LOCATION ALMANOR CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, amorphic, frigid Typic Haploxerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Almanor very gravelly medial sandy loam--on an 8 percent southeast-facing slope under a cover of mixed conifers at 5,550 feet elevation--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on November 3, 1983 the soil was moist to 17 inches and dry below and the soil temperature at 20 inches was 47 degrees F.) The soil surface has about 3 inches of undecomposed and slightly decomposed fir and pine needles, twigs, and bark.
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly medial sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; sodium fluoride pH is 11.0; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly medial sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, many medium, and common coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent cobbles and 50 percent gravel; sodium fluoride pH is 11.0; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--17 to 29 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, 40 percent medium and coarse (5 to 75 mm diameter) gravel, and 10 percent fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) gravel; sodium fluoride pH is 10.5; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary.
Bw3--29 to 40 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, 40 percent medium and coarse (5 to 75 mm diameter) gravel, and 10 percent fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) gravel; sodium fluoride pH is 10.5; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 35 to 55 inches).
R--40 to 44 inches; hard massive basalt; few fractures; upper one inch has few horizontal fractures with some soil and roots in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Plumas County, California; about 7 miles northeast of Chester and 4.5 miles north of Highway 36 near the Lassen National Forest boundary; about 500 feet east and 400 feet south of the northwest corner of section 18, T. 29 N., R. 8 E.; USGS Red Cinder 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 22 minutes 47 seconds north latitude and 121 degrees 08 minutes 05 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (about 10 to 30 inches) is dry from August 1 to November 1 (90 days) and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from May 1 to December 1 and exceeds 47 degrees F from June 1 to November 1; Xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 44 to 46 degrees F.
Depth to base of cambic horizon - 40 to 60 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 40 to 60 inches to a lithic contact.
Particle-size control section - Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are basalt or andesite.
Base saturation (by sum of cations) - 7 to 21 percent decreasing with depth.
A horizon - Dry color: 10YR 4/3, 5/4 or 7.5YR 3/4.
Moist color: 10YR 3/2; 7.5YR 3/2 or 5YR 3/3.
Rock fragments: 40 to 60 percent.
Sodium fluoride pH: 10.5 to 11.0.
Moist bulk density of the fine earth fraction: 0.70 to 0.80 g/cc.
Organic matter content: 3 to 7 percent.
Bw horizons - Dry color: 10YR 5/6; 7.5YR 4/4, 4/5, 4/6, 5/4 or 5/6.
Moist color: 7.5YR 3/4 or 5YR 3/4.
Texture: Very gravelly medial sandy loam or extremely gravelly medial sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Sodium fluoride pH: 9.6 to 11.0.
Moist bulk density of the fine earth fraction: 0.80 to 0.85 g/cc.
Organic matter content: 1 to 4 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Whorled series. Whorled soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Almanor soils are on lava plateaus and mountains. These soils formed in volcanic ash and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as basalt and andesite. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,100 to 6,300 feet. The climate is subhumid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 30 to 40 inches with 60 to 100 inches of snow. The mean annual temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F., the mean January temperature is about 26 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is about 60 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Whorled soils and the Redriver soils. Redriver soils are loamy-skeletal and are moderately deep to lithic contacts.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low or medium surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Almanor soils are used for timber production and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of white fir, Jeffrey pine, and sugar pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 3,900 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 22B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Plumas County (Susanville Area Soil Survey), California, 2000.
REMARKS: The revision of January 2004 updated the taxonomic class from Medial-skeletal, mixed, frigid Typic Haploxerands based on laboratory characterization data.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (A horizon).
Andic soil properties - The zone from the mineral soil surface to 40 inches (A, Bw1, Bw2, Bw3 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 5 to 40 inches (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 40 inches to underlying hard, unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the mineral soil surface to 40 inches (A, Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location has full characterization by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S84CA-063-003 (pedon # 84P0757).