LOCATION GUBE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Haploxerults
TYPICAL PEDON: Gube loam - on a south facing convex slope of 40 percent under manzanita at 2,000 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described April 11, 1978 the soil mas moist throughout.)
Oi--0.5 to 0 inch; litter of manzanita leaves and twigs.
A--0 to 4 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 2 percent pebbles (2 to 10 mm); strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 16 inches; vary pale brown (10YR 7/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong very fine and fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and coarse roots; many moderately thick yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay films on ped; faces 5 percent pebbles (2 to 20 mm); strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 30 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and coarse roots mainly along faces of peds; many moderately thick yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent pebbles (10 to 25 mm); roots follow faces of peds; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--30 to 33 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) highly weathered sandstone that can easily be dug with a spade.
TYPE LOCATION: Mendocino County, California; 1/2 mile south of Cold Springs Lookout; 20 feet south and 20 feet west from the center of the northeast quarter, southwest quarter, section 4, T.13 N., R.15 W.; Navarro quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. The mean annual soil temperature is 54 degrees to 59 degrees F. The soil between the depth of 6 to 17 inches is moist in all parts from November 1 to May 15 and is dry in all parts from June 1 to October 1 in most years. The particle-size control section averages from 35 to 40 percent clay. Base saturation (sum) directly above the paralithic contact is less than 35 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The A horizon is 10YR 6/2, 6/3 or 7/3. Moist color is 10YR 3/4 or 4/4. Clay content ranges from 18 to 25 percent.
The Bt horizon is 10YR 7/4 or 7/6. Moist colors are 10YR 4/4, 5/6, 5/4. It is clay loam in the upper part of the B horizon and is clay or clay loam in the lower part of the B horizon. Clay content ranges from 30 to 45 percent. Gravel content ranges from 2 to 10 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Sebastopol (T CA) series. The Sebastopol soils are greater than 60 inches deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:: The Gube soils occur on mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,500 to 3,000 feet. The soils formed in materials weathered from sandstone. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 45 to 70 inches. The mean January temperature is about 48 degrees F; mean July temperature is 68 degrees F; and the mean annual temperature is about 55 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 150 to 290 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Casabonne, Garcia, Snook, and Wohly soils. The Casabonne soils are greater than 40 inches deep. The Snook soils are less than 20 inches to a lithic contact, have thermic soil temperatures, and lack argillic horizons. The Garcia soils have a mollic epipedon. The Wohly soils have a base saturation in the argillic horizon greater than 35 percent, and have fine-loamy control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; surface runoff under bare soil conditions is rapid to very rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife habitat and watershed. Vegetation consists of manzanita, ceanothus, chamise, and scattered Douglas-fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern coastal California. The series is not extensive. MLRA 5.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Plumas National Forest Area, California, 1984.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A)
Argillic horizon -- the zone form 4 to 30 inches (Bt1, Bt2)