LOCATION NEICE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, thermic Mollic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Neice gravelly loam--on an east facing concave slope of 52 percent under annual grasses and scattered Blue oak, manzanita and Digger pine at 1,760 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on August 23, 1976, the soil was dry throughout.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; yellowish brown (5YR 4/6) gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine, medium and coarse granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles, 2 to 30 mm in diameter; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 11 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; very few thin clay films in some pores; 30 percent pebbles, 2 to 30 mm in diameter; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 20 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) gravelly clay loam dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films lining pores; 30 percent pebbles, 2 to 50 mm in diameter; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 24 inches thick)
Bt2--20 to 34 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) very gravelly, clay dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films lining pores; 40 percent pebbles, 2 to 75 mm in diameter; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)
Bt3--34 to 70 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) very gravelly clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films in bridges between mineral grains, on faces of peds, and lining pores; 40 percent pebbles, 2 to 75 mm in size; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, California; west of the intersection of Highway 20 and Lakeview Drive, about 1/2 mile west of the town of Nice; 1,750 feet west and 187 feet south of the NE corner of section 21, T.15 N., R.9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to bedrock are more than 60 inches. The soils are dry between depths of 11 and 29 inches from May to late October and usually are moist all the rest of the year. Mean annual soil temperature is about 59 degrees to 62 degrees F. The clay content does not decrease by as much as 20 percent of the maximum within a depth of 60 inches from the soil surface. The particle-size control section ranges from 35 to 50 percent clay and 35 to 60 percent gravel in the control section. It is slightly acid or neutral throughout.
The A horizon is 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4; 5YR 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6, 6/4 or 6/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4; 5YR 3/3, 3/4, 4/4; 2.5YR 3/4 or 3/6.
The Bt horizon is 5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6, 5/8; 2.5YR 3/4, 3/6, 4/4, 4/6 or 5/6. Moist color is 5YR 3/4, 4/4; 2.5YR 3/4, 3/6, 4/6 or 4/8. Chroma of greater than 4 is found in at least the lower part of the argillic horizon. Both moist and dry colors with hues of 2.5YR only occur in the lower part of the argillic. Some pedons have variegated colors. It is very gravelly clay loam or very gravelly clay with 27 to 55 percent clay. Rock fragment content is 35 to 55 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cometa, Corning, Forbes, Hillgate, Kimball, Las Posas, Milpitas, Newville, Positas, Tierra, San Ysidro and Wappo (T) series in other families. These soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Neice soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 15 to 75 percent. They formed in material weathered from basalt. Elevations are 1,400 to 2,600 feet. The climate is subhumid having warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 30 to 45 inches. Mean annual temperature is 54 degrees to 59 degrees F. The mean January temperature is 41 degrees F; and the mean July temperature is about 68 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 140 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bressa, Hambright and Sobrante soils. Bressa and Sobrante soils are fine-loamy. Hambright soils are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium or rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for watershed, wildlife habitat, homesites, and rangeland. Vegetation is blue oak, Digger pine, live oak, chamise, manzanita, annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Interior Coast Range of Northern California, near Clear Lake. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, California, 1983.