LOCATION FOOTSTEP CA
Established Series
Rev: JPS/ACF/ET
07/2016
FOOTSTEP SERIES
The Footstep series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from sandstone and mudstone. Footstep soils are on mountains and have slopes of 5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is approximately 2060 millimeters (80 inches) and the mean annual temperature is approximately 11 degrees C (52 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, isomesic Typic Haplohumults
TYPICAL PEDON: Footstep gravelly loam - on a convex northwest-facing slope of 55 percent under coast redwood, Douglas-fir, tanoak, evergreen huckleberry, salal, and swordfern at 195 meters (640 feet) elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. When described September 22, 2004, the soil was slightly moist throughout.)
A1--0 to 7 centimeters (0 to 3 inches); black (10YR 2/1) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary.
A2--7 to 18 centimeters (3 to 7 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness is 15 to 50 centimeters)
Bt1--18 to 35 centimeters (7 to 14 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; many fine and medium tubular and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--35 to 70 centimeters (14 to 28 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few distinct clay films on rock fragments; common very fine and fine roots around fragments; many fine and medium tubular and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 20 to 55 centimeters)
R--70 to 200 centimeters (28 to 79 inches); fractured indurated greywacke sandstone, lithic material with cracks greater than 10 to 45 centimeters apart. Approximately 1 percent soil material in fractures and pockets.
TYPE LOCATION: Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Del Norte County, California; on the Coastal Trail approximately 3/4 of a mile east of the Enderts Beach access and Coastal Trail junction; southwest quarter, northwest quarter, northwest quarter; Section 13, T. 15 N., R. 1 W. 41 degrees, WGS84 Decimal degrees 41.6977778 latitude and -124.1355000 longitude; HBLM; USGS Sister Rocks Quadrangle; UTM Zone 10 405516mE 4616844mN; 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 for a time less than 30 days cumulative from approximately September 15 to October 15 in most years. The soils have an udic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature at 50 centimeters is 10 to 13 degrees C (50 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.
Base saturation: less than 35 percent by sum of cations at the lithic contact.
Reaction: strongly to very strongly acid.
Organic Matter: greater than 0.9 percent organic carbon in the upper 15 centimeters of the argillic horizon.
Umbric Epipedon: 25 to 50 centimeters thick.
Depth to lithic contact: 50 to 100 centimeters.
Surface fragments: 0 to 25 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobble
Particle-Size Control Section (weighted average):
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 26 to 35 percent clay.
Some pedons have Oi horizons.
O horizon
Hue: 10YR.
Value: 2 through 6 dry and moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4 dry and moist.
Texture: slightly decomposed organic material.
Wood fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Reaction: moderately to slightly acid.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 1 through 3 moist.
Texture of fine earth: loam.
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Bt Horizon
Hue: 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Texture of fine earth: loam or clay loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 23 to 35 percent.
Some pedons have a C horizon.
C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6 dry, 2 through 6 moist.
Texture of fine earth: loam or clay loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 85 percent gravel and 0 to 35 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 23 to 35 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Footstep soils are on strongly convex mountain slopes in highly dissected terrain and on narrow ridges. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. Elevations are 5 to 518 meters (15 to 1695 feet). The soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from sandstone and mudstone. The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers and cool, rainy winters. Mean annual precipitation is 1650 to 2290 millimeters (65 to 90 inches). Mean winter soil temperature (December, January, and February) is approximately 9 degrees C; mean summer soil temperature (June, July, and August) is approximately 14 degrees C; and the mean annual soil temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F). Frost-free season is approximately 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Ladybird and
Sisterrocks soils. Ladybird soils are fine-loamy. Ladybird and Sisterrocks soils are greater than 150 centimeters to bedrock. The Ladybird and Sisterrocks soils are on linear to concave slope positions, often alongside or below Footstep.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil has been used for commercial timber, wildlife, and watershed. Natural vegetation consists of redwood, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, tanoak, Pacific rhododendron, evergreen huckleberry, salal, salmonberry, western swordfern, and redwood sorrel.
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 Area, California 2007. Source of name is from Footstep Trail in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Umbric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 35 centimeters (A1, A2, & Bt1 horizons)
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 18 to 70 centimeters (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
3. Lithic contact - the bedrock interface at 70 centimeters
4. Particle-size control section - the zone from 18 to 68 centimeters, averages 26 percent clay, by weight, and 58 percent rock fragments, by volume.
5. Haplohumults feature - the clay maximum is 27 percent in the Bt2 horizon and drops to 0 in the underlying R horizon.
Soil classified using the 12th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.
NASIS User Pedon ID: 04CA605REDW129
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.