LOCATION LEAVERS CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Leavers sandy loam--on a 0 percent slope under potatoes at 4,270 feet elevation. (When described on October 7, 1983, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
A--10 to 15 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bt--15 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains, 10 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
2C1--25 to 33 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2C2--33 to 60 inches; light brownish gray and light gray (10YR 6/2, 7/2) very gravelly sand, dark grayish brown and grayish brown (10YR 4/2, 5/2) moist with many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Siskiyou County, California; about 4.5 miles southwest of Macdoel, 3,750 feet east of Highway 97, 800 feet south, 1,200 feet east of the northwest corner of section 11, T. 45 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth is greater than 60 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 48 degrees to 52 degrees F. The soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F from about March 15 to December 1 (255 days) and is above 47 degrees F from about April 15 to November 15 (210 days). The soil between depths of 8 to 24 inches is dry in all parts from June 15 to November 10 (145 days). The moisture control section is dry more than half the time the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F. Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 35 inches.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 4/2, 5/1, 5/2 and moist color of 10YR 2/1, 3/1, 3/2, 3/3. Clay content ranges from 8 to 13 percent. Pebbles range from 0 to 5 percent by volume. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral. Thickness ranges from 12 to 20 inches. Organic matter ranges from 1 to 3 percent.
The Bt horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 7/2 and moist color of 10YR 3/3, 4/2, 4/3. Clay content ranges from 10 to 15 percent with 1 to 2 percent more clay content than the A horizon. Pebbles range from 5 to 10 percent by volume. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral. Thickness ranges from 8 to 15 inches.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 7/1, 7/2, 7/3 and moist color of 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 5/2. Pebbles range from 35 to 60 percent. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral. Clay content ranges from 0 to 5 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aeneas, Pogue and Stratford soils. Aeneas soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the control section. Pogue soils have 15 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the upper part of the particle-size control section, are somewhat excessively drained, have a thinner mollic epipedon and formed in glacial outwash. Stratford soils are calcareous in the lower part of the control section and are mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline. In addition, all these soils do not have mottles in the lower part of the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leavers soils are on alluvial plains. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from extrusive igneous rock. Elevations are from 4,100 to 4,300 feet. The climate is semiarid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. Snowfall is 20 to 30 inches. Mean January temperature is about 28 degrees F; mean July temperature is about 63 degrees F; mean annual temperature is about 46 degrees F. Frost-free season is 30 to 50 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fordney, Munnell (T), Poman (T), and Truax (T) soils. Fordney soils have a sandy particle size control section. Munnell and Truax soils are fine-loamy. Poman soils are sandy and have duripans between 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability. A water table occurs at depths of 42 to 72 inches from December through March unless drained.
USE AND VEGETATION: Leavers soils are used for cropland, hay and pasture, and rangeland. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Nevada bluegrass and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral California. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Siskiyou County, California; Butte Valley-Tule Lake Soil Survey 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: Mollic epipedon--The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 15 inches (Ap and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon--The zone from about 15 to 25 inches (Bt).
Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy skeletal family: The particle control section (10 to 40 inches) the weighted average of the upper part of the control section has 11 percent clay. The lower part of the control section has 3 percent clay and 42 percent pebbles. Coarse-loamy material has 50 percent fine or coarser sand.
Moderately well drained--Mottles below 75 cm of the surface and December to March has a water table of 42 to 72 inches. Water table within 72 inches during winter months will effect septic tank interpretation.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.