LOCATION BELLOTA CA
Established Series
Rev. AJT-MAM-MAV-CEJ-AGB-TKK-JW
12/2018
BELLOTA SERIES
The Bellota series consists of moderately deep to duripan, well and moderately well drained soils formed in material weathered from weakly to moderately consolidated andesitic tuffaceous sediments overlain by alluvium from mixed rock sources. Bellota soils are on hills. Slope ranges from 2 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 430 mm. Mean annual temperature is about 16 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Abruptic Durixeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bellota sandy loam on an 8 percent, concave, east-facing slope under soft chess, medusa head, tarweed and other annual grasses and forbs at an elevation of 65 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on October 8, 1987, the soil was dry to a depth of 43 cm and slightly moist below).
A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) root stains, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent rounded gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary.
A2--8 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent rounded gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 15 to 30 cm)
Bt1--23 to 43 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular, common fine tubular and few medium tubular pores; common thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 15 percent rounded gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--43 to 58 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/2) and brown (7.5YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial and few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films bridging mineral grains; less than 15 percent rounded cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 15 to 40 cm)
2Btss1--58 to 79 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate very coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films bridging mineral grains; common slickensides; 5 percent rounded gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.
2Btss2--79 to 89 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films bridging mineral grains; intersecting slickensides form sphenoids 1/2 to 2 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches long; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Btss horizons is 10 to 35 cm)
2Bqm--89 to 94 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) duripan, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; pink (7.5YR 7/4) opal coats bridging mineral grains and laminar bands lining fractures, brown (7.5YR 4/4) and reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) moist; few medium black (10YR 2/1) dry and moist, manganese stains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick).
2Cr--94 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) weakly consolidated basic andesitic tuffaceous sandstone, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: San Joaquin County, California; about 9.3 km (5.75 miles) northeast of Linden; 1,200 feet south and 20 feet west of the northeast corner of section 30, T.3 N., R.9 E., MDBM. USGS 7.5 minute Topographic Quadrangle: Linden, California. WGS84 38.0866373 latitude and -121.0188587 longitude. UTM Zone 10 673742 meters E, 4217281 meters N NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: Mean annual soil temperature is 17 to 18 degrees C at 50 cm depth and remains above 8 degrees C throughout the year. The difference between mean summer and winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a thermic temperature regime.
Soil moisture: 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: 15 to 30 cm
Argillic horizon thickness: 15 to 40 cm
Depth to duripan: 50 to 100 cm (underlain by a paralithic contact)
Particle size control section weighted averages:
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent (rounded) gravel
Abrupt textural change (at 2Bt horizon): 20 to 30 percent within 3 cm
Dominant mineralogy of the 2Bt horizon is assumed to be smectitic due to intersecting slickensides.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5 YR, 10YR,
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loam
Clay content: 12 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Upper 18 cm averages less than 0.6 percent organic carbon
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Rock fragments 20 to 35 percent
15 to 25 percent gravel
5 to 15 percent cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
A stone line commonly occurs at the base of the Bt horizon.
2Btss horizon(s)
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR,
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
2Bqm horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry; 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6 dry or moist
Cementation: weakly to strongly cemented (with indurated opal coatings and laminar bands)
Some pedons have a 2BCtq horizon beneath the 2Bqm. Colors are similar to the 2Bqm horizon,
The 2Cr has colors similar to the 2Bqm horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Bellota soils are on footslope positions on hillslopes at elevations of 40 to 105 meters. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent and are commonly concave. These soils formed in material weathered from consolidated andesitic tuffaceous sediments overlain by colluvium derived from remnant terrace alluvium of mixed origin. Climate is Mediterranean with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 400 to 450 mm. Mean annual temperature is about 16 degrees C; average January temperature is 7 degrees C, and the average July temperature is 25 degrees C. The frost-free period is 250 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Hicksville,
Keyes,
Pardee,
Pentz and
Peters soils. Hicksville soils lack a duripan and are on low stream terraces. Keyes soils have greater than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and a duripan at less than 50 cm. They are on fans, terraces and low hills with mound-swale microrelief. Pentz (backslopes) and Peters (toeslopes) soils do not have a duripan and have a paralithic contact at 25 to 50 cm. Pardee soils have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and occur on summits of ridges that are erosion remnants of alluvial plains, and in areas with cobbly colluvium derived from upslope alluvial deposits.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well and moderately well drained; saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the A horizon and Bt horizons and moderately low in the lower argillic (2Btss). Saturated hydraulic conductivity of the duripan is very low to low.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for livestock grazing. Vegetation is soft chess, mouse barley, annual ryegrass, filaree, and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Foothills of California; MLRA 18. The series is not extensive.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Joaquin County, California, 1990.
REMARKS:
Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 23 to 73 cm
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 23 cm (A1, A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon: 23 to 89 cm (Bt1, Bt2, 2Btss1, 2Btss2 horizons)
Duripan: 89 to 94 cm (2Bqm horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity: at 58 cm; indicated by change of coarse fragment content from 25 percent in the Bt2 horizon to 5 percent in the 2Bt horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS User Pedon ID: 05CA632903
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.