LOCATION MANTON CA

Established Series
KDG/JEM
12/2022

MANTON SERIES

The Manton series consists of well drained (minimal) yellowish brown lateritic soils (see remarks) developed from semiconsolidated coarse textured andesitic tuff. They occur on rounded hilly to steep topography under mixed conifers. Characteristically the Manton soils have brown, sandy loam A horizons and strong brown loam B2 horizons. They are deep or very deep and medium acid. The Manton series is mapped in the southern Cascade Mountains in California and is important for timber production.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, mixed, mesic Humic Haploxerands

SOIL PROFILE: Manton sandy loam (on a 5 percent NW facing slope at an elevation of 3,500 feet under mixed conifers, hardwoods, and shrubs)

A0--2 to 0 inches; forest floor consisting of fresh to decomposed needles and leaves.

A1--0 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) when moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; very porous, moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual irregular boundary. 5 to 15 inches thick.

A3--10 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) when moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; plentiful very fine and fine roots, few medium roots; very porous; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual, irregular boundary. 6 to 12 inches thick.

B2--22 to 36 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) when moist; massive in place, breaking to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine to medium roots; very porous; few thin discontinuous clay films in pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual, irregular boundary. 10 to 20 inches thick.

B3--36 to 56 inches +; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) when moist; massive in place, breaking to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few roots; very porous; thin discontinuous to continuous clay films in seams; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Near SW corner of Section 34, T. 30 N., R. 2 E., or 5.5 miles E. and 2 miles S. of Manton, Tehama County, California.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The A horizon ranges in color from brown to grayish brown (10YR or 7.5YR hues), rarely pale brown or light brown; in texture from sandy loam to nearly loam; and in reaction from medium to slightly acid. The upper 1 to 3 inches is usually darker than the lower A horizon. The B horizon ranges in color from strong brown to reddish brown, yellowish red, or reddish brown; in texture from loam to light sandy clay loam, and in reaction from medium to strongly acid. Depth to weakly consolidated tuff is 4 to 6 feet. The parent material is gravelly in places and may be rhyolitic cinders.

COMPETING SERIES: Not checked at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rounded hills with moderately steep to steep slopes. Manton soils occur at elevations of 2,000 to 4,500 feet in a subhumid microthermal climate having a mean annual precipitation of 30 to 45 inches, part of which falls as snow between November and March; with warm dry summers and cold, wet winters; an average January temperature of about 34 degrees F., an average July temperature of about 67 degrees F., and a mean annual temperature of about 49 degrees F. The average frost free season is about 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Manton soils occur in the same general area as Cohasset, Forward, and Jiggs soils. They resemble Cohasset, Forward, Jiggs, and Lyonsville soils. Cohasset soils developed from weathered andesite or breccia of volcanic origin, are usually redder (by at least 1/4 letter interval in hue) than the Manton and have clay loam textured B2 horizons. Forward soils lack B horizons, are moderately deep, and have light brownish gray A horizons. Jiggs soils lack B horizons, are moderately deep, and developed from weathered hard rhyolitic flow rock. Lyonsville soils are gravelly throughout, have sandy clay loam or sandy clay B2 horizons, and developed from harder rocks.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is rapid; runoff is slow; gully erosion is severe in a few areas which have been excessively disturbed.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly timber production. Vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, incense cedar and black oak with an understory of shrubs consisting of prostrate ceanothus, common manzanita, and white leaf manzanita.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Middle elevations of the Cascade Mountains of northeastern California.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES PROPOSED: Soil Survey of Tehama County, California; name from Manton, a small community in eastern Tehama County, California.

REMARKS: This soil is classified as USDA Yearbook: Yellowish Brown Lateritic, Revised Classification (7th): 8.320, Univ. of Calif., Storie and Weir: Podzolic, Profile Group IX.

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on January 1961.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.