LOCATION TIGER CREEK CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Rhodoxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Tiger stony loam (on a NW slope of 88 percent at 2,240 feet elevation under coniferous forest with some oak and bracken fern).
A0--2 to 0 inches; Needles, duff, and decomposing litter.
A1--0 to 6 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) stoney loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 2/3) when moist; strong very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; abundant very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine pores; stones 10 percent by volume; mildly alkaline
B1--6 to 15 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) stoney loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) when moist; massive breaking to very fine subangular blocks; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; plentiful very fine, few fine and medium roots; abundant very fine, few fine pores; few thin discontinuous clay films in pores; stones 10 percent by volume; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear, smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick).
B2--15 to 26 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) very strong clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 2/6) 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; stones 20 percent by volume; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual, smooth boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick).
B31--26 to 36 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5Y 3/4) very stony loam, dark red (2.5YR 2/6) 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; stones 50 percent by volume; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5) diffuse boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick).
B32--36 to 54 inches +; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) extremely strong 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; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); lower boundary undetermined. (2 to many inches thick).
TYPE LOCATION: 1/2 miles SE of Volcano, Amader County, California in the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of sec. 35, T. 7 N., R. 13 E along the south branch of Sutter Creek.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soils very somewhat in the amount of limestone or marble fragments in the profile. Usually some fragments are present and the reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline in the upper solum and mildly alkaline below. In places where rock fragments are not present in the upper solum, the reaction may be slightly or medium acid. The B2 horizon may have hues as red as 10R, probably due to differences in the impurities in the parent rock. Soil depths range from 25 to over 60 inches, with the average depth to the extremely strong B3 or C horizon being between 30 and 48 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: Tiger Creek soils occur in the same general area as the Aiken, Cohasset, Josephine, Musick and Sites soils. They resemble the Cohasset, Josephine and Musick soils in general morphology but these are developed in basic igneous, sedimentary and acid igneous rocks, respectively and have at least medium acid B2 horizons with values of 4 or more, and about strongly acid C horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tiger Creek soils occur at elevations of 1,500 to 3,500 feet in a humid, mesothermal climate having a mean annual precipitation of 30 to 60 inches, some of which falls as snow. Summers are warm and dry and winters are cool and wet. Average January temperature is about 40 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 75 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is about 50 to 55 degrees F.; and the average frost free season ranges from 140 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability; moderately rapid runoff due to steep slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production. Some areas are mined. Typically coniferous forests with associated hardwoods. Conifers include incense cedar, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, with black oak and canyon live oak as the principal associated species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The soils are inextensive in the central Sierra Nevada of California where they are used for timber production. High foothills of the central Sierra Nevada of California.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Amador County Soil Survey, Amador County, California, 1960; name from Tiger Creek, an upper tributary to the Mokelumne River.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 9/61.