LOCATION BADENAUGH CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Badenaugh very cobbly loam--on a northwest facing slope of 2 percent at about 5,000 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common medium and few coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent cobbles and 10 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick).
BAt--2 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common medium and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; very few faint clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; 30 percent cobbles and 10 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick).
Bt1--6 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; 30 percent cobbles and 20 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick).
Bt2--12 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial, few medium tubular pores; common distinct clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; 25 percent cobbles and 25 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick).
Bt3--17 to 27 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common distinct clay films lining pores, bridging sand grains, and coating cobbles; black manganese stains; 25 percent cobbles and 25 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick).
Bt4--27 to 50 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores, distinct clay films on cobbles and bridging sand grains; black manganese stains; 45 percent cobbles and 25 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary.
Bt5--50 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine and fine pores; distinct clay films on cobbles and bridging sand grains; 80 percent cobbles and pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Sierra County, California; about one mile southeast of Loyalton on Smithneck Road; about 1,400 feet west and 1,800 feet south of the northeast corner of section 19, T. 21 N., R. 16 E.; USGS Loyalton 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 39 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees 13 minutes 34 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts more than half the time the soil is above 41 degrees. It is moist in some or all parts the rest of the year. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. from mid March through October and exceeds 47 degrees F. early April until early November; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 48 to 52 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 8 to 12 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon and transitional BAt horizons.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - more than 60 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent; Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent, mainly cobbles. Lithology of fragments are rocks of mixed igneous origin such as andesite and granodiorite.
A horizon and BAt horizon (when present) - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Structure: platy, granular, or subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have 10 to 30 percent cobbles on the soil surface.
Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Texture: Very cobbly clay loam or very cobbly sandy clay loam. Some pedons have very gravelly sandy clay loam in thin subhorizons.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Moderately acid through neutral.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 3 percent.
Other features: 10 to 15 percent coarse sand and very coarse sand.
Bt4 and Bt5 horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Very cobbly sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, or extremely cobbly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Moderately acid through neutral.
Other features: Some pedons may have horizons weakly cemented by silica below 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashue, Badena (T), Eaglerock, Gitabyte (T), Grinrod, Ister, Lemm, Leviathan, Nosrac, Oest, Searles, Searvar, Shawmount (T), Shree, Shroe, Trid, and Tristan series.
Ashue, Shawmount, and Shree soils have depth to base of the argillic horizons of less than 60 inches. Badena, Lemm, and Oest soils have depth to base of the argillic horizons of less than 60 inches and have sandy-skeletal C horizons. Eaglerock, Searvar, and Trid soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Gitabyte, Grinrod, Ister, Searles are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Leviathan soils are dominated by gravel and have 55 to 60 percent of the sand fraction in the particle-size control section as very coarse sand and coarse sand. Nosrac soils are dominated by gravel and have mollic epipedons that are 14 to 20 inches thick. Shroe soils have discontinuities of loamy lacustrine deposits within 40 inches. Tristan soils are deep to lithic contacts.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Badenaugh soils are on fan remnants and stream terraces. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 16 inches. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 50 degrees F., mean January temperature is about 30 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is about 69 degrees F. The frost-free period is 50 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calpine, Dotta, Sattley, and Trojan soils. Calpine and Dotta soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments. Trojan and Sattley soils have a xeric moisture regime and a base saturation of 50 to 75 percent in some or all parts of the upper 30 inches of the profile.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Badenaugh soils are used for rangeland. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, Indian ricegrass, Thurber's needlegrass, and scattered western juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 21, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 23.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sierra County (Sierra Valley Area), California, 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 12 inches (A, BAt, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 6 to 50 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 6 to 26 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and part of the Bt3 horizon).