LOCATION FIDDLETOWN CAEstablished Series
The Fiddletown series consists of well drained regosolic (Brown Forest-like) soils developed from dark colored metasedimentary schists and slates. They occur on rolling to steep topography under mixed conifer and hardwood forests with some shrubs and grass. Characteristically the soils are moderately deep or deep and have soft, granular slightly acid, gravelly loam profiles that are dark grayish brown in the upper portions and dark brown or brown below.
TYPICAL PEDON: Fiddletown gravelly loam (on a north facing slope of 28 percent) at 1,980 feet elevation under black oaks, incense cedar, and poison oak.
A0--1 to 0 inch; Loose litter of leaves, twigs, etc. partly decomposed in the lower portion.
A1--0 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) when moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; abundant very fine, few fine to medium roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular, few fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual, smooth boundary. 6 to 12 inches thick.
AC--8 to 18 inches; Dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5 YR 2/2) when moist; moderate fine granular structure; otherwise similar to the A1; gradual irregular boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick).
C--18 to 45 inches; Similar to above except more gravels, cobbles, stones and rock outcrops (stony gravelly loam); abrupt, irregular boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick).
Cr--45 inches plus; Gray (N/5) somewhat fractured schist, very dark gray (N/3) when moist; neutral (pH 7.0 - crushed, rotten rock).
TYPE LOCATION: 1.5 miles east of Fiddletown, Amador County, California, 0.15 mile noirth of S1/4 corner of Section 35, T. 8 N., R. 11 E., 120 feet south of the Fiddletown-Silverlake Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soils are slightly to medium acid in reaction, with little change with depth except the upper rotten rock is neutral. Depths to rotten rock are most commonly around 36 inches, but will range from 24 to 48 inches locally. The base of some slopes tend to be deeper and have a weakly developed B horizon.
The A horizons range from brown to reddish brown with hues of 10YR to 5 YR; dry values of 4 to 5 and moist values of 2 or 3; and chromas of 4 to 6 dry and 3 to 4 moist.
The C horizons range form yellowish brown to yellowish red, hues tending to be slightly redder than in the A horizons and chromas are usually 1 unit higher.
COMPETING SERIES: At the time of updating, the competing series were not checked, this will be done when the classification is updated.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fiddletown soils have moderately steep to steep hilly topography with slopes from 15 to 50 percent and occur at an elevation of 1,500 to 3,500 feet in a humid, mesothermal climate having a mean annual rainfall of 30 to 50 inches with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters; an average January temperature of about 52 degrees F.; an average July temperature of about 73 degrees F.; a mean annual temperature of about 52 degrees F.; and a frost free season of 140 to 220 days. Fiddletown soils occur at lower elevation in the Sierra Nevada in central California where they are used for timber production.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Fiddletown soils occur in the same general area as Aieken, Cohasset, Josephine, Mariposa, and Sites soils, all of which have textural B horizons and are more acid (medium to very strongly acid and have higher chromas). Fiddletown, Josephine, Mariposa, and Sites developed in similar formations. Fiddletown soils resemble Butano, Cahto, Wilder, and Windy. Butano soils developed in siliceous shales, have light brownish gray, silt loam, medium acid A horizons and pale brown, light silty clay loam, very strongly acid B2 horizons. Cahto soils are similar to Fiddletown in most respects. However, the Cahto soils occur under a cooler, more humid climate on shrub covered ridges above 2,500 feet elevation in the Coast Range Mountains and become more acid with depth. Hugo soils are pale brown to very pale brown, medium to strongly acid and are blocky below the A1 horizons. Wilder soils occur in humid, foggy coastal areas, have thick, about dark grayish brown A horizons, about pale yellow C horizons, and are strongly or very strongly acid throughout. Windy soils developed in tuff breccia and are medium or strongly acid below the A1 horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is medium; permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Black oak with some live oak, white oak, and ponderosa pine. The understory varies with species such as poison oak, sweet birch, toyon and annual and perennial grasses. Primarily for timber production. Some areas are cleared for grazing.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In the hills of the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Amador County California, 1960; name from a town in Amador County.
REMARKS: Series description was entered into Ames database in 04/2000. The classification was updated in February 2001 using the Eighth Edition to Soil Taxonomy. This series was formerly classified as loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Pachic Xerumbrepts. Competing series were not checked at that time.