LOCATION FALLAGER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Durixeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fallager loam, on a south facing 1 percent slope under a cover of goldfields, navarretia, ryegrass, brodiaea, Mediterranean barley, cowbag clover, popcorn flowers and tarweed at an elevation of 237 feet, (72 m). When described on 3/27/01 the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 1 inches, (0 to 3 cm); light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; 25 percent clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent medium irregular oxidized iron masses along ped faces; 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent gravel; slightly acid, pH 6.5 by Hellige-Truog; abrupt smooth boundary. (0.5 to 2 inches, (1 to 5 cm) thick)
Bt1--1 to 3 inches, (3 to 8 cm); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; 35 percent clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 60 percent continuous distinct clay films; 15 percent fine spherical manganese masses throughout; 10 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; slightly acid, pH 6.5 by Hellige-Truog; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches, (0 to 10 cm) thick)
2Bt2--3 to 7 inches, (8 to 18 cm); reddish brown (5YR 5/3) gravelly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; 43 percent clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, very sticky, very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 80 percent continuous distinct clay films; 15 percent fine irregular manganese masses throughout; 10 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; neutral, pH 6.7 by Hellige-Truog; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches, (5 to 10 cm) thick)
3Bqm--7 inches, (18 cm); very strongly cemented duripan, cemented by silica; 10 percent medium platy manganese masses at top of horizon; 20 percent cobbles and 60 percent gravel; slightly alkaline, pH 7.5 by Hellige-Truog.
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, California, about 1.1 miles east of the intersection of Highway 99 and Highway 149, approximately 1350 feet south and 600 feet west of the northeast corner of Section 6, Township 20 N., Range 3 E., 39 degrees, 37 minutes, 18 seconds North latitude and 121 degrees, 40 minutes, 18 seconds West longitude, NAD83 - U.S.G.S Quad: Shippee, California.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to duripan is 4 to 10 inches, (10 to 25 cm) and is underlain by volcanic sediments or volcanic sandstone and tuff. The mean annual soil temperature is 62 to 65 degrees F, (17 to 18 degrees C). The particle-size control section averages 35 to 40 percent clay and 10 to 35 percent rock fragments, mostly gravel. Mineralogy is mixed. A fluctuating water table can occur between the top of the duripan and the surface of the soil from November through March. Redoximorphic features such as oxidized iron and iron-manganese masses occur in the A, Bt and 2Bt horizons and iron-manganese capping 1 to 3 mm thick on top of the 3Bqm. Rock fragments on the surface range from 0 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 25 percent cobbles.
The A horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/3, 6/4, 6/6 or 5YR 6/3. Moist color is 7.5YR 4/3, 5/4 or 5YR 4/3. Texture is loam, gravelly loam, cobbly loam, cobbly clay loam or gravelly silty clay loam. Clay content ranges from 20 to 30 percent. Rock fragments range from 5 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid.
The Bt horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/4, 5YR 4/3, 5/4 or 6/6. Moist color is 5YR 3/3, 4/3, 4/4 or 7.5YR 4/3. Texture is gravelly clay loam, clay loam, cobbly clay loam or silty clay loam. Clay content ranges from 35 to 40 percent. Rock fragments range from 5 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral.
The 2Bt horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/3, 5/4, 5YR 5/3 or 10YR 5/3. Moist color is 5YR 4/3, 7.5YR 4/3 or 10YR 5/2. Texture is clay, gravelly clay or very gravelly clay. Clay content ranges from 40 to 60 percent. Rock fragments range from 10 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent cobbles. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fallager soils are in swales on strath terraces in Cascade foothills and fan terraces in the Sacramento Valley. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from volcanic rocks. Elevation is 100 to 540 feet, (30 to 165 m). Mean annual precipitation is 23 to 35 inches, (584 to 889 mm). The mean annual temperature is 60 to 62 degrees F, (16 to 17 degrees C). Frost free season is 250 to 255 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tuscan, Redtough and Anita soils. Tuscan and Redtough soils are on mounds and are shallow to a duripan. Anita soils are in clay swales and basins and are shallow and smectitic.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very high runoff; moderate to moderately slow saturated hydraulic conductivity in the A horizon, moderately slow in the Bt horizon, slow in the 2Bt horizon and impermeable in the 3Bqm horizon. Water frequently ponds up to 1 inch, (2.5 cm) above the surface for brief duration from December through March. A fluctuating water table can occur between the top of the duripan and the surface of the soil from November through April. Surface water flows through inter-connected swales during periods of intense rainfall events.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and home site development. Vegetation is annual ryegrass, navarretia, soft chess, goldfields and brodiaea.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Butte County, California and occur in 262Ab (Northern Eastside Terraces) subsection of the 262A (Great Valley) section. MLRA 17 - Sacramento Valley. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Butte County, California 2005. Source of name from Fallager Creek.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - zone from 0 to 7 in, (0 to 18 cm)
Ochric epipedon - zone from 0 to 1 in, (0 to 3 cm) (A)
Argillic horizon - zone from 1 to 7 in, (3 to 18 cm) (Bt, 2Bt2)
Duripan - 7 in, (18 cm)
The soil moisture control section - zone at 7 inches, (18 cm) is dry in all parts from about April to October (about 180 days).