LOCATION MUSICK                  CA

Established Series
Rev. RCH-LCL-DJE/AJT-AGB-JTW
03/2023

MUSICK SERIES


The Musick series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium over residuum from intrusive igneous rocks. Musick soils are on foothills and mountains. Slope ranges from 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 1270 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Ultic Haploxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Musick loam--on a northeast-facing, linear, slope of 26 percent. Vegetation is ponderosa pine, incense cedar, and California black oak with mountain misery, whiteleaf manzanita and deerbrush in the understory. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on July 3, 1958 the soil was dry throughout).

Oi--0 to 8 cm; loose, fibrous litter mainly from mountain misery, partly decomposed in the lower portion.

A--8 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; 15 percent clay; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many very fine and fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

AB--23 to 43 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; 17 percent clay; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many very fine, fine, and medium roots; common thin clay films line pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

Bt1--43 to 58 cm; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; 30 percent clay; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and few fine pores; thin nearly continuous clay films on vertical peds; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bt2--58 to 122 cm; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; 35 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to coarse angular blocky; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few very fine and fine pores; moderately thick nearly continuous clay films on peds and in pores; moderately acid (pH 5.7); diffuse smooth boundary. (35 to 75 cm thick)

BCt--122 to 193 cm; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; 30 percent clay; appears massive but parts to weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few thin red (2.5YR 5/6) clay films on peds; strongly acid (pH 5.4); diffuse wavy boundary. (35 to 115 cm thick)

C1--193 to 234 cm; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; 15 percent clay; massive; slightly hard, friable; very few medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; original rock structure detectable but indistinct; few thick clay films; moderately acid (pH 5.6); diffuse wavy boundary. (25 to 75 cm thick)

C2--234 to 295 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; 15 percent clay; otherwise like the C1 horizon; grades into very pale brown strongly weathered quartz diorite.

TYPE LOCATION: Fresno County, California, about 6 miles south of Shaver Lake and 7 miles east of Tollhouse; 1/4 mile south of the center of section 29, T.10 S., R.25 E., MDB&M. WGS84 37.028099 latitude and -119.267998 longitude. UTM Zone 11 298262 meters E 4100395 meters N NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: the mean annual soil temperature at 50 cm depth is 12 to 15 degrees C. The difference between mean summer and winter soil temperature is greater than 6 degrees C. The soils have a mesic temperature regime.

Soil moisture: the soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from about June to October. The soils have a xeric moisture regime.

Diagnostic Feature(s)
Ochric epipedon thickness: 18 to 45 cm
Argillic horizon thickness: 50 to 170 cm
Depth to paralithic contact: >150 cm

Particle size control section weighted averages:
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent; typically averages greater than 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; dominantly fine gravel, typically averages less than 5 percent

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; dominantly fine gravel, typically less than 5 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid

The A horizon has a redder hue or higher chroma in the lower part.

Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam; clay or sandy clay in the lower part for some pedons
Clay content: 20 to 45 percent
Coarse plus Very Coarse sand content: 16 to 26 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; dominantly fine gravel, typically less than 5 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid
Base saturation (by sum of cations): 35 to 60 percent

The Bt horizon may have variegated streaks or other color segregations in the hues of 5YR to 10R. Mica content ranges up to 40 percent

C horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 7 dry or moist
Chroma: 3 to 8 dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, coarse sand loam
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Wallyhill soils. Wallyhill soils have a paralithic contact of metasedimentary rock at depths of 50 to 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Musick soils are on hillslopes and mountain slopes at elevations of 495 to 1480 meters. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. These soils formed in material derived from intrusive igneous rocks such as granite, granodiorite, quartz diorite, or syenite. The climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 750 to 1800 mm, of which 1 to 15 percent occurs as snow. Mean annual air temperature is about 14 degrees C, average January air temperature is 3 degrees C, and average July air temperature is 22 degrees C. Frost-free season is 180 to 260 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aiken, Chawanakee, Cohasset, Holland, Hotaw, Jocal, Shaver, Sites, Tollhouse and Wukusick soils. Chawanakee and Tollhouse have a paralithic contact with intrusive igneous rock at 25 to 50 cm. Hotaw soils occur on shoulders and have a paralithic contact with intrusive igneous rock at 50 to 100 cm. Shaver soils have a paralithic contact with intrusive igneous rock at 100 to 150 cm. Aiken, Jocal, and Sites soils have a base saturation of less than 35 percent (by sum of cations) in the lower part of the argillic horizon. Aiken soils occur on lahars. Jocal and Sites soils occur on mountain slopes and formed from metasedimentary rocks. Sites and Wukusick soils average greater than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low to moderately high throughout the soil profile.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for commercial timber, wildlife, watershed, and recreation. A few areas are used for deciduous orchards and pasture. Vegetation includes ponderosa pine, incense cedar, white fir, California black oak, canyon live oak, Pacific dogwood, mountain misery, whiteleaf manzanita and deerbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Mountains of California; MLRA 22A. The series is moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Amador County, California, 1963.

REMARKS:

Particle size control section for this pedon: 43 to 93 cm

Diagnostic features and properties recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 43 cm
Cambic horizon: 23 to 43 cm
Argillic horizon: 43 to 193 cm

ADDITIONAL DATA:

NASIS User Pedon ID: 58-CA-10-001

Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL) Pedons (NASIS User Pedon ID): 83CA019302, S1977CA019003 (ric); in Amador County: S1959CA005013 (ric) and S1959CA005014 (taxadjunct) which is in the parasesquic family; in Mariposa County 92CA043102; in Stanislaus NF 90CA109107 (taxadjunct).

12/2018 - User Pedon IDs 83CA019302, S1977CA019003 are in Shasta-Trinity NF which is in MLRA 5. They should be re-correlated and removed from range in characteristics (ric) for this series.

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


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.