Haploxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Arpatutu loam on a northwest-facing, convex, 20 percent slope under foothill pine, ponderosa pine, manzanita, and mountain misery at an elevation of 756 meters. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted. When described on March 24, 2015 the soil was slightly moist throughout).

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 3 percent subangular strongly cemented schist gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 18 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 8 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 10 percent subangular strongly cemented schist gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of upper Bt horizons is 8 to 40 cm)

Bt2--18 to 40 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) channery loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout, and common very coarse roots at top of horizon; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 25 percent angular strongly cemented schist channers, 5 percent angular strongly cemented schist flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bt3--40 to 71 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely flaggy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common medium, coarse, and very coarse roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent prominent clay films on bottom surfaces of rock fragments and 40 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 40 percent angular strongly cemented schist channers, 35 percent angular strongly cemented schist flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.4); very abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of upper Bt horizons is 15 to 55 cm)

R--71 to 200 cm; indurated schist bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Calaveras County, California, about 2 km (1.2 miles) north of Victory Dude Ranch, off of Ponderosa Way; USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle: Rail Road Flat, California; WGS84 38.306833 latitude and -120.597025 longitude; UTM Zone 10 710107 meters E 4242595 meters N NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature at 50 cm is 11 to 15 degrees C and the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a mesic temperature regime.

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from about June to October. The soils have a xeric moisture regime.

Diagnostic Feature(s):
Ochric epipedon thickness: 6 to 20 cm
Argillic horizon thickness: 30 to 70 cm
Depth to lithic contact: 50 to 100 cm

Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

Particle size control section weighted average:
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent
Clay content: averages 18 to 30 percent clay

Base saturation: less than or equal to 75 percent in one or more subhorizons of the argillic horizon (by sum of cations).

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 45 percent
0 to 40 percent gravel
0 to 40 percent channers
0 to 20 percent cobbles
0 to 5 percent flagstones

Bt horizon(s), upper part
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent
0 to 70 percent gravel
0 to 40 percent channers
0 to 60 percent cobbles
0 to 2 percent flagstones
0 to 10 percent stones

Bt horizon(s), lower part
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent
0 to 70 percent gravel
0 to 70 percent channers
0 to 35 percent cobbles
0 to 35 percent flagstones

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Arpatutu soils are on the upper third of mountainflanks on mountain slopes, on headslopes of high hills, and in canyons. Slopes range from 15 to 90 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from phyllite, schist, and other metasedimentary rocks. Elevation is 330 to 1330 meters. The climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is about 800 to 1225 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 13 to 16 degrees C. The frost free season is 180 to 285 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lickinfork, Nedsgulch, and Wallyhill soils. The Lickinfork soils are greater than 150 cm to bedrock and are on mountainflanks. Nedsgulch soils are greater than 150 cm to bedrock and are on sideslopes of hills and on mountainflanks. The Wallyhill soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section and are on nose slopes of hills and upper third of mountainflanks.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high throughout the profile.

USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for recreation, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation is sugar pine, ponderosa pine, incense cedar, California black oak, deerbrush, Pacific dogwood, and mountain misery.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Foothills in California; MLRA 18. The series is moderately extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES PROPOSED: Calaveras County, California, 2018. Source of name is coined.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon 0 to 5 cm
Argillic Horizon 5 to 71 cm
Lithic Contact 71 cm

Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 5 to 55 cm

ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS User Pedon ID: 2015CA6303021

No certified laboratory data exist for this soil.

Soil classified using the 12th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.