LOCATION BRICELAND CA
Established Series
REV: JWH/ET
07/2016
BRICELAND SERIES
The Briceland series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from mudstone. Briceland soils are on mountains and slopes range from 15 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 2160 millimeters and the mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Aquic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Briceland silt loam on a west facing linear slope of 18 percent under grassland, at an elevation of 205 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated) When described on November 7, 2007, the soil was moist above 73 centimeters.
A1--0 to 12 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots throughout; common very fine interstitial pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear smooth boundary.
A2--12 to 32 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots throughout; common very fine interstitial pores; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons are 10 to 40 centimeters)
Bt1--32 to 53 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.9); gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 35 centimeters thick)
Bt2--53 to 76 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky and very plastic; common medium and very fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 10 percent fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses with clear boundaries throughout and 30 percent fine distinct dark gray (10YR 4/1) iron depletions throughout; moderately acid (pH 5.9); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 35 centimeters thick)
Bt3--76 to 125 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots throughout; few very fine tubular pores; 30 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 20 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron-manganese masses throughout and 20 percent medium gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 100 centimeters thick)
Bt4--125 to 150 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; 30 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 20 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron-manganese masses throughout and 20 percent medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 50 centimeters thick)
BCt--150 to 200 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots throughout; 30 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 15 percent fine distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.4). (0 to 100 centimeters thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, California; about 1.6 kilometers east of Briceland; Section 19, T.4 S., R. 3 E. Humboldt Baseline and Meridian; USGS 7.5 minute Briceland, California; WGS84 Decimal degrees 40.1008333 latitude and -123.8911111 longitude, UTM Zone 10 424037mE, 4439637mN; NAD 83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts for 45 or more consecutive days after the summer solstice and moist in all parts from November through May. The soil has a xeric soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature at 50 centimeters is 15 to 18 degrees C. The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature is 6 degrees or more C. The soil has a thermic soil temperature regime
Depth to redoximorphic features: 50 to 75 centimeters
Particle size control section (weighted average):
Pararock fragments: 0 to 10 percent moderately cemented mudstone paragravel
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent strongly cemented mudstone and sandstone gravel
Clay content: 25 to 34 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, 1 to 3 moist
Texture of fine earth: silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent
Reaction: very strongly to slightly acid
Upper Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y, moist or dry
Value: 5 through 7, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, 2 or 3 moist
Texture of fine earth: silt loam or silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Clay content: 22 to 34 percent
Reaction: moderately to slightly acid
Lower Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y, moist and dry
Value: 4 through 7, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4, moist or dry
Texture of fine earth: silty clay loam, silty clay, or silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent sandstone gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 34 percent paragravel
Clay content: 25 to 45 percent
Reaction: moderately to slightly acid
Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron-manganese masses
Quantity: few to many
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 through 6
Chroma: 3 through 8
Redoximorphic features: fine and medium iron depletions
Quantity: none to common
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 1 or 2
C horizon (when present)
Hue: N, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 4 to 6, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma: 0 to 3, moist or dry
Texture of fine earth: loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 14 percent gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 50 percent paragravel
Clay content: 20 to 45 percent
Reaction: moderately to slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Briceland soils are on linear to slightly concave or convex positions on mountain slopes and ridges. Slopes range from 15 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 155 to 460 meters. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from mudstone. Landscapes dominated by Briceland soils have hummocky relief and slips. The climate is subhumid with warm, dry summers with a marine layer influenceand cool, wetwinters. Mean annual precipitation is 1525 to 3050 millimeters. Mean January temperature is about 7 degrees C, mean July temperature is about 22 degrees C, and the mean annual temperature is 12 to 14 degrees C. Frost free period is about 240 to 280 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the
Tankridge soil. Tankridge soils have moderately cemented mudstone bedrock with cracks spaced less than 10 centimeters apart above 50 centimeters.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained, very high runoff, moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for livestock grazing, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is annual and perennial grasses and forbs including wild oats, bristly dogstail rass, wildrye, and medusahead.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Redwood Belt; MLRA 4B. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County Survey Area, Southern Part, California, 2010. The name is from the town of Briceland.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 32 centimeters (A1 and A2 horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 32 to 200 centimeters (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4, and BCt horizons).
3. Particle-size control section - the zone from 32 to 82 centimeters averages 34 percent clay and 60 percent silt, by weight, and 3 percent gravel by volume. The clay percentage does not drop by as much as 8.8 percent from the maximum clay content. (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Pedon No.08N0236, Humboldt County, CA
NASIS User Pedon ID: 07CA601931
Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th Edition
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.