LOCATION NOTCHKO CA
Established Series
REV: JPS/RLM/SAA
05/2015
NOTCHKO SERIES
The Notchko series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum from weakly consolidated fluvial, beach, dune and estuarine deposits derived from mixed sources. Notchko soils are on mountains and have slopes of 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 2160 millimeters (85 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C (52 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, parasesquic, isomesic Andic Palehumults
TYPICAL PEDON: Notchko clay loam - on a east-facing slightly convex slope of 25 percent under Douglas-fir, tanoak, Pacific madrone, California huckleberry, and salal at 427 meters (1401 feet) elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. When described May 29, 2009, the soil was moist throughout.)
A--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak medium parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 7 percent rounded gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 24 centimeters thick)
Bt1--18 to 37 centimeters (7 to 14 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on ped faces; 3 percent rounded gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--37 to 77 centimeters (14 to 30 inches); yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; moderate medium and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on bottom faces of peds and rock fragments; 3 percent rounded gravel and 2 percent rounded cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of upper Bt horizons is 50 to 80 centimeters)
Bt3--77 to 116 centimeters (30 to 46 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; moderate medium and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common medium and coarse roots; common very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; few distinct clay films on rock fragments and common distinct clay films on ped faces; 3 percent rounded gravels, 3 percent rounded paragravel, 3 percent rounded cobbles, and 2 percent rounded paracobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary.
Bt4--116 to 153 centimeters (46 to 60 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) paracobbly clay loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; moderate coarse subangular blocky parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm, hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on rock fragments and ped faces; 5 percent rounded gravel, 5 percent rounded paragravel, 5 percent rounded cobbles, and 10 percent rounded paracobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of lower Bt horizons is 50 to 130 centimeters)
CBt--153 to 178 centimeters (60 to 70 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly clay loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; structureless massive; very friable, soft, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium interstitial pores; few distinct clay films on rock fragments; 40 percent angular gravel and 3 percent angular cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0). (0 to 80 centimeters thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, California; located off Johnson road; about 2400 feet East and 75 feet North of the southwest corner of Section 19, T 11N, R 3E; 41 degrees, 19 minutes, 7.60 seconds north latitude and 123 degrees, 52 minutes, 38.10 seconds west longitude, HBLM; USGS Holter Ridge Quadrangle; UTM Zone 10 426579mE 4574518mN; NAD83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil is usually moist in all parts in the soil moisture control section in most years, and becomes dry in the upper part from about July 15 to October 15 in most years. The soils have an Ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F). The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature is 3 to 5 degrees C.
Organic Matter: There is 12 to 20 kg per square meter of organic carbon to a depth of one meter.
CEC to clay ratio is 16 to 30 meq/100g in the major part of the argillic horizon.
Reaction is moderately or strongly acid throughout. Base saturation is 3 to 25 percent between depths of 25 to 200 centimeters.
Particle-Size Control Section (weighted average):
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent clay.
Some pedons have O horizons.
O horizon
Hue: 10YR.
Value: 2 through 6 dry and moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4 dry and moist.
Texture: slightly decomposed organic material.
Wood fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Reaction: moderately to very strongly acid.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6 dry and moist.
Texture of fine earth: clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Bt horizon (upper)
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 8 dry and moist.
Texture of fine earth: clay loam, or silty clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent.
Bt horizon (lower)
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 8 dry and moist.
Texture of fine earth: clay loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent paragravel, 0 to 25 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent paracobbles.
Clay content: 18 to 40 percent.
Some pedons do not have a CBt horizon.
CBt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 8 dry, 3 through 8 moist.
Texture of fine earth: clay loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent paragravel, 2 to 25 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent paracobbles.
Clay content: 18 to 40 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Mettah series. Mettah soils have an Udic soil moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Notchko soils occur on moderately broad ridges and upper slopes of mountains. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevations are 80 to 700 meters (260 to 2300 feet). The soils formed in colluvium and residuum from weakly consolidated fluvial, beach, dune and estuarine deposits derived from mixed sources. The climate is humid with cool foggy summers and cool moist winters. Coastal influence limits the annual and diurnal range in temperature. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1780 to 2290 millimeters (70 to 90 inches). Mean January temperature is about 9 degrees C; mean July temperature is about 14 degrees C; and the mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F). Frost-free season is 240 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Scaath,
Rockysaddle, and
Wiregrass soils. Scaath and Rockysaddle soils have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.Wiregrass soils have 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle size control section. Scaath soils are 50 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) deep to a lithic contact. The Scaath soils are on narrow spur ridges and convex slopes. The Wiregrass soils are alongside the Rockysaddle soils on colluvium of lower rock content.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; moderately slow to slow saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil has been used for commercial timber and is used for recreation, wildlife and watershed. Natural vegetation consists of Douglas-fir, redwood, tanoak, California huckleberry, Pacific madrone, Pacific rhododendron, salal, and brackenfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: California Coastal Redwood Belt; MLRA 4B. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Humboldt Del Norte Area, California 2013. Source of name is the place name of Notchko, California on the Klamath river about four miles south of Johnson, California.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 18 centimeters.
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 18 to 178 centimeters.
3. Ultisol feature - base saturation of 7 percent at 125 centimeters below the upper boundary of the argillic horizon
4. Humult feature - 13.4 kg/m2 of organic carbon to a depth of 1 meter
5. Parasesquic mineralogy - There is 11 percent dithionite-extractable sesquioxides in the clay fraction of the particle-size control section
6. Palehumult features - Clay remains at least 80 percent of its maximum to a depth of 178 centimeters
7. CEC to clay ratio is 16 to 30 cmol/kg of clay in the major part of the argillic horizon
8. Particle-size control section - the zone from 18 to 68 centimeters, averages 37 percent clay, and 3 percent rock fragments.
9. Andic Palehumult features - horizon greater than 18 centimeters thick within the upper 75 centimeters with bulk density of less than 1.0 g/cm3 and Al plus Fe percentages (by ammonium oxalate) totaling more than 1.0
ADDITIONAL DATA: Supporting data from similar pedon (Mettah: NSSL, Lincoln Lab sample number 03N0671) in the same geographical area was used to identify Ultisol, Humult, Parasesquic, and Andic features in this series. NASIS User Pedon ID 09CA605024.
Soil classified using the 11th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.