LOCATION KETTLEBELLY CA
Established Series
Rev. MGB/CAF/JJJ
12/2022
KETTLEBELLY SERIES
The Kettlebelly series consists of very deep, well drained soils on mountains. They formed in material from metasediments. Slopes range from 5 to 75 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, parasesquic, mesic Xeric Palehumults
TYPICAL PEDON: Kettlebelly gravelly loam on a southeast facing slope of 25 percent under a cover of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, prostrate ceanothus, deerbrush, and whitethorn ceonothus at an elevation of 2920 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless stated otherwise. When described on November 4, 1981 the soil was moist throughout.)
Oi--1 to 0 inches; decomposing needles, twigs, leaves and other organic debris.
A1--0 to 4 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary.
A2--4 to 10 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 22 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 7 to 12 inches)
Bt1--10 to 15 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; very few thin clay films on peds; 14 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--15 to 25 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) silty clay, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; very few thin clay films on peds; 10 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--25 to 42 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) silty clay, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular and interstitial pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary.
Bt4--42 to 52 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) silty clay, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common medium roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the upper Bt is 35 to 60 inches)
Bt5--52 to 67 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) silty clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bt6--67 to 87 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on peds and many thick clay films in pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual irregular boundary.
Bt7--87 to 96 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) with many fine stains of yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; strong moderate angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films in pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bt8--96 to 99 inches; pink (5YR 8/4) silt loam with common fine stains of reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) loam, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) with common fine stains of yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films in pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the lower Bt is 25 to 45 inches)
Cr--99 inches; tuffaceous metasediments; upper 4 inches breaks into coarse platy blocks; fractures 4 to 6 inches apart, can be dug with a spade, broken in hands and scratched with a fingernail; nearly all fragments slake in water.
TYPE LOCATION: Shasta County, California, about 7 miles south of McCloud; 1,200 feet east and 1,200 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 2, T. 38 N., R. 3 W., Shoeinhorse Mtn. NW (Girard Ridge) quadrangle (7.5 minute series).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is greater than 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. Mean annual exceeds 41 degrees F. from early April to early December (240 days) and exceeds 47 degrees F. from early May to mid November. The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from early July to mid October (90 to 110 days), and moist in all parts from mid November to mid April. Iron oxide plus gibbsite to clay ratio is equal to or greater than .20 within the textural control section. The upper portion of the argillic horizon has more than 0.9 percent organic carbon.
Oxidic Family chart:
Depth Clay Fe2O3 Fe2O3/Clay
10-15 38.6 7.03 18.2
15-20 46.3 9.04 19.5
20-30 47.4 10.05 21.2
The A horizon dry color is 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/4; or 5YR 6/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 5/6; 5YR 4/4, 3/6, 4/8, 5/8; 2.5YR 3/4, 3/6 or 4/6. Texture is gravelly loam or gravelly clay loam with clay content ranging from 20 to 30 percent. Rock fragments, mostly gravel, range from 15 to 25 percent. It is slightly to moderately acid. Base saturation, ranges from 20 to 30 percent.
The Bt horizon dry color is 7.5YR 6/6; 5YR 5/4, 6/4, 5/6, 6/6, 5/8, 6/8, 8/4; 2.5YR 4/6, 4/8, 5/8, or 6/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 4/4, 5/6; 5YR 4/4, 3/6, 4/6, 4/8, 5/6, 6/6, 5/8; 2.5YR 3/4, 3/6, 4/6, or 4/8. Clay content ranges from 35 to 50 percent in the upper part to a depth of more than 60 inches.and 20 to 35 percent clay in the lower part. Rock fragments, mostly gravel, range from 0 to 15 percent. Reaction is moderately to strongly acid. Base saturation ranges from 5 to 20 percent decreasing with depth and averages less than 15 percent in the argillic.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kettlebelly soils are on mountains. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material from metasediments. Elevation is 2,500 to 3,800 feet. The climate is humid with warm dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation varies from 40 to 60 inches. Snowfall is 70 to 90 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F. The mean January temperature is about 36 degrees F., the mean July temperature is about 68 degrees F. Frost free season is 80 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Boomer,
Kindig, and
Neuns soils. All soils are on similar landscape positions. Boomer soils decrease in clay content by 20 percent within a 60 inch depth. Neuns and Kindig soils lack argillic horizons and are skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to very rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for woodland. Characteristic vegetation is Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, incense cedar, sugar pine, deerbrush, shrub tan oak, mountain whitethorn and dogwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lake McCloud and Castle Crags area of northwestern Shasta County. Soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shasta County, Intermountain Soil Survey Area, California 1994. Source of name is from Kettlebelly Ridge.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
A. Ochric epipedon - 0 to 10 inches thick (A) ranges from 7 to 12 inches thick.
1. Organic carbon by U.C. Davis is 2.5 to 1.5 percent to a depth of 10 inches and decreases regularly with depth. 2. Base saturation by U.C. Davis is 15 to 25 percent to a depth of 10 inches. 3. Soil color does not meet the darkness requirements of an umbric epipedon.
B. Argillic horizon - 10 to 101 inches (Bt) ranges from 60 to 105 inches thick.
Weighted average is .20 but it is assumed there is some gibbsite.
Assume that there are greater than 10 percent weatherable minerals in the upper 50 cm.
ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon was sampled by University of California, Davis. Pedon number 82-45-204X. x-ray diffraction indicates mineralogy is mixed.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.