LOCATION STILES CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Stiles clay loam - Rangeland on 2 percent slope under a cover of big sagebrush, greasewood and basin wildrye. (When described on July 1, 1982, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5YR 4/2) moist; strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0), clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 8 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0), clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
2Btk--8 to 13 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam,, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common thin clay films on ped faces and many thin clay films in pores; violently effervescent, lime disseminated; 13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
3Ck1--13 to 18 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 30 percent burrow castings 8 to 12 mm across and unstable in water; violently effervescent, lime disseminated; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
3Ck2--18 to 30 inches; white (2.5Y 8/2) gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; very fine tubular pores; one inch lens of sand and ash at the lower boundary; few relict mottles; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm soft siltstone pebbles; violently effervescent, lime is disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 13 inches thick)
3Cr--30 inches; soft white siltstone fractured every 2 to 3 inches horizontally and 1 to 2 inches vertically; can be dug with a spade and scrateched with fingernail; few fine prominent strong brown relic mottles.
TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; 0.7 miles south of the canal which crossed the road along the west side of "The Island" and 20 feet east of this road; 1,900 feet south and 20 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 16, T. 27 N., R. 15 E. MDBM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature varies from 53 to 56 degrees F. Depth to rock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The soils are dry in all parts of the 5 to 18 inches moisture control section from June 1 to November 15, and moist in all parts from December 1 to April 15. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from March 1 to December 1, and exceeds 47 degrees F from April 15 to November 15. The thickness of the solum is 12 to 21 inches. Depth to carbonates is 0 to 5 inches. Reaction is moderately or strongly alkaline throughout. The weighted average clay content of the control section is 30 to 35 percent.
The A horizon is 2.5Y 7/2, or 6/2. Moist color is 10YR 3/3 or 2.5Y 4/2.
The Bt horizon is 2.5Y 8/2, 7/4, 7/2, 6/4, 6/3, or 6/2. Moist color is 2.5Y 5/4, 4/4 or 4/2. It is clay with 40 to 45 percent clay.
The 2Btk horizon is 10YR 7/3 or 6/3. Moist color is 10YR 4/3. It is loam or clay loam with 20 to 30 percent clay.
The 3C horizon is 10YR 7/2; 2.5Y 8/2, 7/4, 6/2 or 5Y 8/2. Moist color is 10YR 5/3; 2.5Y 6/4, 5/4, 4/2, or 5Y 4/4. It is silt loam, loam or sandy loam. The 3Ck2 horizon may be modified by 20 to 40 perent gravel size soft siltstone rock fragments. Some pedons contain 10 to 15 percent hard, firm 10 to 20 mm durinodes.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abgese, Ackley, Colbar, Eusbio, Greenbrae, Hardtrigger, Harsan, Lankbush, Morfitt, Paulville, Sevy, Sidlake, Turria and Zane series. Abgese, Ackley, Greenbrae, Hardtrigger, Landbush, Morfitt, Paulville and Zane are all more than 60 inches deep and the depth to carbonates exceeds 13 inches. Colbar soils have a lithic contact, no carbonates and 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the control section. Harsan soils are more than 60 inches deep, have sola 22 to 36 inches thick, and have carbonates only below 34 inches. Sidlake soils have a lithic contact, are mildly alkaline in the subsoil and have no C horizons. A description of the Eusbio series was not available.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stiles soils are on uplifted lake terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The soils formed in lacustrine sediments from mixed rock sources. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 4,050 feet. The climate is arid with warm, dry summers and cold, somewhat moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual temperature is 49 to 52 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 72 degrees F and mean January temperature is about 30 degrees F. The frost free season is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calneva, McDermott (T), Liegerman, and Mazuma soils. All these soils occur on lake terraces. Calneva soils are in the fine family. McDermott soils are more than 40 inches deep. Lieberman soils have a calcic horizon and are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy skeletal. Mazuma soils lack argillic horizons and are coarse loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland. The vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, greasewood, spiny hopsage and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California, eastern Lassen County in the Honey Lake Valley. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Lassen County, California, Susanville Area, Parts of Lassen and Plumas County Soil Survey Area, 1984. Stiles is the name of a nearby canyon.
REMARKS: NSSL reported PSDA, 15 bar water, carbonate as calcuim carbonate, pH, water extracted Ca, Mg, Na and K, total salts and E.C. for the top three horizons of the modal pedon in Project No. RT82-CA236, Lab. Nos. 82T7612-14. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 5 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon: The zone from 5 to 13 inches (Bt1, Bt2).