LOCATION OXENDINE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Argiduridic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Oxendine extremely gravelly sandy loam on a SW facing 2 percent slope under a cover of low sagebrush at an elevation of 4320 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described August 18, 1983, the soil was dry throughout)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 65 percent fine gravel, 5 percent cobbles, neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and common fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films in pores; 10 percent fine gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--4 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few very fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films in pores and few moderately thick clay films on ped faces; 5 percent fine gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 8 to 11 inches)
Bqm--10 to 20 inches; duripan; strong fine platy with 1/8 inch continuous silica capping; extremely hard, brittle; 70 percent cemented gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--20 inches; soft lacustrine tuff.
TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; about 3.2 miles southeast of Adin; 200 feet east and 2,000 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 10, T. 38 N., R. 9 E., Adin NW (Adin) quadrangle (7.5 minutes series)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to duripan is 10 to 14 inches and the duripan is 10 to 15 inches thick over soft lacustrine tuff. Depth to soft lacustrine tuff is 20 to 39 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. from early March to early December (275 days) and exceeds 47 degrees F. from mid April to early November. The soil moisture control section (8 inches to the duripan) is dry in all parts from early June to early November (145 to 155 days) and is moist in all parts from mid December to early May. The particle-size control section (0 to 14 inches) averages 25 to 35 percent clay and 25 to 35 percent rock fragments, mostly gravel. Base saturation by sum of cations ranges from 95 to 100 percent throughout. Organic matter ranges from 2 to 3 percent to a depth of 10 inches. Some pedons have light colors on the surface but when mixed are dark enough for mollic colors. Rock fragments, mostly gravel, on the surface range from 35 to 75 percent.
The A horizon color is 10YR 5/3 or 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/2 or 3/3. Texture is very gravelly sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, or very cobbly sandy loam. Clay content ranges from 15 to 20 percent. Rock fragments range from 30 to 70 percent gravel and 5 to 30 percent cobbles.
The Bt horizon color is 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, or 7.5YR 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3 or 7.5YR 3/2. Texture is sandy clay loam, clay loam,or very gravelly sandy clay loam. Clay content ranges from 25 to 35 percent. Rock fragments range from 5 to 15 percent gravel in the upper part and 10 to 30 percent gravel and 5 to 15 percent cobbles in the lower part.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aned (NV), Mudco (CA), Roval (NV) and Terlan (T WA) soils. Mudco soils average 18 to 25 percent clay in the textural control section. Roval and Terlan soils are calcareous in the lower part of the B horizon and in the duripan. Aned soils have calcareous duripans and are greater than 14 inches deep to a duripan.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Oxendine soils are on terraces. Slopes are 0 to 9 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from extrusive igneous rock. Elevation is 4200 to 4800 feet. The climate is semiarid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches. Snowfall is 12 to 24 inches. The mean annual temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. The mean January temperature is about 32 degrees F. The mean July temperature is about 67 degrees F. Frost-free period is 80 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bieber, Dotta, Lonkey, Modoc and Sweagert soils. Bieber soils are in intermounds, are shallow to duripan and have clayey particle size control section. Dotta soils are on terraces, are deep and are fine-loamy. Lonkey soils are on hills, are moderately deep to lithic contact and are fine-loamy. Modoc soils are on mounds, are moderately deep to duripan contact and are fine-loamy. Sweagert soils are on terraces, are moderately deep to duripan and are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; ponded to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for livestock grazing. The vegetation is low sagebrush, needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, Thurber needlegrass, and onespike oatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Modoc Platean, California. The soils are not extensive. MLRA is 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Lassen County, Intermountain Soil Survey Area California, 1985. Source of name is from a spring.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (A, Bt1,Bt2)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 2 to 10 inches (Bt1, Bt2)
Duripan - the zone from 10 to 20 inches (Bqm)
Paralithic contact - the boundary at about 20 inches (Cr)
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.