LOCATION JENNY CA+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Entic Calcixererts
TYPICAL PEDON: Jenny clay - on a west facing convex slope of 4 percent under dryland grain at 3,240 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described September 2, 1959, the soil was dry above 7 inches and moist below).
Ap--0 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
A--4 to 7 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Ass--7 to 16 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; thin continuous pressure faces and slickensides; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 24 inches thick)
Bss--16 to 23 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; thin continuous pressure faces and intersecting slickensides; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bk--23 to 34 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; thin continuous pressure faces; strongly effervescent, lime in seams and as coatings on peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 20 inches thick)
C--34 to 60 inches; mixed light grayish brown (10YR 6/2) and white (10YR 8/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent with disseminated lime, calcium carbonate content increases with increasing depth; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Siskiyou County, California; about 8 miles NE of Montague near the center of the section; 2,300 feet north and 2,250 feet east of the southwest corner sec. 3, T. 45 N., R. 5W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates is 18 to more than 60 inches. The soil has cracks 1 to 10cm wide to depths of 20 to 24 inches. The cracks open and close once each year. They remain open during the period of July through October and remain closed the rest of the year. Few to common intersecting slickensides are in the lower part of the A horizon and the upper part of the C horizon. The mean annual soil temperature is about 51 to 57 degrees F. The soil between depths of 4 to 12 inches is usually dry all of the time from mid July until mid October and is moist in some or all parts all the rest of the year. Rock fragments, mostly gravel or cobbles, make up 0 to 30 percent of the soil.
The A horizon is 10YR and 5YR 4/3, 4/2, 4/1, 3/3, 3/2, 3/1; moist color is 7.5YR 4/2, 3/2; 10YR and 5YR 3/3, 3/2, 2/2; 7.5YR 3/2, 2/2. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay and has 35 to 50 percent clay. It is slightly acid to mildly alkaline.
The Bss horizon is 10YR and 5YR 5/4 through 3/1; 7.5YR 5/4 through 3/2 and similar colors to the A horizon moist but lack chroma of 1. It is clay or silty clay; has coarse or very coarse prismatic structure; and is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bk and C horizon is very pale brown, pinkish white, or reddish brown to gray (10YR and 5YR 8/3 through 5/1; 7.5YR 8/2 through 5/2) dry and pale brown, light reddish brown, or dark reddish gray to dark gray (10YR and 5YR 6/3 through 4/1); 7.5YR 6/2, 5/2, 4/2) moist. It is loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay and is moderately or strongly alkaline with strongly or violently effervescent disseminated lime or lime segregated in seams and bodies. In some pedons, the lower part of the horizon contains weakly or very weakly cemented seams or bands.
Some pedons have unconforming gravelly sandy clay or very gravelly sandy clay loam below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aikman, Carney, Cuppy (T), Cupvar (T), Gerlach (T), Getrail (T), Lassen, Lecrag, Montague, and Peasley series. Aikman and Lassen soils have a petrocalcic horizon at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Peasley soils have a duripan at depths of 20 to 40 inches and hard bedrock at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Cuppy soils have a lithic contact at 21 to 40 inches and a duripan at 20 to 38 inches. Cupvar soils have a duripan at 20 to 40 inches. Getrail soils do not have a Bk horizon. Gerlach soils have cracks that remain open for about 200 days. Carney soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Lecrag soils have a paralithic contact at 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jenny soils are on upland terraces and low terraces and bottoms at elevations of 2,500 to 5,200 feet. The soils formed in alluvium from extrusive igneous rock, mostly of tertiary age. The climate is continental and subhumid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 20 inches. Seasonal snowfall is 8 to 36 inches. Mean January temperature is 28 to 33 inches F; mean July temperature is 66 to 72 inches F; mean annual temperature is 46 to 52 degrees F. Frost-free season is 90 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barnard, Bidwell, Bieber, Kuck, Mary, Rumbo and the competing Lassen and Montague soils. Barnard and Bieber soils have a duripan and an aridic moisture regime. Bidwell soils have a mollic epipedon and a fine-loamy argillic horizon. Kuck soils have a fine argillic horizon, lack cracks that extend to the surface and have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Mary soils have an ochric epipedon and a fine-loamy argillic horizon. Rumbo soils have a fine natric horizon and an aridic soil moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for range, irrigated and dryland pasture, hay and small grains. Vegetation is mainly medusahead, mustard, ryegrass and some rabbitbrush, big sagebrush and a few forbs. Some areas have bluebunch wheatgrass and needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Drier areas of northeastern California, currently in Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, and Idaho. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Modoc County (Alturas Area), California, 1974.