LOCATION KONOCTI CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, thermic Ultic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Konocti cobbly loam--on a east facing convex slope of 21 percent under manzanita and chamise at 2,620 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on July 6, 1978, the soil was dry to 18 inches and slightly moist below.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; strong very fine, fine, medium and coarse granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
BA--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; 5 pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) stony loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few medium tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; 5 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 25 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) very stony loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few medium pores; common thin clay films in pores and on peds; 10 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); diffused wary boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bct--25 to 32 inches; light-reddish brown (5YR 6/4) very stony loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds, in pores and bridging mineral grains; 15 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles and 25 percent stones; pockets and fractures filled with B22t-like material; neutral (pH 6.8), clear irregular boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
C--32 to 39 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) very stony loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; 25 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles and 20 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5) abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
R--39 inches; fractured; slightly weathered dacite. Fractures are 1/4 to 1 inch and 3 to 12 inches apart around subrounded cobbles and stones.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, California; about 2 air miles east of Kelseyville; 10 feet upslope and west of Konocti Road, about 1,300 feet east from benchmark 2493; 2,300 feet east, 1,150 feet south from the northwest corner of Sec. 19, T. 13 N., R. 8 W., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum is 15 to 40 inches and the depth to a lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 62 degrees F. The soil between a depth of 6 and 20 inches is dry in all parts from June 15 to October 15, and is moist in all parts from January 1 to April 30. Reaction slightly acid or neutral throughout.
The A horizon is 7.5YR 5/2, 5/4, 6/2; 10YR 4/3, 5/2 or 5/3. Moist color is 5YR 3/3; 7.5YR 3/2, 3/4 or 10YR 3/3. It is loam, gravelly loam, cobbly loam or stony loam. Total rock fragments range from 5 to 35 percent and consist of 5 to 25 percent pebbles, 0 to 20 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones. It is 3 to 8 inches thick and is either too thin and/or too low in organic matter in the lower part to qualify for a mollic epipedon. Some pedons lack a B1 horizon.
The Bt horizon is 5YR 6/3, 6/4; 7.5YR 5/4 or 6/4. Moist color is 5YR 3/4, 4/3; 7.5YR 3/4 or 4/4. It is stony loam, very stony loam, very stony clay loam or very stony sandy clay loam with 22 to 35 percent clay. Total rock fragments range from 20 to 60 percent and consist of 5 to 20 percent pebbles, 5 to 20 percent cobbles and 10 to 30 percent stones. Rock fragments content averages 35 to 55 percent in the upper 20 inches. Base saturation (sum of cations) ranges from 60 to 80 percent and is less than 75 percent in at least some part. Some pedons lack a Bct and/or C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hambright and Whispering series in other familes. Hambright soils are less than 20 inches deep to a lithic contact. Whispering soils have a mesic soil temperature.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Konocti soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. The aspect is usually south or east. They formed in material derived dominately from andesite, basalt, and dacite. Elevations are 1,000 to 4,300 feet. The climate is subhumid with cool moist winters and warm dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 25 to 50 inches. Mean January temperature is 49 degrees F; mean July temperature is 68 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 53 to 60 degrees F. Frost-free season is 140 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hambright soils and the Benridge and Sodabay soils. Benridge soils are greater than 60 inches deep. Sodabay soils are 40 to 80 inches deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to very rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly as watershed and for wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, and homesite development. Vegetation is mainly chamise, manzanita, ceanothus, toyon, pitcher sage, red brome, and tarweed. Some areas have been cleared and are being used for walnuts.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Clear Lake volcanic field, Lake County, California. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clear Lake area, Lake County, California 1927.
REMARKS: Classification is a change from prior classification of loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Haploxeralfs. The spelling "Konocti" represents the presently accepted spelling of Mt. Konocti. In the 1927 Clear Lake Area, California Soil Survey report the name is spelled Konokti. Also in subsequent revisions and other lists, the series is spelled Konokti.
The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon was sampled by the National Soil Survey Laboratory, July 1978. Profile number is S78CA-033-022; NSSL Pedon No. 457.