LOCATION MARTINECK CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic, shallow Argiduridic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Martineck extremely stony sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely stony sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; loose, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores, common vesicular pores; medium acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
A12--2 to 6 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) extremely stony sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)
B1t--6 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely stony sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; many fine and very fine roots, common medium horizontal roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common thin clay films lining pores and as bridges between mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
B2t--12 to 19 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely stony sandy clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; yellowish brown stains (10YR 5/6), light and darker mineral color moist; strong medium prismatic structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, sticky, very plastic; few fine and very fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; some nearly black manganese stains on faces of peds; medium acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
IIC1m--19 to 24 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) with dark gray (10YR 4/1) stains on fracture planes, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive indurated non-stony hardpan; extremely hard, and extremely firm; medium acid (pH 5.8). (5 to 15 inches thick)
IIC2--24 to 60 inches; stratified lake sediments becoming less consolidated and less cemented with increasing depths.
TYPE LOCATION: Sierra County, California; approximately 2 1/4 miles southeast of town of Loyalton; 1,320 feet south and 300 feet west of N1/4 corner sec. 29, T.21N., R.16E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a very strongly cemented or indurated horizon is 10 to 20 inches. The soil is moist from about November 15 until June 15. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is about 48 degrees to 50 degrees F. The soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches exceeds 41 degrees F. from March 15 to November 15 and exceeds 47 degrees F. from April 1 to November 1. Stones and cobblestones cover 3 to 15 percent of the surface. The soil profile above the duripan contains 40 to 80 percent by volume of rock fragments. Fragments are mostly cobblestones and stones. The soil is slightly to medium acid throughout. The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry or moist. It is coarse sandy loam to loam. The B2t horizon has value of 3 through 5. It is sandy clay loam to clay. The upper boundary of the Bt horizon is clear or gradual or there is a transition horizon. The absolute increase in clay from A horizon to B2t horizon is somewhat less than 15 percent in 1 inch or 20 percent in 2 1/2 inches. The IICm horizon has silica coatings resembling lime but is noneffervescent. This horizon lacks the rock fragments of the overlying solum.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bieber, Gacey, and Zoate series. Bieber soils have less than 35 percent by volume of rock fragments. Gacey soils are neutral and have gravel in the cemented duripans. Zoate soils are underlain by bedrock at depths of less than 20 inches and are neutral to mildly alkaline.
SETTING: The Martineck soils are gently sloping to moderately steep and are on undulating to hilly terraces at elevations of 4,500 to 5,200 feet. They formed in cobbly and stony alluvium mostly derived from basic igneous rock sources and are underlain by indurated to consolidated lake sediments. The climate is cool semiarid with mean annual precipitation of about 12 to 18 inches. The average January temperature is about 28 degrees F., July average temperature is about 68 degrees F., and mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. The freeze-free season is about 30 to 90 days.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bieber soils and the Bidwell, Correco, and Dotta soils. Bidwell, Correco, and Dotta soils have argillic horizons but lack duripans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow to rapid runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing. The vegetation is low sagebrush, bitterbrush, and perennial grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. The soils are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sierra County, California, 1973.
REMARKS: The Martineck soils were formerly classified as Prairie soils.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 8/73.