LOCATION TIGER CREEK CA

Established Series
Rev. GMK/JEM/AJP/TKK/JW
12/2018

TIGER CREEK SERIES

The Tiger Creek series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils developed from colluvium and/or residuum from impure limestone or marble. Tiger Creek soils are on steep to extremely steep mountain slopes, ridges, and high hills. Slopes are 3 to 90 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 955 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 15 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Rhodoxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Tiger Creek stony loam on a northwest facing, 88 percent slope under coniferous forest with some oak and bracken fern at an elevation of 683 meters. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 5 cm; needles, duff, and decomposing litter.

A--5 to 20 cm; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) stony loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine pores; 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline. (3 to 18 cm thick).

BAt--20 to 43 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) stony loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) when moist; massive parting to very fine subangular blocks; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine, few fine pores; few thin discontinuous clay films in pores; 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear, smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick).

Bt--43 to 71 cm; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) stony clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) when moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine to coarse roots; many very fine, few fine and medium pores; many thick continuous clay films in pores and on mineral grains; 20 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual, smooth boundary. (20 to 33 cm thick).

BCt1--71 to 96 cm; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) very stony loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) when moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine to coarse roots; many very fine pores; common thin continuous clay films in pores; 50 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5) diffuse boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick).

BCt2--96 to 141 cm+; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) extremely stony loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) when moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine to medium roots; many very fine pores; thin continuous clay films in pores but less than above horizon; stones about 90 percent by volume; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); lower boundary undetermined.

TYPE LOCATION: Amador County, California, about 0.8 km (1/2 miles) southeast of the town of Volcano, CA along the south branch of Sutter Creek, in the southeast 1/4 of the northwest 1/4 of sec. 35, T. 7 N., R. 13 E. USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle: Pine Grove, California; WGS84 38.4218700 latitude -120.6250940 longitude. UTM Zone 10 707324 meters E 4255295 meters N NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature at 50 cm is 12 to 15 degrees C and the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a mesic temperature regime.

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

Diagnostic features:
Ochric epipedon thickness: 5 to 20 cm
Argillic horizon thickness: greater than 50 cm
Depth to lithic contact: greater than 100 cm

Particle size control section weighted averages:
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 to 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline

Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 10R
Value: 3 or 4 dry; 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tiger Creek soils are on mountain slopes, ridges, and high hills. Slopes are 3 to 90 percent. These soils formed in colluvium or residuum derived from impure limestone or marble. In some Tiger Creek soils the colluvium is derived from non-calcareous metasedimentary rocks such as schist, phyllite, argillite and/or quartzite. Elevation ranges from 540 to 915 meters. The climate is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 885 to 1085 mm, some of which falls as snow. The mean annual air temperature is about 14 to 16 degrees C. Average January air temperature is about 7 degrees C and average July air temperature is about 24 degrees C. The average frost free season ranges from 215 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arpatutu, Mercercave, Nedsgulch, Sites, and Wallyhill soils. The Arpatutu, Nedsgulch, Sites, and Wallyhill soils formed in non-calcareous metasedimentary rocks such as schist, argillite, phyllite, and quartzite. The Arpatutu soils are on concave hillslopes, have greater than 35 percent fragments in the particle-size control section, and a lithic contact between 50 and 100 cm below the mineral soil surface. Nedsgulch soils are in similar positions and have 7.5YR or 5YR hues in the upper Bt horizons. The Sites soils are on mountains and ridges and have clay contents greater than 35 percent in the particle-size control section, and a percent base saturation of less than 35 percent at 125 cm below the upper boundary of the argillic. The Wallyhill soils are on convex hillslopes and have paralithic contact between 50 and 100 cm. Mercercave soils form in marble on shoulders and upper backslopes of hills and have greater than 35 percent fragments in the particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity throughout.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for timber production. Some areas are mined. Native vegetation is coniferous forest intermixed with hardwood species. Conifers include incense cedar, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, with black oak and canyon live oak as the principal associated hardwood species. Understory species include toyon, manzanita, California buckthorn, poison oak, and bracken fern.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Mountains of California; MLRA 22A. The series is not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Amador County, California, 1960. Source of the name is from Tiger Creek, an upper tributary to the Mokelumne River.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 20 cm (Oi and A horizon)
Argillic horizon: 20 to 141 cm (BAt, Bt, BCt1, and BCt2 horizon)

Particle size control section for this pedon: 20 to 70 cm

The original range in characteristics stated that the soil depth ranges from 60 to over 152 cm. There is a moderately deep unnamed minor component mapped with the Tiger Creek soil in the Amador Area, CA soil survey area. Soil survey update work in that area should investigate if a moderately deep named component in that map unit is warranted. The soil depth for this series is now confined to the deep and very deep classes. The bedrock is assumed to be lithic based on observations of the moderately deep Mercercave soils, which are found on a similar geologic unit in the Central Sierra Foothills Area, CA soil survey area. Further investigation is needed to determine if there is bedrock contact at this type location.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS User Pedon ID: 1965CA005003
Pedon Purpose: Soil survey inventory

No certified laboratory data exists for this soil.

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

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.