LOCATION LOYALTON CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Loyalton fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 0.25 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A2--0.25 to 5 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial, common very fine tubular, few fine and medium tubular and vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
E--5 to 8 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak very thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay films lining pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Btkn1--8 to 12 inches; variegated grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong medium columnar structure; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; many very fine, few fine and medium, mainly exped roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; very slightly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated in masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Btkn2--12 to 17 inches; variegated grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy clay loam, variegated very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine inped and few fine exped roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated in masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 6 inches thick)
Btkn3--17 to 23 inches; variegated light gray (10YR 7/2), pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, variegated dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), brown (10YR 5/3), light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine exped roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; many prominent clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated in masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Btkn4--23 to 33 inches; variegated pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) sandy clay loam, variegated light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; common distinct clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated in masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
2C1--33 to 53 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand, variegated very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)
2C2--53 to 63 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) gravelly coarse sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; many medium distinct mottles, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Plumas County, California; in Sierra Valley about 3 miles north of Loyalton and 200 feet west of Plumas County Highway A-24; approximately 200 feet west and 200 feet north of the south quarter corner of section 24, T. 22 N., R. 15 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Usually the soils are moist all the time from November 15 until June 15 in some or all parts between depths of 8 and 24 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is about 49 to 51 degrees F. The temperature exceeds 41 degrees F., from March 15 to November 1 and exceeds 47 degrees F., from April to November 1. The solum ranges from 25 to 40 inches thick. The A1 horizon is a winnowed surface, is somewhat intermittent, and is absent in part or all of some pedons. It is light gray or light brownish gray in 10YR hue. This horizon is loamy sand or loamy coarse sand. The E horizon is light gray, gray or light brownish gray in 10YR hue. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam, and is medium acid to neutral. The E horizon is 1 unit higher in value than the A1 horizon. The Btkn horizons are dark gray, dark grayish brown, grayish brown or gray in 10YR hue. They have columnar structure in the upper part and prismatic structure in the lower part. The texture is sandy clay loam with about 20 to 25 percent clay in the upper part and 30 to 35 percent clay in the lower part of the horizon. These horizons are very strongly alkaline and have more than 15 percent exchangeable sodium. A strongly contrasting particle-size class is within a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Loyalton soils are on alluvial flats and low stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,800 to 5,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The average January temperature is about 28 degrees F., the average July temperature is 69 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. The freeze-free period is 50 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beckwourth, Bieber, Calpine, Lovejoy, Ormsby, and Ramelli soils. Beckwourth, Bieber, Calpine, and Ramelli soils have mollic epipedons. Ormsby soils have sandy textures in all horizons to a depth of 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for pasture. The vegetation is silver sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, and inland saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 6,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Plumas County, California, 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 inches (A1, A2, and E horizons).
Albic horizon - The zone from 5 to 8 inches (E horizon).
Natric horizon - The zone from 8 to 33 inches (Btkn1, Btkn2, Btkn3, and Btkn4 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 8 to 33 inches (Btkn1, Btkn2, Btkn3, and Btkn4 horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at 33 inches (2C1 and 2C2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 40 inches (Btkn1, Btkn2, Btkn3, and Btkn4 horizons and part of the 2C1 horizon).
This revision of April 2005 updates the taxonomic class from Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Natrixeralfs based on recognition of a strongly contrasting particle-size class within a depth of 40 inches and change in assumed moisture regime from xeric to aridic.
This series was previously reclassified in September 1994. The competing series were not reviewed at that time.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedon sampled as Loyalton near the series type location: S61CA-063-010.