LOCATION CANNONBALL              CA

Established Series
Rev. ACF/JPS/SAA/ET
07/2016

CANNONBALL SERIES


The Cannonball series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in marine deposits derived from mixed sources. Cannonball soils are on nearly level to steep slopes of dissected marine terraces and have slopes of 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 1500 millimeters (59 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C (52 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, isomesic Oxyaquic Palehumults

TYPICAL PEDON: Cannonball loam - on a nearly level, linear slope of 3 percent under coast redwood, Sitka spruce, red alder, swordfern, salal and California huckleberry at 98 meters (320 feet) elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. When described February 25, 2008, the soil was moist 0 to 101 centimeters and wet 101 to 173 centimeters).

Oi--0 to 2 centimeters (0 to 1 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) slightly decomposed needles, leaves and twigs, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) dry; 95 percent unrubbed, 90 percent rubbed; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; very strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)

A--2 to 29 centimeters (1 to 11 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak very fine and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and many fine, medium and very coarse roots throughout; common fine and many very fine tubular and common fine irregular pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 centimeters thick)

Bt1--29 to 45 centimeters (11 to 18 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and many fine, medium and very coarse roots throughout; common very fine irregular and common very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--45 to 79 centimeters (18 to 31 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; moderate fine and weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular and common very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films between sand grains; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear wavy boundary.

Bt3--79 to 101 centimeters (31 to 40 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular and common very fine and fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films between sand grains; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses and few fine distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) iron depletions in matrix; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 30 to 120 cm thick.)

Btg1--101 to 129 centimeters (40 to 51 inches); white (2.5Y 8/1) sandy clay loam, gray (2.5Y 5/1) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular pores; few faint clay films between sand grains; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses in matrix; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary.

Btg2--129 to 152 centimeters (51 to 60 inches); white (2.5Y 8/1) sandy clay loam, gray (2.5Y 5/1) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular pores; few faint clay films between sand grains; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses in matrix; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary.

Btg3--152 to 173 centimeters (60 to 68 inches); white (2.5Y 8/1) sandy clay loam, gray (2.5Y 5/1) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine irregular pores; few faint clay films between sand grains common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses in matrix; very strongly acid (pH 4.8). (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons ranges from 0 to 75 cm thick.)

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, California; located approximately 100 meters (328 feet) east of Patrick's Point State Park; USGS Trinidad Quadrangle; WGS84 Decimal degrees 41.1278028 latitude and -124.1490389 longitude; UTM Zone 10 403550mE 4553581mN; NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil is usually moist in all parts in the soil moisture control section in most years, but becomes nearly dry in the upper part from about September 15 to October 15 in most years. The soils have a udic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C (52 to 55 degrees F). The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature is 2 to 4 degrees C. The soils have an isomesic soil temperature regime.

The umbric epipedon is 25 to 100 centimeters thick.

Organic Matter: there is 12 kg or more organic carbon per square meter to a depth of one meter.

Particle-Size Control Section (weighted average):
Clay content 25 to 34 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel

Endosaturation: The water table is between 50 and 100 centimeters from about January through March and falls below 180 centimeters April through November.

Depth to redoximorphic features: 50 to 100 centimeters

Reaction: Very strongly to strongly acid

A horizon

Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 or 3, 3 through 5 dry
Chroma: 1 through 3, 2 or 3 dry
Texture of fine earth: loam or silt loam
Clay content: 20 to 25 percent

Bt horizon

Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 5, 5 through 7 dry
Chroma: 4 through 6 dry and moist
Texture of fine earth: loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Clay content: 26 to 32 percent

Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron-manganese masses and fine and medium masses of oxidized iron
Quantity: noneto many
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 8

Redoximorphic features: fine and medium iron depletions
Quantity: none to many
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 1 or 2

Btg horizon, when present

Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 3 through 5, 8 dry
Chroma: 1 dry and moist
Texture of fine earth: sandy clay loam,
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Clay content: 26 to 32 percent

Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron-manganese masses
Quantity: few to many
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 8

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Tarquin soil. Tarquin soils are formed in colluvium and residuum derived from weakly consolidated siltstone and conglomerate.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cannonball soils are on nearly level to steep slopes of dissected marine terraces on slopes of 0 to 50 percent. Elevations are 4 to 183 meters (10 to 600 feet). These soils formed in marine deposits derived from mixed sources. The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers and cool, wet winters. Mean annual precipitation is 890 to 2085 millimeters (35 to 90 inches) and the mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C (50 to 53 degrees F). Frost free season is about 275 to 325 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lepoil, Megwil, and Timmons soils which also occur on dissected marine terraces. Lepoil and Timmons soils lack redoximorphic features within the upper 100 centimeters. Megwil and Timmons soils occur under cultivated or cleared conditions where the difference between mean winter and mean summer soil temperature is 6 degrees C or greater.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: moderately well drained; low to medium runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for timber production and urban development. Natural vegetation includes redwood with scattered Sitka spruce and red alder, salal, western swordfern, redwood sorrel, and California huckleberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: California Coastal Redwood Belt; MLRA 4B. The series is not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt and Del Norte Counties Soil Survey, Northern Part, California, January 2013. The name is from Cannonball Beach.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Umbric epipedon - the zone from 2 to 29 centimeters (A horizons).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 45 to 173 centimeters (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Btg1, Btg2, Btg3).
3. Particle-size control section - the zone from 45 to 95 centimeters averages 31 percent clay and 45 percent fine sand or coarser (Bt2 and Bt3 horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th edition.

NASIS User Pedon ID 08CA605203


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.