LOCATION DIXMINE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, parasesquic, mesic Typic Haploxerults
TYPICAL PEDON: Dixmine very gravelly loam, on a west southwest facing 36 percent slope under a cover of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, white fir, California black oak and tanoak at an elevation of 2970 feet (905 m). When described on 10/15/97 the soil was dry to 17.5 inches (44 cm) and very slightly moist below 17.5 inches (44 cm). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Oi--0 to 1 inches (0 to 3 cm); needles, leaves and twigs.
Oe--1 to 1.5 inches (3 to 4 cm); partially decomposed needles, leaves and twigs.
A--1.5 to 5.5 inches (4 to 14 cm); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; 24 percent clay; strong fine granular structure; soft, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine and medium roots; many very fine to medium, and common coarse irregular and tubular pores; noneffervescent; 35 percent gravel; slightly acid, pH 6.2 by pH meter 1:1 water; clear smooth boundary. (Thickness of the A horizon is 2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 cm))
Bt1--5.5 to 11.5 inches (14 to 29 cm); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; 24 percent clay; strong fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine to medium roots; many very fine to medium, and common coarse irregular and tubular pores; many distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid, pH 5.9 by pH meter 1:1 water; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--11.5 to 17.5 inches (29 to 44 cm); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; 23 percent clay; strong fine and medium granular structure; soft, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine to medium and few coarse roots; many very fine to medium, and common coarse irregular and tubular pores; many distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid, pH 5.8 by pH meter 1:1 water; clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--17.5 to 29.5 inches(44 to 75 cm); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) very cobbly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; 35 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine to medium and few coarse roots; many very fine and fine, and common medium tubular pores; many distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; 20 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid, pH 5.5 by pH meter 1:1 water; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt4--29.5 to 40.5 inches (75 to 103 cm); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; 35 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine to medium roots; many very fine and fine, and common medium tubular pores; many prominent continuous clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; 30 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid, pH 5.4 by pH meter 1:1 water; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt5--40.5 to 53.5 inches (103 to 136 cm); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) extremely cobbly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; 28 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine to medium roots; many very fine and fine, and common medium tubular pores; many distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; 30 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles; strongly acid, pH 5.3 by pH meter 1:1 water; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 35 to 58 inches (89 to 147 cm) thick).
Cr--53.5 inches (136 cm); very weathered moderately cemented metatuff; beds are less than 4 inches (10 cm) apart; roots are greater than 4 inches (10 cm) apart.
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, California; about 2.1 miles north-northeast of Platte Mountain, approximately 1500 feet north and 1500 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 3, T.24 N., R.3 E.; 39 degrees, 57 minutes, 49.77 seconds North latitude and 121 degrees, 37 minutes, 52.52 seconds West longitude, NAD83 - U.S.G.S Quad: Cohasset, California
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to paralithic bedrock is 40 to 60 (102 to 152 cm) inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 57 degrees F (10 to 14 degrees C). The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from about July to about October (about 90 days). The particle-size control section averages 35 to 40 percent clay and 35 to 60 percent rock fragments, mostly gravel. Mineralogy is parasesquic. Rock fragments on the surface range from 5 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones.
The A horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/4, 6/4, 6/6 or 7/4. Moist color is 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4 or 5YR 4/3. Texture is very gravelly loam or gravelly loam. Clay content ranges from 18 to 27 percent. Rock fragments range from 15 to 50 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles. Organic matter ranges from 4 to 8 percent. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly acid.
The upper Bt horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/4, 6/4, 6/6, 7/6, 5YR 5/6, 6/4 or 6/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6, 5YR 4/3, 4/4 or 4/6. Texture is gravelly loam, very gravelly loam or gravelly clay loam. Clay content ranges from 20 to 30 percent. Rock fragments range from 15 to 35 percent gravel and 0 to 20 percent cobbles. Organic matter ranges from 2 to 5 percent. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The lower Bt horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/4, 6/6, 7/6, 5YR 5/6, 6/6, 2.5YR 5/6 or 7/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/6, 5YR 4/6, 5/6, 2.5YR 3/4 or 4/6. Texture is very gravelly clay loam, very cobbly clay loam or extremely cobbly clay loam. Clay content ranges from 27 to 40 percent. Rock fragments range from 15 to 60 percent gravel and 0 to 35 percent cobbles. Organic matter ranges from 0.2 to 2 percent. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dixmine soils are on side slopes and ridge tops on metamorphic Sierra Nevada mountains. Slopes range from 3 to 70 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium weathered from metavolcanic rocks. Elevation is 2000 to 3800 feet (610 to 1158 m). Mean annual precipitation is 60 to 73 inches (1626 to 1854 mm). The mean annual temperature is 52 to 55 degrees F (11 to 13 degrees C). Frost free season is 140 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Toadtown and Beecee soils. Toadtown soils are fine and very deep. Beecee soils are on backslopes and are very deep accumulations of volcanic colluvium.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity in the A horizon, moderate to moderately slow in the upper Bt horizon and moderately slow in the lower Bt horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, tanoak, California black oak, canyon live oak, incense cedar, sugar pine, white fir, Pacific poison oak, deerbrush, broadleaf starflower and California needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Butte County, California and occurs in the M261EF (Metamorphic foothills) subsection of the M261E(Sierra Nevada) section. MLRA 22A - Sierra Nevada Range. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Butte County, California 2005. Source of name from Dix Mine on the West Branch of Butte Creek on the Stirling City Quad.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - zone from 1.5 to 11.5 inches (4 to 29 cm) (A, Bt1).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 17.5 to 40.5 inches (44 to 103 cm) (Bt3, Bt4).
Paralithic contact at 53.5 (136 cm) inches
11.3 percent Fe2O3 (by weight) in the control section
Particle-size control section - zone from 17.5 to 37.5 inches (44 to 95 cm)
The soil moisture control section - zone from 10 to 27 inches (25 to 69 cm)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Reference data from lab pedon number: 98P0292, NSSL, Lincoln, NE.