LOCATION GANSNER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Fluvaquentic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gansner silt loam--on a slope of less than 1 percent in an irrigated pasture at about 3,500 feet elevation. (When described on August 24, 1982 the water table was at 38 inches in depth, the capillary fringe was at 28 inches in depth, the soil was dry to 17 inches and slightly moist from 17 to 28 inches. The soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches was 65 degrees F. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
0--2 inches to 0; mat of live roots and decomposing roots and organic matter; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A1--0 to 7 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; many common distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
A2--7 to 17 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam, black (N 2/) moist; few fine distinct brown (10YR 4/3) mottles, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
AC--17 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, mixed black (10YR 2/1 and 5Y 2.5/1); few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive, very hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular and common interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
C--26 to 38 inches; olive (5Y 5/3) clay loam, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; many fine distinct brown (10YR 4/3) mottles, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots, common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 18 inches thick)
Cg--38 to 60 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) clay loam, mixed very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist and dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) moist; many fine distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) mottles, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and very fine interstitial pores; few 2 to 10 mm pieces of N2/ charcoal; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Plumas County, California; near Crescent Mills in Indian Valley; about 1 mile south of Crescent Mills along Highway 89 to the intersection of County Road 207 to Taylorsville; then about 1.9 mile east along County Road 207 to Openshaw Road; then north to the end of Openshaw Road; then about 1 mile through gate along trail around south end of scale house to canal; then about 0.9 mile west along trail by canal and about 200 feet south of trail; about 2,200 feet north and 1,900 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 19, T. 26 N., R. 10 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature varies from 47 degrees to 50 degrees F. The mean winter soil temperature varies from 34 degrees to 36 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature varies from 60 degrees to 62 degrees F. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. from about May 1 to December 1. These soils are usually saturated in the late winter and spring due to a seasonal water table at a depth of 18 to 40 inches. The 10 to 40 inch control section is stratified clay loam or silty clay loam and loam that has a weighted average content of 27 to 35 percent clay and 25 to 35 percent sand. Thickness of the mollic epipedon is 14 to 24 inches. Below this depth, the soil meets the requirements of a mollic epipedon except that it is both massive and hard or very hard. Depth to mottles is 0 to 21 inches. Organic carbon content decreases irregularly with depth. Texture of the A1 is silt loam, fine sandy loam or mucky loam.
The A horizon is 10YR 4/1, 4/2, 5/2, 5/3 or 2.5Y 4/1. Moist color is 10YR 2/1, 3/1, 3/2, 2/2; 5Y 3/1 or N2/. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The AC horizon is 10YR 5/3; 2.5Y 4/1 or 4/2. Moist color is 10YR 2/1, 3/2; 2.5Y 3/2; 5Y 2.5/1 or 4/1. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The C horizon is 5Y 5/3, 6/3 or 2.5Y 7/2. Moist color is 2.5Y 3/2, 4/4; 5Y 2.5/1, 3/1, 3/2 or 4/3. Reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline.
Gley colors of 5GY or 5G are at a depth of 38 to 60 inches. Some pedons have buried A horizons with neutral hue or moist chroma of 1 at a depth of 40 to 55 inches.
Ponded phases are recognized that have a 6 inch mucky loam Al horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ambraw, Ozamis (T), Settlemeyer, Sloan and Toppenish soils. The Ambraw and Sloan have peak periods of precipitation in spring and summer. In addition, the Ambraw soils have medium acid or strongly acid Bg horizons with prismatic structure, and the Sloan soils have carbonates at a depth of 22 to 60 inches and have prismatic or blocky Bg horizons. The Ozamis soils are moderately alkaline. The Settlemeyer soils have calcareous A horizons and are in an arid or semiarid climate with 4 to 12 inches of precipitation. The Toppenish soils are calcareous in part of the upper 20 inches and have blocky or prismatic B horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gansner soils are on flood plains. Elevation is 3,400 to 3,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium weathered predominantly from metasedimentary rocks. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is about 35 inches. Mean January temperature is about 34 degrees F., mean July temperature is about 66 degrees F. and the mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. Frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Keddie and Massack soils. Keddie soils have 18 to 27 percent clay in the control section. Massack soils are coarse-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very slow or ponded runoff, slow permeability. A seasonal high water table is at a depth of 18 to 40 inches at some time from January through May. Ponded phases have a seasonal water table at or near the surface from September through June. Flooding is occasional for brief periods from December through March.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for irrigated pasture. The vegetation is mainly pasture species of timothy, fescue, clover and other grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Plumas County, California in American and Indian Valleys. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Plumas National Forest Area, California 1984.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 4/84.