LOCATION FLOATERS                CA

Established Series
Rev: BAL/JPS/ET
07/2016

FLOATERS SERIES

The Floaters series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils on floodplains. These soils formed in gravelly alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 1524 millimeters (59 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 16 degrees C (60 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, thermic Typic Xerofluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Floaters very gravelly fine sandy loam - under a stand of annual and perennial grasses. When described on June 4, 2002, the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots throughout; many very fine, fine and medium tubular, and many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary.

A2--5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine and medium tubular pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 10 to 30 centimeters)

C1--15 to 38 centimeters (6 to 15 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary.

C2--38 to 75 centimeters (15 to 30 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) extremely gravelly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist;single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary.

C3--75 to 100 centimeters (30 to 39 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) extremely cobbly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary.

C4--100 to 154 centimeters (39 to 61 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) extremely cobbly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; moderately few very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel, 40 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2). (Combined thickness of C horizons is 100 to 150 centimeters)

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, California; Hoopa Valley; USGS Hoopa topographic quadrangle; UTM Zone 10 441929mE, 4547545mN, NAD83; WGS84 decimal degrees 41.0772222 latitude, -123.6913889 longitude

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is dry from July 1st to October 15th and moist in all parts from November 15 to June 1st. This soil has a xeric moisture regime.

Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 20 degrees C (59 to 68 degrees F). The difference between the mean summer and mean winter temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. This soil has a thermic soil temperature regime.

Soil reaction: neutral throughout the soil profile.

Organic carbon irregularly decreases with depth from 25 to 125 centimeters.

Surface Fragments: 10 to 20 percent gravel and 10 to 20 percent cobble.

Particle Size Control Section (weighted average):
Clay content: averages 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 through 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 through 5, dry or moist

Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy sand or fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 25 to 60 percent gravel and 10 to 15 percent cobbles

C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 through 7 dry; 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist

Texture of the fine earth fraction: coarse sand or loamy sand
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 55 percent gravel, 5 to 40 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Soboba series. Soboba soils have a mean annual precipitation of about 380 millimeters.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Floaters soils are on level to nearly level low floodplain steps with slopes of 0 to 2 percent at elevations of 70 to 480 meters (230 to 1575 feet). They formed in recent alluvium derived from a variety of resistant metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 1250 to 2032 millimeters (49 to 80 inches). Mean annual air temperature is 15 to 20 degrees C (59 to 68 degrees F). The frost free period is about 200 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Gencey series. The Gencey soils are loamy-skeletal and are on higher floodplain-steps.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Excessively drained; very low runoff; rapid saturated hydrologic conductivity, frequently flooded of brief duration.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, orchards and urban development. Vegetation on uncultivated areas is bristly dogtail, soft brome, blue wildrye and orchardgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Siskiyou-Trinity Area, MLRA 5. These soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, California, 2012. Proposed 2006.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 15 centimeters (A1 and A2 horizons)
2. Particle size control section - the zone from 25 to 100 centimeters, averaging (by weight) 2 percent clay and 65 percent rock fragments (C horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA

This soil was mapped as a Haploxeroll by the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, in 1975 for the Soil Survey of Hoopa Valley, California. It was determined that the colors were lithochromic.

Soils classified using Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th edition.

NASIS User Pedon ID: 02CA023605004

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.