Felton series

The Felton series consists of deep, well drained soils on mountains. These soils formed in material weathered from sandstone, shale, schist, or siltstone. Slope ranges from 5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 60 inches, and the mean annual air temperature is about 55 degrees F.

Felton soils are similar to Aptos, Lompico, and Nisene soils. They are mapped in a complex with Ben Lomond and Lompico soils and are near Aptos, Ben Lomond, Catelli, Lompico, Nisene, and Sur soils. Aptos and Lompico soils have paralithic contact at a depth of 20 and 40 inches. Nisene soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick. Ben Lomond and Catelli soils have a coarse loamy control section but do not have a B2t horizon. Sur soils do not have a B2t horizon; they have a loamy skeletal control section.

Typical pedon of Felton sandy loam in an area of Lompico-Felton complex, 50 to 75 percent slopes, about 1,300 feet north and 500 feet west of Zayante Road crossing on Mountain Charlie Gulch, in the lower mid part of NE1/4NEl/4 of sec. 36, T. 9 S., R. 2 W. (projected):

A11-0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots and many medium roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores and common fine interstitial pores; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

A12-6 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots, common fine roots, and many medium roots; common medium, fine, and very fine tubular pores and common very fine interstitial pores; about 10 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) weathered sandstone pebbles 2 to 6 millimeters in diameter; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.

B21t-11 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots, common fine roots, and many coarse roots; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse tubular pores and common fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films lining pores and common thin clay bridges between sand grains; few moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; few weathered strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) pebbles; few black (N/2) charcoal flakes and granules; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

B22t-18 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores and common very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay bridges between sand grains, common thin clay films on faces of peds and few thin clay films lining pores; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

B23t-26 to 35 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots and many medium coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores, common fine and medium tubular pores, and few coarse tubular pores; many thin clay films on bees of peds and lining pores; strongly acid; clear irregular boundary.

B3t-35 to 43 inches; variegated yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots and common medium roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores and common very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films lining pores; clay bridges between sand grains in the yellowish red part of this horizon; strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary.

C1-43 to 53 inches; variegated light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores and common fine tubular pores; common thin clay films bridging sand grains and along vertical fractures; strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.

C2-53 to 63 inches; variegated light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores and common fine and very fine tubular pores, common thin clay films bridging sand grains and along vertical fractures; strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.

C3r-63 to 71 inches; variegated light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) weathered sandstone that crushes to sandy loam.

Pedons in heavily wooded areas have an 0 horizon of leaves and twigs in various stages of decomposition. Depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to 72 inches. Thickness of the mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches.

The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR and 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is 0 to 10 percent pebbles.

The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy clay loam or clay loam. The Bt horizon is slightly acid to strongly acid. It is 0 to 15 percent pebbles.

The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. The C horizon is medium acid or strongly acid. It is 0 to 15 percent pebbles. The Cr horizon is weathered sandstone, shale, schist, or siltstone.