LOCATION DIAMOND SPRINGS    CA
Established Series
Rev. JHR/GMK/LCL
02/2003

DIAMOND SPRINGS SERIES


Typically Diamond Springs soils have pale brown and very pale brown, medium and very strongly acid A horizons and very pale brown, very strongly acid, clay loam B2t horizons that grade to weathered fine grained acid igneous rock.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Haploxerults

TYPICAL PEDON: Diamond Springs very fine sandy loam - oak, grass, ponderosa pine. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A11--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)

A12--3 to 9 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine, many medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine and fine, common medium tubular pores; few krotovinas; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)

B1t--9 to 14 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; common very fine and fine, many medium roots; many very fine and fine, common medium tubular pores; common thin clay films lining pores; few krotovinas; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)

B21t--14 to 20 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4, 7/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine, common medium roots; many very fine and fine, common medium tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films lining pores and as bridges; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)

B22t--20 to 28 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common very fine and few fine pores; continuous moderately thick, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay films lining pores and as bridges; very strongly acid (ph 4.5); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)

C1--28 to 36 inches; white (10YR 8/2) clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; many moderately thick clay films lining pores and as bridges; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)

C2--36 to 40 inches; white (10YR 8/2) with brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mineral grains, coarse sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; many moderately thick and thick clay films in fracture planes; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear irregular boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)

C3--40 to 50 inches; well weathered meta-dacite with few clay films in rock fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California; 0/5 miles west of El Dorado, 75 feet east of Missouri Flat Road, 0.1 mile west and 0.15 mile south of the apparent NE corner of sec. 34, T. 10N., R. 10E., MDM.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of weathered rock is 25 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is about 55 to 59 degrees F. The soil between depths of about 5 and 15 inches usually is continually dry in all parts from late May or June until some time in October and is moist in the same or all parts all the rest of the year. Some pedons have as much as 10 percent rock fragments in some or all horizons. Some pedons have 0 5 to 5 percent of the surface covered by stones or cobblestones without stones lower in the profile.

The A horizon is very pale brown or light brownish gray to brown (10YR 6/2, 6/3, 7/3, 6/4, 5/2; 7 5YR 6/2, 6/4, 5/2 ). Moist values are two units lower. Dry value of 5 and moist value of 3 is confined to the upper 3 to 7 inches in those pedons having these values. The A horizon is sandy loam to very fine sandy loam. It has weak or moderate granular or medium to fine subangular blocky structure or the A horizon is massive in some or all parts. The A horizon is slightly to very strongly acid. Its lower boundary is gradual or clear and in addition some pedons have a transitional A3 or B1 horizon.

The B2t horizon is very pale brown to reddish yellow (10YR 7/2, 7/3, 7/4, 8/4, 6/3, 6/4; 7.5YR 6/4, 7/4, 7/6, 5/6, 5/8.) Some pedons have coarse blotches of redder color (5YR 5/6 or 5/8). The B2t horizon is heavy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. It has weak angular blocky or weak to moderate subangular blocky structure or the horizon is massive in some or all parts. This horizon is strongly or very strongly acid and has base saturation of about 20 to 35 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Goldridge, Josephine, Lyonsville and Stump Springs series. Goldridge soils lack a paralithic contact and lack strong brown colors and dry value or 6 or 7 in the B2t horizon. Josephine soils have a paralithic contact 40 to 60 inches below the surface. Lyonsville soils have a mean annual soil temperature of less than 47 degrees F. Stump Springs soils have an abrupt A-B2t horizon boundary and a base saturation of more than 35 percent in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Diamond Springs soils are on gentle to steep slopes at elevations of 1,000 to 4,000 feet. They formed in residuum weathered from fine grained metamorphosed acid igneous and rhyolitic rocks. The climate is subhumid mesothermal with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 30 to 50 inches, much of which is rain. The mean annual temperature is about 54 degrees F., average January temperature about 41 degrees F., and average July temperature about 66 degrees F. The freeze-free season is about 140 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Auberry, Auburn, Boomer, Chaix, Goulding and Kanaka soils. Auberry soils have a base saturation of 50 to 75 percent and a paralithic contact 40 to 60 inches below the surface. Auburn soils have a lithic contact less than 20 inches below the surface. Boomer soils have hue of 5YR or redder in the argillic horizon. Chaix, Goulding and Kanaka soils lack an argillic horizon and Goulding soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for deciduous orchards, woodland and annual range. Native vegetation is live oak, blue oak, black oak, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, white fir and Digger pine with an understory of brush, annual grasses, and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and northern Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains of California. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Placerville Area, California, 1927.

REMARKS: The Diamond Springs soils were formerly classified as Red-Yellow Podzolic soils.

The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 10/72.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.