LOCATION MCCARTHY CA
Established Series
Rev. CRM/JHR/JJJ/SBS
09/2021
MCCARTHY SERIES
The McCarthy series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in material weathered from andesitic mudflows. McCarthy soils are on gently sloping to very steep slopes of dissected plateau-like areas. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 55 inches and the mean annual temperature is 52 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, amorphic, mesic Humic Haploxerands
TYPICAL PEDON: McCarthy gravelly sandy loam, on a west facing smooth linear slope of 26 percent under a vegetative cover of white fir, Douglas-fir, incense-cedar and mountain whitethorn at an elevation of 5,600 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on July 17, 1978 the soil was dry throughout).
Oi--0 to 2 inches; litter and duff.
A1--2 to 7 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles and 2 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
A2--7 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles and 3 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--24 to 28 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common thin clay films on surfaces of rock fragments; common fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--28 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) volcanic breccia, slightly weathered and fractured with some roots and soil in the cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California; 100 feet east of Dennis Road (10N46), 1 1/4 miles south of Mormon Emigrant Trail; in the NE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 section 30, T.10 N., R.15 E., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of volcanic breccia or conglomerate is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 59 degrees F. The soil between the depths of 14 to 26 inches is usually dry in all parts for 90 to 150 days from June to early November and is moist in some or all parts all of the rest of the year. Average base saturation throughout the soil is 15 to 50 percent. The soil is sandy loam or loam throughout and may be gravelly or cobbly. Rock fragments average greater than 35 percent from 10 inches to the bedrock.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 4/2, 4/3, 3/3; 7.5YR 5/2, 5/4, 4/4, 4/2, 3/4 or 3/2. Moist colors are 10YR 2/2, 3/2, 3/3; 7.5YR 2/2, 3/2; 5YR 2/2, 3/2 or 3/3. It has up to 15 percent organic matter in the upper few inches and more than 2 percent to a depth of 10 inches. It has 15 to 35 percent gravel and 2 to 25 percent cobbles and stones. It is slightly to medium acid.
The B horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/4; 7.5YR 6/6, 5/6, 4/6, 5/4, 4/4; 5YR 5/6, 4/6 or 4/4. Moist colors are 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 3/4, 3/3, 3/2; 7.5YR 4/2, 4/4, 3/2, 3/4; 5YR 4/4, 3/4. It has 35 to 75 percent gravel and cobbles with stones in some pedons. It is medium to strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Delphi,
Guler, McElroy,
Schneider and
Washougal series. All of these soils are greater than 40 inches to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: McCarthy soils are on dissected plateau-like areas. Slopes are from 2 to 75 percent. They formed in material weathered from andesitic mudflows. Elevation is 2,000 to 6,000 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation varies from 35 to 70 inches. Snowfall is 10 to 100 inches. Mean January temperature is 35 degrees F; mean July temperature is 70 degrees F; mean annual temperature varies from 50 to 58 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 130 to 225 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aiken,
Cohasset,
Crozier, and
Ledmount soils. Aiken, Cohasset and Crozier soils have argillic horizons. Ledmount soils have a lithic contact within a depth of 20 inches.
Waca soils are frigid.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Native vegetation is white fir, and ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, incense-cedar, sugar pine, black oak, manzanita, deerbrush and mountain whitethorn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of northern and central California. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tehama County, California, 1962.
REMARKS: The McCarthy soils were formerly classified medial-skeletal, mesic Umbric Vitrandepts.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Reference samples from this profile (S78CA-017-104) were analyzed for taxonomic placement by the Lincoln Lab. in September 1979. One pedon in Amador County without andic tests: S62CA-005-001. A McCarthy pedon sampled near type location in 1991:S91CA-017-001 meets series criteria and two NSSL pedons S90CA-109-122 and 124 in Tuolumne County.
Series reclassified 10/96 according to Amendment 18. Competing series not updated at that time.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.