LOCATION AUBERRY                 CA

Established Series
Rev. GLH-LCL-RWK-AGB-JTW
12/2018

AUBERRY SERIES

The Auberry series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from acid intrusive igneous rocks. Auberry soils are on foothills and mountains and have slopes of 5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 560 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 17 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic Ultic Haploxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Auberry coarse sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 cm; light grayish brown, annual grass and forb litter; loose when dry, mats weakly when moist.

A--1 to 19 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, moderate fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

AB--19 to 31 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly more compact and less porous than A horizon; few fine and medium roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--31 to 42 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) heavy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular, common fine interstitial pores; appreciable pore fill and bridging with clay; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--42 to 90 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) light sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse and very coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films; strongly acid (pH 5.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of Bt horizons is 40 to 70 cm)

BC--90 to 108 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; highly micaceous; few thin clay films; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 35 cm thick)

Cr--108 to 150 cm; very pale brown peppered with dark gray, strongly weathered parent rock, varied yellowish brown and dark gray moist; granitic rock fabric clearly visible; easily excavated material crushes to loamy coarse sand; neutral (pH 6.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Fresno County, California; 0.8 km (1/2 mile) west of New Auberry on the Auberry-North Fork Road in the NW1/4 NE1/4 section 6, T.10S., R.23E. WGS84 37.095678 latitude and -119.503758 longitude. UTM Zone 11 277485 meters E 4108419 meters N, NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: the mean annual soil temperature at 50 cm depth is 15 to 17 degrees C. The difference between mean summer and winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a thermic temperature regime.

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

Diagnostic Feature(s)
Ochric epipedon thickness: 5 to 35 cm
Argillic horizon thickness: 50 to 125 cm
Depth to paralithic contact: 100 to 150 cm

Particle size control section weighted averages:
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent (mostly gravel)

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Textures: sandy loam, coarse sandy loam
Clay content: 12 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mostly gravel
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Textures: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Coarse plus Very Coarse sand content: 18 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mostly gravel
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

Base saturation (by ammonium acetate) is 50 to 75 percent in the upper 75 cm of the argillic horizon or in all parts.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Deerflat and Orangevale (MLRA 17) soils. Deerflat soils are 150 to over 200 cm a paralithic contact with metasedimentary rock. Orangevale soils formed in granitic alluvium and do not have a root-restrictive contact in the series control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Auberry soils occur on backslopes and footslopes of hillslopes and mountain slopes. They are underlain by acid intrusive igneous rocks, principally quartz diorite or grandiorite. They occur at elevations of 260 to 1150 meters. Slopes range from 5 to 75 percent. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 435 to 980 mm, of which 1 to 5 percent occurs as snow. The average January temperature is 5 degrees C. the average July temperature is 25 degrees C; and the mean annual air temperature is 14 to 17 degrees C. The average frost-free season is 215 to 315 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, and Sierra soils. Ahwahnee soils are 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact with acid intrusive igneous rock and have 14 to 18 percent clay in the upper part of the argillic horizon. Coarsegold soils are 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact with schist and have a base saturation of more than 75 percent in the upper 75 cm of the argillic horizon. Sierra soils occur on similar landforms, though tend to be higher on the landscape, have hues redder than 7.5YR, and have a paralithic contact with intrusive igneous rock at depths of 100 to over 200 cm. Tollhouse soils have a mollic epipedon and a paralithic contact above a depth of 50 cm.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; Saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil profile is moderately low to moderately high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity of the weathered bedrock is moderately low.

UE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for winter and spring range and dry summer pasture in places. Vegetation is oak woodland, annual grasses and forbs, and brush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Foothills of California; MLRA 18. The soils are extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Madera Area, California, 1959.

REMARKS:

Particle size control section recognized in this pedon: 31 to 81 cm

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 31 cm
Argillic horizon: 31 to 90 cm
Paralithic contact: 108 cm

ADDITIONAL DATA:

NASIS User Pedon ID: 2013CA654006

The soil was classified using the 12th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.