LOCATION ANCHOR BAY         CA

Established Series
RAG
11/48

ANCHOR BAY SERIES

The Anchor Bay soils are podzolic Lithosols developed from hard coarse-grained sandstone high in quartz near the coast of northern California. The soils are very stony and very shallow. Climate is humid microthermal with cool, nearly rainless but foggy summers and cool, wet winters. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 35 inches to about 50 inches, and mean temperature is about 51 degrees F. Growing season averages about 240 days, but during this period the highest daily temperature is normally less than 65 degrees F.

The Anchor Bay soils are associated in some places with the podzolic Blacklock and Noyo soils but are much shallower and stonier.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, siliceous, isomesic Lithic Xerorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Anchor Bay very stone sand.

0 to 3 inches; white, loose, strongly acid, coarse sand containing rock fragments and a few roots. Immediate surface has scattered rock fragments and in places a very thin layer of organic material. General land surface has much rock outcrop. This horizon grades into 1 to 6 inches.

3 to 6 inches; light-gray, loose, very strongly acid very stony sand; almost entirely stone in lower part. Broken surfaces of rock fragments are yellow and brownish yellow. (2 to 8 inches)

6 inches +; slightly weathered hard, but well-cracked, coarse-grained siliceous sandstone. Many feet.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth of soil may be extremely variable within short distances but is normally very shallow. Reaction may range from extremely acid to strongly acid and texture from coarse sand to loamy sand. Color is white or light gray.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hilly, with jagged surfaces of rock outcrops.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Surface runoff moderate to excessive; permeability rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: Unsuited for commercial crops, timber production, or grazing. This series can best serve as watershed. Brush; mainly glossyleaf manzanita (fire manzanita), pygmy cypress, stunted Bishop pine, Eastwood manzanita, California huckleberry, and golden chinquapin.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Near coast of northern California.

TYPE LOCATION: 1 1/2 miles northeast of Anchor Bay, Mendocino County, California.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mendocino County, California, 1948. State cooperative vegetation survey (U.S. Forest Service). Division of Soil Survey, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering. Agricultural Research Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 11/48.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.