LOCATION NOTNED             CA
Established Series
REV:ALD/CRM/DJE
7/98

NOTNED SERIES


The Notned series consists of very deep well drained soils that formed in colluvium or glacial material derived primarily from granitic rocks. These soils are on uplands and have slopes of 2 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 60 inches and mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Dystroxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Notned bouldery coarse sandy loam - on a northeast facing hummocky convex slope of 50 percent under a vegetative cover of red fir, white fir, sugar pine, bracken fern and gooseberry at an elevation of 6,400 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on September 7, 1979 the soil was moist throughout).

01--3 inches to 0; decomposing conifer litter.

A1--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) bouldery coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 8 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent boulders; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary.

A2--4 to 16 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong medium granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine and common medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles, medium acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A1 horizon is 7 to 16 inches).

Bw--16 to 35 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium and few coarse roots; common fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; medium acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (19 to 25 inches thick)

BC--35 to 46 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; loose very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium and few coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; medium acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)

C1--46 to 54 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very cobbly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and coarse roots; few fine interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)

C2--54 to 62 inches; very pale brown and yellow (10YR 7/4, 7/6) very cobbly loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, 5/6) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few coarse roots; few fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; medium acid (pH 5.7).

TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California; Eldorado National Forest; Placerville Ranger District. At the terminus of Strawberry Creek Road (11N22), 3 1/2 miles southeast of Sciot Camp; in the E 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of section 5, T.10 N., R.17 E., MDB&M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is 60 inches or more deep. The thickness of the solum typically is 36 to 46 inches but ranges from 26 to 56 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. The soils are usually moist between depths of 13 and 50 inches and are dry in all parts only from late July until early October. Texture is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam throughout the solum and is modified by rock fragments. Rock fragments average 35 to 65 percent of the soil below a depth of 10 inches. Typically pebbles, cobbles, stones and boulders are all present. These soils have ochric epipedons with chromas of 4 or more either at the surface or within 3 to 9 inches of the surface. Base saturation is less than 60 percent in all parts between 10 and 30 inches.

The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 6/3 or 6/4 and moist color of 10YR 2/2, 3/2, 3/3, 3/4 or 7.5YR 3/2 or 4/2. It has 5 to 25 percent pebbles, 5 to 30 percent cobbles, 0 to 20 percent stones and 0 to 25 percent boulders. This horizon is slightly acid to medium acid.

The Bw horizon has dry color of 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 6/4; 10YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/3 or 6/4 and moist color of 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4; 10YR 3/4, 3/6, 4/3, 4/4 or 4/6. It has 10 to 30 percent pebbles, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 25 percent stones and 0 to 20 percent boulders. It is medium acid to strongly acid.

The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 4/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/4, 6/6 7/2, 7/4 or 7/6, and moist color of 10YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/6, 5/3, 5/4 or 5/6. Texture is loamy sand or loamy coarse sand. It has 15 to 30 percent gravel, 5 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 30 percent stones and 0 to 10 percent boulders. This horizon is medium acid to strongly acid.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Sirretta series. Sirretta soils are less than 40 inches deep to a lithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Notned soils are on uplands. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The soils formed in colluvium or glacial material derived from granitic rocks. Elevations are 5,600 to 8,000 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 55 to 65 inches, most of which occurs as snow. Mean January temperature is 30 degrees F; mean July temperature is 60 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 39 to 45 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 50 to 75 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Tallac, Tinker and Gerle. All have umbric epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. Native vegetation is red fir, white fir, sugar pine, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, incense-cedar, whitethorn, chinquapin, manzanita, huckleberry oak, gooseberry, and bracken fern.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The northern mountain area of the Sierra Nevada Range of California. The soils of this series are not extensive; their total acreage is about 8,000 acres.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: El Dorado County (Eldorado National Forest), California, 1985.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.