LOCATION NEER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Neer gravelly sandy loam on a west-facing slightly convex slope of 5 percent under ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, incense cedar, black oak and manzanita at 3700 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described (5/29/74), the soil was moist throughout.)
Oi--2 to 0 inches; recent and partially decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, bark and other organic debris.
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly sandy loam, black (N 2/0) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 30 percent fine shot-like gravel; weakly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 30 percent fine shot-like gravel; weakly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and many medium roots; few fine tubular and many fine random interstitial pores; common thin silt coatings bridging sand grains; 30 percent fine shot-like gravel; weakly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bw2--9 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many medium and coarse, and common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many thin silt coatings bridging sand grains; 35 percent fine (2 to 5 mm) shot-like gravel; weakly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2Bw3--16 to 26 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine, and many medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; many thin silt coatings bridging sand grains; 40 percent fine shot-like gravel weakly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
3Cr--26 to 35 inches; extrusive igneous rocks; very fine, fine and medium roots matted on surface.
TYPE LOCATION: Siskiyou County, California; about 1 mile southeast of the city of Mt. Shasta and about 50 feet from a dirt road; 500 feet north and 1,200 feet west of the southeast corner of section 22, T.40N., R.4W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact and thickness of volcanic ash mantle is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. from mid March to early December and exceeds 47 degrees F. from mid April to mid November. The soil is dry in the 8 to 24 inch moisture control section for 80 to 110 days from mid July to mid October and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the year. The bulk density ranges from 0.5 to 0.8 g/cc to a depth of 10 to 16 inches and is 0.85 g/cc or more below a depth of 16 inches from the surface. NaF pH ranges from 10.0 to 10.7. The soil is slightly acid to strongly acid.
The upper part of the A horizon colors are 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 5/2, 5/3; 7.5YR 3/2, 4/2, 5/2; 5YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/2. Moist colors are N2.0, N3/0; 10YR 2/2, 3/2, 3/3; 7.5YR 3/2; 5YR 2/2, 3/2, 3/3. The lower part of the A horizon colors are 10YR 4/3, 5/4, 6/4; 7.5YR 5/4, 6/4; 5YR 5/4, 6/4. Moist colors are 10YR 3/4, 4/4; 7.5YR 4/4; 5YR 3/4, 4/4. The A horizon is gravelly or stony sandy loam with 3 to 15 percent clay content. Total rock fragments range from 15 to 35 percent and consist of 0 to 15 percent stones, 5 to 10 percent cobbles and 10 to 30 percent gravel. The base saturation ranges from 20 to 50 percent.
The Bw and 2Bw horizon colors are 10YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4, 7/6; 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4; 5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4, 7/6. Moist colors are 10YR 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 5/6; 7.5YR 4/4, 5/6; 5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4. It is very gravelly sandy loam with a clay content of 1 to 2 percent more than the A horizon. Rock fragments range from 35 to 60 percent and consists of 0 to 15 percent stones and cobbles and 35 to 60 percent gravel. The base saturation ranges from 10 to 20 percent.
The Cr horizon is vesicular and or fractured. Hard extrusive igneous rock inbedded in the tuff-like glacial outwash or mud flow material ranges from gravel to boulders and occupy 30 to 70 percent by volume.
Andic property data (see remarks for explanation):
Depth P-ret B.D. pH NaF Glass Alo Feo 15 barH20
0-2 96 0.54 13 1.86 0.23 ND
2-5 93 0.60 10 2.56 0.37 11.3
5-9 93 0.85 10 2.56 0.37 11.3
9-16 92 0.90 3 2.85 0.27 13.1
16-26 93 0.94 1 2.79 0.29 13.6
26-35 93 ND 2.76 0.28 13.1
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Neer soils are on lava plateaus mountains. Slopes range from 2 to 75 percent. The soils formed in tephra underlain by consolidated extrusive igneous rocks. Elevations are 2,700 to 5,000 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 30 to 50 inches. Snowfall is 50 to 100 inches. January temperature is 28 to 34 degrees F. Mean July temperature is 64 to 68 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 60 degrees F. Frost-free period is 80 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Odas, Ponto, and Shasta soils. Odas soils are greater than 60 inches deep and are poorly drained. Ponto and Shasta soils are very deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for timber production. Other uses are recreation, urban development and homesites. Vegetation includes white fir, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, black oak, incense cedar, greenleaf manzanita, antelope bitterbrush, sierra chinkapin, serviceberry, snowbrush ceanothus, and scattered clumps of needlegrass, bluegrass and wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: On slopes of late Pleistocene volcanic peaks in north central California. They are moderately extensive. MLRA is 22.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Siskiyou County, California, 1978.
REMARKS: Formerly considered a member of the McCarthy series that was reclassified as an Umbric Vitrandept in 1975.
The 3Cr horizon is vescular and or fractured. Hard extrusive igneous rock imbedded in the tuff-like glacial outwash or mud flow material ranges from gravel to boulders and occupy 30 to 70 percent by volume.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Cambic horizon - the zone from 9 to 26 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Paralithic contact - the boundary at 26 inches (2cr horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Sampled by characterization by the Riverside Laboratory in June 1974, Pedon No. S74CA-093-4.
Andic properties data defined and referenced in the soil taxonomy andisol amendment:
P-ret: phosphate retention of the less than 2mm fraction.
B.D.: bulk density of the less than 2mm fraction on an oven dry basis.
pH NaF: pH of soil mixed with saturated sodium floride solution.
Glass: percent volcanic glass.
Alo: acid-oxalate-extractable aluminum of the less than 2mm fraction.
Feo: acid-oxalate-extractable iron of the less than 2mm fraction.
15 bar H20: dried 1500 kPa water retention as a percent.
Data elements with a * are estimated.
NC: not calculated.
ND: not done.
The University of California, Davis, in cooperation with the Soil-Vegetation Survey, sampled the same pedon.