LOCATION FIEDLER CA
Established Series
Rev. SAA/ET
07/2016
FIEDLER SERIES
The Fiedler series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from weakly consolidated siltstone, sandstone and conglomerate. Fiedler soils are on mountains. Slopes range from 15 to 75 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1275 millimeters and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, isomesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fiedler silt loam on a southwest facing 29 percent slope under a canopy of coast redwood, western swordfern and poison oak in the understory, at an elevation of 253 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on 5/13/1999 the soil was moist to 152 centimeters.
Oi--0 to 3 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) rubbed slightly decomposed plant material, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; 80 percent unrubbed fiber, 50 percent rubbed; slightly acid, pH 6.4;clear smooth boundary.
A--3 to 30 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots throughout; many very fine irregular pores; slightly acid, pH 6.2; clear smooth boundary. (A horizon is 25 to 38 centimeters thick)
Bt1--30 to 52 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, very fine, and common medium roots throughout; common fine irregular and common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay films on surfaces along root channels and 5 percent faint clay films on surfaces along pores; moderately acid, pH 6.0; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--52 to 105 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine, very fine, and common medium and coarse roots throughout, common fine irregular and common very fine irregular pores; 15 percent faint clay films on surfaces along root channels and 15 percent faint clay films on surfaces along pores; moderately acid, pH 5.8; clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--105 to 152 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) broken face clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm, hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots throughout; common very fine irregular pores; 15 percent clay films on surfaces along root channels and 15 percent faint clay films on surfaces along pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid, pH 5.8. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 122 to 145 centimeters)
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, California; located about 6.3 kilometers off Rt. 36 on c1000 to C1400, 6.6 kilometers west on C1400; USGS Hydesville quadrangle, CA; WGS84 Decimal degrees 40.5365278 latitude and -125.0273333 longitude; UTM zone 10 413071e, 4488057n; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil moisture control section from 11 to 33 centimeters is not dry in any part for as long as 90 cumulative days in normal years. The soils have a udic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature at 50 centimeters is 10 to 13 degrees C. The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature is less than 6 degrees C. The soils have an isomesic soil temperature regime.
The umbric or mollic epipedon is 18 to 49 centimeters thick.
Surface fragments: 0 percent strongly cemented sandstone gravel
Depth to redoximorphic features: greater than 100 centimeters
Particle size control section (weighted average):
Rock fragments: 0 to 14 strongly cemented gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 5 percent moderately cemented mudstone and sandstone paragravel
Clay content: 24 to 30 percent
Oi horizon:
Value: 2 through 3, 2 to 4 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2, moist or dry
Texture: slightly decomposed plant material
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2, dry or moist
Texture of fine earth: loam
Clay content: 16 to 26 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent strongly cemented gravel
Reaction: moderately to slightly acid
Upper Bt horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4, moist or dry
Texture of fine earth: loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 24 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 14 percent strongly cemented mudstone and sandstone gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 5 percent weakly cemented mudstone, sandstone or conglomerate paragravel
Reaction: moderately to slightly acid
Lower Bt horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 6 or 7 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture of fine earth: loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 26 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 59 percent strongly cemented gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 5 percent weakly cemented mudstone, sandstone or conglomerate paragravel
Reaction: strongly to moderately acid
Some pedons have a C horizon:
Hue: 10 YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma: 2 to 3, dry or moist
Texture of fine earth: loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam,
Clay content: 26 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 50 percent strongly cemented gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 5 percent moderately cemented mudstone or sandstone paragravel
Reaction: strongly to moderately acid
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fiedler soils are on linear to concave positions on backslopes on mountains. Slopes are 5 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 30 to 450 meters. These soils formed in colluvium derived from weakly consolidated siltstone, sandstone and conglomerate. The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers and cool, wet winters. Mean annual precipitation is 1000 to 2160 millimeters and the mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C. The frost-free period is about 240 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Nanningcreek (CA) and
Petellen (CA) soils. Nanningcreek have redoximorphic features from 50 to 100 centimeters and are found on linear to convex positions on mountain slopes. Petellen soils contain more than 35 percent rock fragments and are found on convex to slightly concave positions on mountains slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high or very high runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for timber production, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Natural vegetation includes coast redwood, Douglas-fir, grand fir, red alder, poison oak, California huckleberry, coyote brush, western swordfern, blue blossom, and thimbleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Redwood Belt; MLRA 4B. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Central Humboldt County Soil Survey, California 2016; proposed 1999. The name is from Fiedler Creek.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Mollic epipedon: The zone from 3 to 30 centimeters (A horizon)
2. Argillic horizon: The zone from 30 to 152 centimeters (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)
3. Particle-size control section: The zone from 30 to 80 centimeters averages 28 percent clay and 25 percent fine sand or coarser (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 99CA600161 The Type Location was moved in 2013 to better reflect the series concept.
Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th edition
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.