LOCATION FONS CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, glassy, frigid Typic Haploxerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Fons sandy loam on a northwest facing slightly convex slope of 30 percent under white fir, Jeffrey pine, snowbrush, and manzanita at 5,200 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on July 24, 1980, the soil was dry throughout.)
O--2 inches to 0; decomposed needles, leaves and other organic debris.
A--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel size cinders; weakly smeary; medium acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
BA--3 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine, medium and coarse interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel size cinders; weakly smeary; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--10 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel size cinders; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
2C1--21 to 40 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist, weak medium subangular block structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel size cinders, 5 percent cobble size pumice, weakly cemented; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (16 to 22 inches thick)
2C2--40 to 43 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent cinders; 10 percent andesitic cobbles, neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
2C3--43 to 50 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 80 percent gravel size cinders, 15 percent vesicular cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2C4--50 to 52 inches; slightly weathered cinders.
TYPE LOCATION: Siskiyou County, California; about 3 miles southeast of Ash Creek Butte and about 0.85 mile north from the intersection of the roads to Ash Creek crossing and Swamp Creek; about 2,600 feet south and 20 feet east of the NW corner of section 7, T.41N., R.1W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 degrees to 47 degrees F. The soil is dry in all parts between 8 and 24 inches for more than 60 consecutive days. Depth to unweathered cinders and scoria is over 40 inches. Gravel size cinders in the control section range from 15 to 50 percent by volume. The soil is slightly acid or neutral.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 3/2, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3 or 7.5YR 3/4 and moist colors of 10YR 2/1, 2/2 or 3/3. This horizon is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam with 10 to 25 percent cinders by volume. It is medium acid through neutral.
The B horizon has dry color of 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4; 7.5YR 5/6 or 6/6. It is fine sandy loam or loam with 15 to 35 percent cinders. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/4, 6/4; 7.5YR 5/4 or 5/6 and moist color of 7.5YR 3/4, 4/5; 5YR 4/6 or 5/6. It is very cindery sandy loam, very cindery coarse sandy loam or very cindery loamy sand with 40 to 60 percent cinders by volume. This horizon is massive or has weak medium subangular blocky structure. It is slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fons soils are on volcanic cinder cone sideslopes at elevations of 4,700 to 5,800 feet. Slopes are 25 to 50 percent. The soils are formed from basaltic and andesitic cinders and scoria. The climate is subhumid with warm, dry summers and cold winters with much snow. Annual precipitation is 35 to 45 inches. The mean January temperature is 25 degrees to 30 degrees F.; mean July temperature is 60 degrees to 65 degrees F. and the mean annual temperature is 38 degrees to 45 degrees F. The frost free season is 40 to 65 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: See remarks.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow or very slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Use for timber production. Native vegetation is sugar pine, ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, knobcone pine and lodgepole pine. Shrubs are bush chinquapin and gooseberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Volcanic cinder cones in the northern California portion of the cascade range. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Siskiyou County, California, 1983. Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
REMARKS: This species is being established to map a new family in a survey area where soils were classified only to the family level.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln lab data S 81ca-093-003.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 4/83
Series reclassified 5/95. Competing series not updated at that time.