LOCATION JAURIGA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Vitrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Jauriga gravelly ashy loam--on a 12 percent east-facing slope under mountain big sagebrush and Idaho fescue at 5,760 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described September 4, 1979, the soil was dry from the surface to a depth of 45 inches).
A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 1 percent stones, 1 percent cobbles, and 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 1 percent stones, 1 percent cobbles, and 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 9 to 14 inches).
Bt1--9 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores; 1 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, and 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--17 to 37 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 1 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, and 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons is 18 to 32 inches).
Bt3--37 to 49 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and many distinct clay films lining pores; 5 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, and 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
Cr--49 to 60 inches; weathered andesitic tuff; soft enough to dig with an auger or tile spade and can be scratched with fingernail.
TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; about 3.5 miles north of Eagle Lake on the slopes below Heavey Mountain; found by going about 0.7 mile west of State Highway 139 on the first dirt road north of Grasshopper Fire Control Station and 400 feet south of this road; about 2,030 feet S and 2,440 feet west of the northeast corner of section 28, T. 34 N., R. 11 E.; USGS Grasshopper Valley 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 46 minutes 57 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees 44 minutes 0 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (7 to 32 inches) is dry from July 15 to November 1 (105 days) and is moist in all parts from about December 1 to May 1. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from April 15 to December 1 (225 days) and exceeds 47 degrees F from May 1 to November 1; Xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 11 to 17 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon in some pedons.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 40 to 60 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 40 to 60 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered volcanic rock such as andesite or andesitic tuff.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 27 percent; Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as andesite, andesitic tuff, or basalt.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Bulk density - 1.2 to 1.4 g/cc throughout.
A horizons - Dry color: 10YR 4/3; 7.5YR 4/2, 4/4 or 5/2.
Moist color is 10YR 3/2 or 7.5YR 3/2.
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 5 to 15 percent.
Oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half extractable iron: 0.5 to 1.0 percent.
Bt1 and Bt2 horizons - Dry colors: 7.5YR 4/2, 4/4 or 5/2.
Moist colors: 7.5YR 3/2 or 3/4.
Clay content: 20 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent.
Organic matter content: 0.8 to 2 percent.
Bt3 horizon - Dry color: 7.5YR 5/4 or 5/6.
Moist color: 7.5YR 3/4 or 4/4.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 20 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buckbay, Georgecreek, Hillcreek (T), Morical, Mozen (T), Pachneum (T), Ralock, Rollinger, Shushuskin (T), Teewee, Tolius, Umperon (T), Vanderbilt (T), Volinger (T), Wenner (T), and Wockum series.
Buckbay and Morical soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Georgecreek have 25 to 50 percent medium sand through very coarse sand in the particle-size control section and have paralithic materials of weathered granodiorite in the series control section. Hillcreek, Pachneum, Ralock, Rollinger, Tolius, Umperon, Vanderbilt, Volinger, Wenner, and Wockum soils are very deep. Mozen and Shushuskin soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Teewee soils average 0 to 10 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jauriga soils are on hills and mountains. They typically occur on toeslope positions. These soils formed in volcanic ash over colluvium and residuum derived from andesite or basalt. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,300 to 6,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches including about 20 to 40 inches of snow. The mean annual temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F., the mean January temperature is about 30 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is about 65 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Buckbay soil and the Fredonyer, Petescreek, and Said soils. Fredonyer soils are loamy-skeletal, moderately deep to lithic contacts, and have thick mollic epipedons. Petescreek soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts and have thick mollic epipedons. Said soils have Oi horizons, thick mollic epipedons, and isotic mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Jauriga soils are used as rangeland. The vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 7,600 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lassen County (Susanville Area Soil Survey), California, 2000.
REMARKS: This revision of December 2003 updates the taxonomic class from Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argixerolls based on lab data for this soil and associated soils. Oxalate aluminum plus one half extractable iron and volcanic glass content in the A horizons is estimated.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 17 inches (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 9 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 9 to 49 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 49 inches to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 9 to 29 inches (Bt1 horizon and part of the Bt2 horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: A pedon of Jauriga has full characterization by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S87CA-035-001 (pedon # 87P0679).