LOCATION PELTIER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Cumulic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Peltier mucky clay loam - on a less than 1 percent SW slope in a corn field at 5 feet below sea level elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on Feb. 27, 1974 the soil was moist below 2 inches.)
Ap--0 to 14 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) mucky clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; continuous thin colloid stains on mineral grains; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 16 inches thick)
A--14 to 22 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) mucky clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine, fine, medium and few coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; many moderately thick colloid stains on mineral grains; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
BA--22 to 24 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay, dark brown (10YR 4/3) and black (10YR 2/1) moist (brown and dark brown colors result after fire burning), rubbed color is very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; thin very dark gray (10YR 3/1) colloid stains on mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bw1--24 to 32 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) mucky clay loam, mixed black (10YR 2/1) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; many thin very dark gray (N 3/0) colloid stains on mineral grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bw2--32 to 45 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) mucky clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; many medium distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and many medium prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) mottles moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many thin very dark gray (N 3/0) colloid stains on mineral grains; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
2Cg--45 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay, dark greenish gray (5BG 4/1) moist; many coarse prominent olive (5Y 4/3) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) mottles moist; massive; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; slightly acid (pH 6.5).
TYPE LOCATION: San Joaquin County, California; Staten Island, 0.45 miles east of Staten Island Road, 1.25 miles south-southeast of the Staten Island Grain elevators, 2.0 miles south-southeast of Walnut Grove; or 38 degrees, 12 minutes 5 seconds north latitude, 121 degrees, 29 min., 44 seconds west longitude (in an unsectionized area) Thornton Quadrangle (old New Hope Quadrangle).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The weighted average clay content in the 10 to 40 inch control section is 35 to 45 percent clay with 15 to 45 percent fine sand or coarser. The organic matter content decreases irregularly with depth and ranges from 10 to 25 percent. Strata of silty clay or clay occur within the 10 to 40 inch zone. The mollic epipedon is 24 to 32 inches thick and has distinct mottles in the lower part. Some pedons have an ash layer about 1 to 2 inches thick in the upper 24 inches due to burning. The mean annual soil temperature is about 62 degrees F.
The Ap and A horizons are 10YR 5/1, 4/1, 3/1, 2/2; N 3/0, 4/0. Moist colors are 10YR 3/1, 2/1; N 3/0, 2/0. Reaction is moderately acid to mildly alkaline.
The Bw horizon is 10YR 3/1, 4/1, 5/2, 5/3; 2.5Y 5/2, 4/2. Moist colors are 10YR 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, 4/2; 2.5Y 4/2, 3/2. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay and clay or its mucky equivalents. Thin strata of muck may be present. Reaction is moderately acid to mildly alkaline.
The Cg horizon is 5Y 5/2; 5BG 5/1; 10YR 3/3. Moist colors are 5Y 4/2; 5BG 4/1; 10YR 3/2. Texture is clay loam, silty clay, clay or their mucky equivalents. Reaction is moderately acid to mildly alkaline. Where muck or mucky peat is present below 40 inches the colors are 10YR 3/3, 3/1, 2/2 or 2/1. Moist colors are 10YR 3/1 or 2/1. Organic matter content ranges from 35 to 65 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Egbert, Gazwell (T), Girard and Godwin soils in the same family and the Omni, Pitco, and Scribner soils in other families. Egbert soils have 2 to 10 percent organic matter in the 10 to 40 inch zone. Gazwell soils have a buried Histosol within 40 inches. Girard soils have a lithic contact of limestone between 20 to 40 inches. Godwin soils have moderately slow permeability, and medium or high phosphorus content, which washed from soils formed mainly in material weathered from phosphatic limestone. Omni and Pitco soils have mollic epipedons less than 24 inches thick and montmorillonitic mineralogy. Scribner soils are fine-loamy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Peltier soils are in islands on deltas, on flood plains and in backswamps of marshes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. These soils formed in alluvium derived dominantly from mixed sources. Elevations are 15 feet below sea level to 20 feet above sea level. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches. Mean January temperature is 47 degrees F; mean July temperature is 72 degrees F; mean annual temperature is about 60 to 62 degrees F. Frost-free period is 260 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Egbert and the Gazwell, Kingile, Rindge, Shima, Valdez and Venice soils. Gazwell soils have a buried Histosol within 40 inches. Kingile, Rindge, Shima and Venice are all organic soils. Valdez soils are fine-silty and have an ochric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability (organic substratum phase has rapid permeability below a depth of 40 inches). The drainage of these soils has been altered by the use of levees and pumps. Water tables occur between 36 and 60 inches throughout the year. Flooding is rare due to protection by levees.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for irrigated row crops such as sugar beets, tomatoes, field corn and safflower. The vegetation is annual grasses, sedges and other hydrophytic plants.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta area. The soil is moderately extensive in MLRA-16.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Joaquin County, California, 1990.
REMARKS: The Peltier series consists of a split of the wide organic matter range of the Egbert series. Egbert soils will now have a weighted average organic matter content of 2 to 10 percent in the control section.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 24 inches (Ap,A,BA).
Cumulic subgroup - mollic epipedon is 24 to 32 inches thick.
Series reclassified 5/95. Competing series not updated at that time.
The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET