LOCATION LEQUIEU CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Lequieu very stony loam--on a west facing convex slope of 1 percent under low sage and bluegrass at 4,670 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on September 12, 1978, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very stony loam, brown
(10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 17 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
C--3 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, brown
(10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent cobbles, 20 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
R--8 inches; hard andesite.
TYPE LOCATION: Modoc County, California; about 12 miles east of Tulelake; about 1,400 feet south and 50 feet west of the northeast corner of section 35, T. 48 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is 6 to 10 inches deep to a lithic contact of hard extrusive igneous rock. The mean annual soil temperature is 52 degrees to 54 degrees F. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from March 15 to December 1 (255 days) and exceeds 47 degrees F from April 15 to November 15 (210 days). The soil is dry from June 1 to November 10 (160 days) and is never moist for 90 consecutive days when the soil temperature is greater than 47 degrees F. The moisture control section is dry more than half the time the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F. There are 35 to 55 percent stones and cobbles on the soil surface. Content of clay ranges from 20 to 25 percent.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/2, 6/3; 7.5YR 6/2, 6/3 or 6/4 and moist color of 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3; 7.5YR 4/2. Rock fragments range from 35 to 55 percent. Stones and cobbles range from 25 to 40 percent. Gravel range from 10 to 25 percent.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/2, 6/3; and 7.5YR 6/4 and moist color of 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/2; 7.5YR 4/2 or 4/4. Rock fragments range from 35 to 55 percent. Stones and cobbles range from 15 to 25 percent. Gravel ranges from 20 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jobpeak, Skedaddle, Smallcone, Snaker, Tejabe, and Wahguyhe series. Jobpeak, Tejabe and Wahguyhe soils have a control section that average 10 to 18 percent clay. Skeddadle soils have a paralithic contact above basalt bedrock, also mean annual soil temperature that is less than 52 degrees F. Smallcone soils are strongly or medium acid and average less than 18 percent clay in the textural control section. Snaker soils are greater than 10 inches deep to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lequieu soils are on plateaus at elevations of 4,200 to 4,800 feet. Slopes are 0 to 9 percent. They formed in residual material weathered from hard andesitic. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. Snowfall is 10 to 20 inches. Mean January temperature is 30 degrees F; mean July temperature is 65 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 46 degrees to 50 degrees F. Frost-free season is 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dotta, Lorella, and Salisbury. Dotta soils are greater than 60 inches deep. Lorella soils are 12 to 20 inches deep and have more than 35 percent clay in the textural control section. Salisbury soils have a duripan at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland. Native vegetation is low sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cascade Range in north-central California. Soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Modoc County, California; Butte Valley-Tule Lake Area 1980. Series name is from an old ranch in the area.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches.
Aridic moisture - Moisture control is the total profile.
Particle Control - Zone from the surface to lithic contact. Clay content by hydrometer method is 20 percent.
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.