LOCATION GARCIA CA
Established Series
Rev. CAR-DJE-JJJ-ET
12/2022
GARCIA SERIES
The Garcia series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in material weathered from sandstone. Garcia soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 60 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 56 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Ultic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Garcia loam - on a north facing convex slope of 55 percent under tanoak and Douglas-fir at 1940 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on May 16, 1978 the soil was moist throughout.)
Oi--1 inch to 0; undecomposed litter of tanoak and Douglas fir.
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and common fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent hard subangular pebbles (2-50mm); moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A2--4 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular and interstitial pores; 10 percent hard subangular pebbles (2-50mm); moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
BA--11 to 19 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; many very fine and fine and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 14 percent hard subangular pebbles (2-50mm); few thin silt coatings on faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.2) gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bt--19 to 28 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4), gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent hard subangular pebbles (2-50mm); few thin silt coatings on faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (7 to 13 inches thick)
R--28 to 40 inches; hard, fractured sandstone; fractures are 2 to 15 cm apart and less than 1 mm in width; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots along fractures; many thin and moderately thick clay films on fracture faces; manganese stains coat interior fracture faces; rock does not slake in water.
TYPE LOCATION: Mendocino County, California; about 9 miles west on Fish Rock Road from the intersection of Fish Rock Road and Highway 128, then about 90 feet downhill on the north side of the road, about 2000 feet south and about 2100 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 14, T.12N., R.14W.,MDBM, Ornbaun Valley Northwest quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum and depth to a lithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 15 inches thick and is always one-third of the total soil depth. It averages 2 to 5 percent organic carbon. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 54 to 59 degrees F. The soil between the depths of 7 and 21 inches is dry in all parts from July 1 to October 1 and moist in all parts from November 1 to May 15 in most years. The particle-size control section averages 25 to 35 percent clay. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through slightly acid.
The A horizon is 10YR 4/2, 4/3 or 5/3. Moist color is 10YR 2/2 or 3/2. Gravel content ranges from 5 to 15 percent. Base saturation (ammonium acetate) ranges from 50 to 70 percent.
The Bt horizon is 10YR 5/4, 6/3, 6/4 or 7/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/4, 4/4 or 4/6. It is loam, gravelly loam, clay loam or gravelly clay loam. Clay content ranges from 20 to 35 percent. Gravel content ranges from 10 to 30 percent. Base saturation (sum) ranges from 65 to 90 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Annum (WA),
Brownlee (ID),
Chirpchatter (T CA),
Dragoon (WA), Dryfalls (T WA),
Felton (CA),
Goldendale (T WA),
Lompico (CA),
Lorena (T WA),
Meland (ID),
Meystre (WA),
Quiden (T WA),
Rehfield (ID),
Schumacher (WA), Shilly (T WA),
Stacker (T WA),
Updegraff (CA), and
Van Horn series. Annum, Brownlee, Chirpchatter, Dryfalls, Felton, Goldendale, Meystre, Quiden, Schumacher, Updegraff, Rehfield and Van Horn series are over 40 inches deep. Dragoon and Lompico soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Meland soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 49 degrees F.; Lorena of 48-51 degrees F.; and Shilly of 48 to 51 degrees f. Stacker soils have 0 to 5 percent rock fragments and are dry 90 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Garcia soils occur on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 800 to 3000 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from sandstone. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters with no significant marine influence. Mean annual precipitation is 45 to 70 inches. Mean January temperature is about 48 degrees F.; and mean July temperature is about 68 degrees F. The mean annual temperature ranges from 53 to 59 degrees F. The frost-free period is 150 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Casabonne,
Gube,
Maymen,
Pardaloe,
Snook, Frogwoman,
Witherell,
Wohly and
Woodin soils. All of these soils lack a mollic epipedon. Casabonne and Pardaloe soils are 40 to 60 inches deep to a lithic contact. Gube soils have a base saturation of less than 35 percent (sum) in the argillic horizon. Maymen, Witherell and Snook soils are less than 20 inches deep to a lithic contact. Frogwoman, Pardaloe and Woodin soils have loamy-skeletal particle-size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; surface runoff under bare soil conditions is rapid or very rapid; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife habitat, watershed, firewood production and limited timber production. Vegetation consists of tanoak, canyon live oak, poison oak, scattered Douglas-fir and some annual grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern coastal California. The series is not extensive. MLRA 5.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mendocino County, California, Western Part, 1993.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon -- the zone from 0 to 11 inches (A1, A2).
Argillic horizon -- the zone from 19 to 28 inches (Bt).
Lithic contact -- the boundary at 28 inches (R).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Lab sample number 78T 7836-7836.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.