LOCATION ASBILL CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Leptic Calcixererts
TYPICAL PEDON: Asbill clay loam - on a west facing convex slope of 11 percent under annual grasses and blue oak at an elevation of 1,515 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When the soil was described on October 10, 1978, the soil was dry throughout).
A1--0 to 5 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few pressure faces; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--5 to 13 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) heavy clay loam, dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) moist; moderate coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores few pressure faces; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bssk1--13 to 27 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay, dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots few very fine and fine interstitial pores; common pressure faces and intersecting slickensides; strongly effervescent, lime segregated in few irregular medium soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bssk2--27 to 39 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) clay, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist weak coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots concentrated along vertical faces of peds; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent, lime segregated in many medium and large soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual irregular boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Cr--39 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) very soft siltstone; strongly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, California; about 0.75 mile south on Adobe Creek Drive from its intersection with Wight Way, then about 800 feet east of Adobe Creek Drive; about 1,700 feet north and 200 feet east from the southwest corner of section 33, T. 13 N., R. 9 W., Highland Spring Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to weathered bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 62 degrees F. The soil between the depths of 5 and 17 inches is dry in all parts from July 1 to October 15 and is moist in all parts from January 1 to April 30. Cracks open and close once a year. Vertical cracks are 1 to 4 inches wide and 20 to 40 inches deep when fully open. Cracks are fully open from July 1 to October 15 and fully closed from January 1 to April 30. Common slickensides are present in at least the lower part of the A horizon and the upper part of the C horizon. Gilgai relief is present in some pedons. The profile is heavy clay loam, clay or silty clay with 35 to 50 percent clay. The upper part of the A horizon has a clay content of 30 to 40 percent. The soils are calcareous and mildly or moderately alkaline throughout.
The A horizon is 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 6/2; 2.5YR 4/2, 5/2, 6/2; 5Y 4/2 or 5/2. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2; 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2, 5/2; 5Y 3/2 or 4/2. Color value is 5 or less dry, and 3 or less, moist, in at least half of the upper 12 to 15 inches.
The Bk horizon is 2.5Y 4/2, 5/2, 6/2; 5Y 5/2, 5/2 or 6/3. Moist color is 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2, 4/4, 5/2; 5Y 4/2, 5/2 or 5/3.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alo, Altamont, Asolt, Auld, Ayar, Capay, Centerville, Chinapoint (T), Cibo, Galt, Hollenbeck (T), Lostpoint (T), Porterville, and Seville series. Alo, Altamont, Centerville and Porterville soils are noneffervescent in the upper 15 to 20 inches of the profile; Alo soils have cracks that are open 165 to 180 days. Auld and Ayar soils have a paralithic contact at depths of more than 40 inches. Cibo soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Hollenbeck soils have combined thicknesses of the A and B horizons of 40 to 60 inches. Seville soils have a strongly cemented lime-silica pan at depths of less than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Asbill soils are on hills. Slopes are 5 to 50 percent. The soils formed in material weathered dominantly from shale and siltstone. Elevations are 1,350 to 2,100 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 25 to 40 inches. Mean January temperature is about 41 degrees F; mean July temperature is about 70 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 56 to 60 degrees F. Frost-free period is 160 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Millsholm, Skyhigh and Sleeper soils. Millsholm soils have a lithic contact at depths less than 20 inches and are loamy. Skyhigh and Sleeper soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; slow permeability when the cracks are closed.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used mainly for livestock grazing, hay and pastureland and wildlife habitat; a few areas are in cultivated cropland growing wine grapes. Vegetation is annual grasses and forbs and blue oaks.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern slopes of the Coast Range of northern California. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, California 1983.
REMARKS: Classification changed 9/94. It is assumed that the CaCO3 is greater than 15 percent.
Series reclassified on September, 1994. competing series not reviewed at that time.