LOCATION CALPINE CA+NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
03/2017

CALPINE SERIES

The Calpine series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from granitic rocks. Calpine soils are on alluvial fans, fan remnants, and stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 325 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Calpine coarse sandy loam--on a 1 percent slope under silver sagebrush and perennial grasses at 1,158 meters elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary.

A2--8 to 33 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 25 to 35 cm)

AB--33 to 53 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial and few fine and medium tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 20 cm thick)

Bw1--53 to 76 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial and few fine and medium tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual smooth boundary.

Bw2--76 to 117 cm; variegated light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and yellow (10YR 7/6) coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial and few fine and medium tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 48 to 96 cm)

C1--117 to 150 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few fine and medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (33 to 43 cm thick)

C2--150 to 205 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2), and yellow (10YR 7/8) stratified coarse sand and sand, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6), yellowish red (5YR 5/8), and dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few fine masses of manganese accumulation; slightly acid (pH 6.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Plumas County, California; in Sierra Valley about 0.5 mile southwest of Beckwourth; about 2,080 feet north and 750 feet west of the southwest corner of section 27, T. 23 N., R. 14 E.; USGS Portola 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 48 minutes 56.7 seconds N and longitude 120 degrees 23 minutes 31.7 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.8157500 latitude, -120.3921389 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in the winter and early spring; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 46 cm.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 76 to 127 cm.
Depth to fine stratification: 127 cm or more.
Reaction: Moderately acid through neutral.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Sand content: 60 to 75 percent, mainly medium sand through very coarse sand;
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 15 percent, mainly fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) gravel. Lithology of fragments is granitic rocks such as granodiorite.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Organic matter content: 1 to 7 percent.

Bt or Bw horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam; Strata of loamy sand or loamy coarse sand are present in some pedons.
Structure: Weak prismatic, angular blocky, or subangular blocky.
Other features: There is commonly a clay increase of 1 to 2 percent from the overlying horizon which is insufficient to meet the requirements of an argillic horizon. Clay films range from none to common faint films bridging mineral grains.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR, 5YR or 2.5YR.
Value: 3 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 8.
Texture: Stratified coarse sand to loamy fine sand or stratified gravelly loamy sand to gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 4 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burch, Cashmere, Cashmont, Rio King, Roloff, Roosevelt, Snake Hollow and Surpass series.

Burch soils have less than less than 60 percent sand and are not dominated by medium sand through very coarse sand in the particle-size control section. Cashmere soils are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in the lower part of the particle-size control section and do not have faint clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains. Cashmont and Surpass soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Rio King soils have less than less than 60 percent sand and are not dominated by medium sand through very coarse sand in the particle-size control section and have endosaturation within 150 cm of the soil surface. Roloff and Roosevelt soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Snake Hollow soils are slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Calpine soils are on alluvial fans, fan remnants, and stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived mainly from granitic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 914 to 1,830 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 400 mm. The mean January temperature is about -2.2 degrees C. in northeastern California and about 4 degrees C. in southern California. The mean July temperature is about 20 degrees C. in northeastern California and about 20 degrees C. in southern California. The mean annual temperature is 9 to 12 degrees C. The frost-free period is 60 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the La Posta, Lovejoy, Mottsville, and Oak Glen soils. La Posta soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Lovejoy soils are fine, have argillic horizons, and are moderately deep to duripans. Mottsville soils are sandy. Oak Glen soils have thick mollic epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very low or low surface runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Calpine soils are used principally for livestock grazing. A few areas are used for irrigated agriculture with alfalfa hay and pasture as the main crops. The vegetation in rangeland is mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, needleandthread, Thurber's needlegrass, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and southern California and western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 21, while other acreage occurs in MLRAs 19 and 20 in southern California, MLRA 22A in northern California, and MLRA 26 in western Nevada and eastern California.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Plumas 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 33 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 53 to 117 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bt1 horizon and parts of the A2, AB, and Bw2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: GMK-LCL-SJB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.