LOCATION SAILBOAT CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, nonacid, thermic Aquic Xerofluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Sailboat silt loam - on a nearly level slope in a pear orchard with a grass cover crop at 2 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described (September 20, 1979) the soil was moist throughout).
Ap--0 to 6 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A--6 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and few fine tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 18 inches thick)
C--16 to 28 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; common fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 20 inches thick)
2Akb--28 to 34 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, lime segregated in common rounded fine soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
2C--34 to 49 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) mottles, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, very fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (14 to 27 inches thick)
2Ck--49 to 62 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) mottles, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and medium tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent, lime segregated in few faint irregularly shaped soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Sacramento County, California; about 4 miles south of the town of Courtland; 1,250 feet north of the Club Lido on levee road and 1,250 feet east on dirt road, about 45 feet south of center of dirt road, long. 121 degrees 34' 59" W., lat. 38 degrees 16' 23" N. unsectionized part of Grand Island.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the buried A horizon is 20 to 45 inches. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 63 to 65 degrees F. The soil between the depths of 6 to 18 inches is moist in all parts from October to mid-May and dry in all parts from mid-June to mid-October. The clay content of the 10 to 40 inch control section is 18 to 35 percent and averages more that 15 percent fine sand or coarser. The organic matter content decreases irregularly with depth.
The Ap and A horizons are 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 7/3 or 7/4. Moist color is 10YR 4/2,4/3, 4/4, 5/3, or 5/4. Clay content is 15 to 27 percent.
The C horizon is stratified sandy loam, loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline. Dry color is 10YR 7/4, 6/3, 5/3, 5/2, 5/1, 4/3 or 4/2. Moist color is 10YR 5/4, 4/4, 4/3, 4/2, 3/3, 3/2 or 3/1.
The Akb horizon is 10YR 4/1, 4/2, 4/3, 5/1, 5/2, 5/3, 6/2, 6/3 or 2.5Y 5/2 with mottles of 10YR 5/6, 5/8 or 6/6. Moist color is 2.5Y 4/2; 10YR 3/1,3/2, 3/3, 4/1, 4/2 or 4/3 with moist mottle colors of 10YR 4/6, 5/6 or 5/8. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, loam or sandy clay loam. Reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline. It is slightly to strongly calcareous.
The 2C and 2Ck horizons are 10YR 5/3, 6/3, 7/2 or 2.5Y 6/2 with mottles of 10YR 5/6, 5/8 or 6/6. Moist color is 10YR 4/2, or 2.5Y 4/2 with mottles of 10YR 3/6 4/6, 5/6 or 5/8. They are stratified loam or silt loam with 10 to 27 percent clay or have textures similar to the 2Akb horizon. Reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Leesville (T) series. Leesville soils have mollic colors in the epipedon and have 25 to 65 percent gravel.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sailboat soils are on natural levees of large rivers and sloughs and on narrow low flood plains of rivers and streams. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in medium textured recent alluvium from mixed sources. Elevation ranges from -10 to 140 feet. The climate is characterized by having hot dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 13 to 20 inches. The mean January temperature is 45 degrees F, mean July temperature is 75 degrees F and the mean annual temperature is 58 to 61 degrees F. Frost-free season is 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Laugenour, Scribner and Valpac soils. Laugenour soils have a coarse-loamy control section. Scribner and Valpac soils have a Mollic epipedon. Scribner soils are on edges of backswamps. Valpac soils are on natural levees of high flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability. Occasional flooding occurs in unprotected areas and rare flooding occurs in protected areas during prolonged periods of rainfall in the winter and early spring months. Flooding lasts from 2 to 30 days. Some areas are drained due to ground water overdraft. In areas along major rivers, a water table occurs from December through April at depths of 36 to 60 inches, due to seepage.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for irrigated cropland or orchards. Common crops grown are corn, alfalfa, sugarbeets, wheat, asparagus, tomatoes, safflower and pears. Where not cultivated, vegetation consists of annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Natural levees and flood plains of the Sacramento River and its tributaries in Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sacramento County Soil Survey Area, 1987.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 16 inches (Ap, A)
Aquic subgroup - Assumed to be saturated in winter and spring at a depth of 36 to 60 inches.
Fluvent - organic carbon decreases irregularly with increasing depth.