LOCATION GOULDING CA+CT

Established Series
Rev. SBJ/WCL/DJE/CEJ/SBS
11/2021

GOULDING SERIES

The Goulding series consists of shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in material weathered from metavolcanic or metasedimentary rocks. Goulding soils are on mountains and have slopes of 5 to 75 percent. The annual precipitation is about 30 inches and the annual air temperature is about 55 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Lithic Dystroxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Goulding gravelly loam, rangeland on a 60 percent slope facing east under shrubs and grasses at 2,150 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless other wise noted).

A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong medium and coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick).

Bt--4 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 50 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5) clear wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick).

R--17 inches; fractured hard metavolcanic rock.

TYPE LOCATION: Glenn County, California; About 1.5 miles southwest of Black Diamond Ridge Lookout. About 1.3 miles north from Glenn-Colusa County line on Black Diamond Ridge Lookout road. Three hundred feet up slope west of road on east facing slope. Area not sectionized T.18 N and R.7 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum and depth to bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Mean annual soil temperature varies from 54 to 59 degrees F. The moisture control section (from 3 inches to the lithic contact) is dry in all parts about mid May and remains dry until mid October (130-150 days). Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid throughout. The control section has 35 to 80 percent rock fragments and averages 18 to 30 percent clay.

The A horizon is 10YR 6/3, 6/4, 5/2, 5/4, 5/3, 4/3; 7.5YR 5/3, 5/4, or 6/4. Moist color is 10YR 5/3, 4/3, 4/4, 3/3, 3/4; 7.5YR 4/4, 3/4, or 3/2. It is loam or clay loam and may be gravelly, cobbly, stony, very gravelly or very stony with rock fragments ranging from 10 to 50 percent by volume.

The Bt horizon is 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 5/4, or 4/4; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/3, or 5/6. It is 10YR 3/4, 4/4 or 7.5YR 4/4 moist. It is sandy loam, loam, or clay loam and may be very gravelly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or very stony. Clay content averages 1 or 2 percent more than the A horizon, in some pedons. Not all pedons have clay films.

COMPETING SERIES:
Walkermine soils: soil moisture control section is dry in all parts for less than 130 to 150 consecutive days per year.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Goulding soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. These soils formed from metavolcanic rocks, mostly greenstone, or metasedimentary rocks. Elevation ranges from 1,500 to 5,000 feet. At elevations below 3,500 feet, these soils are on north or sheltered aspects or have semidense or dense vegetative cover. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 25 to 60 inches. Some precipitation occurs as snow on the higher ridges. Seasonal snowfall ranges from a few inches to about 24 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 46 degrees to 57 degrees F; The average January temperature is about 40 degrees F; and the average July temperature is about 70 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 100 to 235 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boomer, Hoosimbim, Marpa, Neuns, Stonyford, Vitzthum, and Vanvor soils. These soils, except for Vitzthum, are all greater the 20 inches deep. The Vitzthum soils have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Goulding soils are used for watershed and wildlife habitat. Natural vegetation is scattered oak, foothill pine, brush, grasses and forbs. Brush species are interior live oak, California scrub oak, scrub canyon live oak, manzanita, and buckbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The soils occur in the Coast Range and Klamath Mountains of northern California. They are moderately extensive. MLRA is 5, 15.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Glenn County, California, 1957. Name from Goulding Creek, Glenn County.

REMARKS:

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - Zone from the soil surface to 4 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - Zone from 4 to 17 inches (Bt) horizon characterized by soil structure and clay films.
Lithic contact - the boundary is at about 17 inches (R).
CEC class - assumed, based on near pedons and base saturation.
Base Saturation for Dystric subgroup - assumed, based on associated soils. Goulding type location in Colusa County had base saturation of 18%.

ADDITIONAL DATA: No pedons sampled as Goulding in NSSL database.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.