LOCATION OROSE CA

Established Series
Rev. DJL/WBS/CEJ/ET/AGB/TKK/JW
12/2018

OROSE SERIES

The Orose series consists of shallow, well drained soils formed in material from basic intrusive igneous rocks, mainly gabbrodiorite. Orose soils are on foothills and have slopes of 3 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 700 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 16 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Ultic Haploxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Orose sandy loam - on a west-facing slope of 8 percent under California foothill pine, blue oak, interior live oak, shrubs and annual grasses at an elevation of 586 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on August 27, l985, the soil was dry throughout.)

A--0 to 5 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 18 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; 5 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bt2--18 to 33 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; 5 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0) clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

Bt3--33 to 43 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; common thin clay films bridging sand grains and few thin clay films lining pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0) abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Cr--43 to 76 cm; olive gray (5Y 5/2) weathered gabbrodiorite; slightly acid (pH 6.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Yuba County, California; about 3 km (1.9 miles) north of Marysville Road on Indiana School Road; then 700 feet south on dirt road. About 2,300 feet north and 2200 feet west of the southeast corner of section 30, T.l8 N., R.7 E., MDBM, Challenge Quadrangle. WGS84 39.387970 latitude and -121.229360 longitude. UTM Zone 10 652487 meters E 4361327 meters N, NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 15 to 17 degrees C. The difference between mean summer and winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a thermic temperature regime.

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from about May to October. The soils have a xeric moisture regime.

Diagnostic Feature(s):
Ochric epipedon thickness: 2 to 20 cm
Argillic horizon thickness: 15 to 40 cm
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 50 cm

Particle size control section weighted averages:
Clay content: 10 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Textures: sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
0 to 5 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
0 to 3 percent stones
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid

Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Textures: sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam
Clay content: 10 to 28 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
0 to 20 percent gravel
0 to 10 percent cobbles
0 to 3 percent stones
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bonanza and Dunstone soils. Bonanza soils have a lithic contact within 25 cm of the paralithic contact (within the series control section). Dunstone soils have metavolcanic rock fragments in the particle size control section and a paralithic contact with metavolcanic rock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Orose soils are on backslopes and shoulders of hills. Slopes range from 3 to 30 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from basic intrusive igneous rock, mainly gabbrodiorite. Elevations are 390 to 805 meters. The average annual precipitation is 770 to 1400 mm. The average January temperature is 8 degrees C.; the average July temperature is 26 degrees C; mean annual air temperature is 14 to 16 degrees C. The frost-free season is 205 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Flanly, Mildred, Sierra and Verjeles soils. All except Sierra are 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact of intrusive igneous rock. Flanly soils occur on backslopes of hill slopes. Mildred soils occur on mountain slopes and have greater than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section. Sierra soils occur on backslopes of hill slopes and are 100 to 200 cm to a paralithic contact of intrusive igenous rock. Verjeles soils occur on footslope positions and are moderately well drained.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high throughout the soil profile; Saturated hydraulic conductivity of the weathered bedrock is very low to low.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed and homesites. Natural vegetation is blue oak, interior live oak and California foothill pine with an understory of brush, forbs and annual grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Foothills of California; MLRA 18. The series is not extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yuba County, California, 1988.

REMARKS:

Particle size control section for this pedon: 5 to 43 cm

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 5 cm
Argillic horizon: 5 to 43 cm
Paralithic contact: 43 cm

Some of the Orose soils were mapped as Cieneba in the "Soils of Yuba Area". University of California, Davis, and Yuba County. l969.

ADDITIONAL DATA:

NASIS User Pedon ID: 1992CA115004

No certified laboratory data exist for this soil.

The soil was classified using the 12th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.