LOCATION NORD CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Cumulic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Nord fine sandy loam, walnuts and permanent cover on a slope of less than 1 percent at an elevation of 280 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 11/19/74 the soil was moist throughout.)
A1--0 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 12 inches thick)
A2--9 to 18 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as few fine filaments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C1--18 to 34 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine and fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as few fine filaments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 25 inches thick)
C2--34 to 52 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and many very fine and fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as few fine filaments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 33 inches thick)
Ab1--52 to 57 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Ab2--57 to 72 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California; about 200 feet west of 11th Avenue and 500 feet south of Excelsior Avenue; about 200 feet west and 500 feet south of the northeast corner of section 2, T.18 S., R.21 E., MDB&M; Latitude 36 degrees, 24 minutes, 00 seconds north and Longitude 119 degrees, 39 minutes, 18 seconds west; USGS Laton Quadrangle;.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The moisture control section of 8 to 24 inches is moist in all parts from about December 15 to April 15. It is dry in all parts from July 15 to November. Mean annual soil temperature is 59 degrees to 64 degrees F. The organic matter is more than 1 percent at a depth of 20 inches and decreases irregularly with increasing depth. Carbonates range from noneffervescent to violently effervescent, and few fine to common medium filaments and threads. Some part of the particle-size control section always contains some carbonates. Many areas have had the amount and distribution of carbonates altered by farming activities.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 4/3, 5/1, 5/2, 5/3; 7.5YR 4/2; 2.5Y 4/2 or 5/2 and moist color of 3/1, 3/2 or 3/3. It is loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4; 7.5YR 5/4, 5/2; or 2.5Y 5/2 or 6/2 and moist color of 10YR 3/1, 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/2, 5/3; 2.5Y 3/1, 3/2, 3/3, or 4/2; 7.5YR 4/4. Dry values of 5 and moist values of 3 occur in the upper C horizon. Redoximorphic concentrations of iron occur below a depth of 4 feet in some pedons. These iron concentrations are not the result of the present day water table. The iron concentrations increase in number near old slough areas. Textures are loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Clay content is 10 to 18 percent. Some pedons have strata of loamy coarse sand to coarse sandy loam. Some pedons have silt loam and clay loam strata below a depth of 40 inches, which are unrelated to the soil horizons above. Reaction is usually neutral to moderately alkaline, but may be strongly alkaline if saline-sodic affected.
The buried A horizon is not present in all pedons. Some pedons have buried Bt horizons that are the same as the C horizons except that they have few to common, thin to moderately thick clay films on ped faces, lining pores, or bridging sand grains.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Elder, Russian (T) and Vina series. Elder, Russian and Vina soils are not calcareous in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nord soils are on flood plains and alluvial fans. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 50 to 600 feet. The climate is semiarid and has hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 12 inches. The mean January temperature is about 45 degrees F. and the mean July temperature is about 81 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 60 degrees to 64 degrees F. The frost-free period is 250 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Grangeville, Hanford, Foster, Kimberlina and Wasco soils. Foster soils have a mollic epipedon that is less than 20 inches thick and have a regular decrease in organic-carbon with increasing depth. Grangeville soils have redox depletions and aquic conditions in most years or are artificially drained. Hanford, Kimberlina and Wasco soils lack mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible to low runoff; moderate permeability, but is moderately slow in saline-sodic phases.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nord soils are under cultivation. The vegetation was annual grasses, forbs and California white oak (Quercus lobata). Oaks are still growing in many fields with the crops. Nord soils are used for such crops as irrigated alfalfa, cotton, corn, milo, barley, wheat, sugar beets, tomatoes, grapes, walnuts, peaches and other fruit and nut trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: San Joaquin Valley. Series is moderately extensive in MLRA-17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chico Area, Butte County, California, 1925.
REMARKS: Type location moved from E. Fresno Area to Kings County.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 20 inches (A1, A2, upper part of C1)