LOCATION MILLICH CA

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TKK
03/2023

MILLICH SERIES

The Millich series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in colluvium over residuum weathered from andesite. Millich soils are on hills. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, mesic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Millich very stony loam on a west facing (270 degree), 10 percent slope at an elevation of 1618 meters; under mountain big sagebrush , antelope bitterbrush, needlegrass and bottlebrush squirreltail. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; 20 percent clay; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 20 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; 30 percent clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; many faint clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; 15 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Bt2--20 to 30 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; 45 percent clay; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots between peds; few very fine and fine tubular pores; continuous distinct clay films lining pores and common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bt3--30 to 41 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; 47 percent clay; strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots between peds; few very fine and fine tubular pores; continuous distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 2 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

R--41 cm; gray (N 6/) vesicular andesitic bedrock, very hard, but slightly weathered; fractured at intervals of 45 to <100 cm; some clay films in fracture planes.

TYPE LOCATION: Plumas County, California; WGS84 39.7750000 latitude,
-120.1855556 longitude; UTM Zone 10, 740933 E 4406587 W, WGS84. About 2 miles south of Vinton; about 500 feet west and 2,000 feet south of the northeast corner of section 9, T. 22 N., R. 16 E., MDB&M. USGS Chilcott 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 10 to 11 degrees C and the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a mesic temperature regime.

Soil moisture: The soils have a xeric soil moisture regime that borders on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from about mid-July to mid-October(about 90 days).

Diagnostic Feature(s):
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 25 cm
(includes the Bt1 horizon and also the Bt2 horizon in some pedons)
Argillic horizon thickness: 20 to 42 cm
Depth to lithic contact: 30 to 50 cm

Particle size control section weighted average:
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 15 percent, mainly cobbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as andesite, andesitic tuff, or andesitic tuff-breccia.
Clay content: Averages 35 to 50 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: loam
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
10 to 20 percent gravel
10 to 20 percent cobbles
10 to 20 percent stones
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent
Reaction: neutral

Bt1 horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent
5 to 20 percent gravel
5 to 15 percent cobbles
0 to 10 percent stones
Organic matter content: .75 to 1.25 percent
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid

Lower Bt horizons (Bt2 and Bt3, where present)
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay or clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
0 to 10 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Organic matter content: 0.25 to 0.75 percent
Reaction: slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Deven and Devnot series.

Deven soils have an increase in rock fragments with depth. Devnot soils average 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Millich soils are on hills. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as andesite, andesitic tuff, and tuff-breccia. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. Elevations range from 1,500 to 1,850 meters. The climate is subhumid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 375 to 640 mm. The mean annual air temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C. The frost free period is 95 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aldax and Bieber soils. Aldax soils lack argillic horizons. Bieber soils have a duripan within 50 cm of the soil surface.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity; very high surface runoff.

USE AND VEGETATION: Millich soils are used for livestock grazing. The vegetation is antelope bitterbrush, low sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, needlegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, singleleaf pinyon, and widely spaced Jeffrey pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California in MLRA 26 (Carson Basin and Mountains). These soils are not extensive with about 2,000 acres of the series mapped to date.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alpine County (Carson Valley Area), California, 1973.

REMARKS:
Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 8 to 43 cm.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic Epipedon 0 to 18 cm
Argillic Horizon 8 to 41 cm
Lithic Contact 41 cm

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Pedon information for this type location only:
Pedon Type: OSD pedon
Pedon Purpose: soil survey inventory
NASIS User Pedon ID: 1967CA063010

Previous authors and editors include: LNL-GMK-LCL-JVC.
The type location was moved 10/2009 to the Sierra Valley area to better reflect the series concept.

The temperature regime was investigated and changed from frigid to mesic on 03/2023.

This soil was classified using the 13th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.