LOCATION OCEANHOUSE CA
Established Series
Rev JTW/SAA/ET
10/2016
OCEANHOUSE SERIES
The Oceanhouse series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum from sandstone, mudstone, and metasedimentary rock. Oceanhouse soils are on mountains. Slopes range from 5 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 1525 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 13 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Oceanhouse clay loam on a southwest facing 27 percent slope under annual and perennial grasses and forbs. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) When described on August 22, 2006 the soil was dry to 100 centimeters.
A--0 to 10 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; many very fine dendritic tubular and common very fine irregular pores; 15 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron-manganese masses in matrix; 2 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear smooth boundary. (Thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 60 centimeters).
ABt--10 to 40 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; common fine dendritic tubular and common very fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 5 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) iron-manganese masses in matrix; 13 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 50 centimeters thick)
Btg1--40 to 80 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots throughout; common fine dendritic tubular and common very fine irregular pores; common distinct black (10YR 2/1) organoargillans on all faces of peds; 15 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron-manganese masses in matrix; 13 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--80 to 110 centimeters; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly silty clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots throughout; common very fine interstitial, common fine irregular, and common very fine dendritic tubular pores; few distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay films on all faces of peds; 10 percent fine faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) iron-manganese masses in matrix; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons is 25 to 150 centimeters)
Cg1--110 to 150 centimeters; light brownish gray (2.5Y6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial, very fine irregular and very fine dendritic tubular pores; few distinct pressure faces; 15 percent fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) iron-manganese masses in matrix; 1 percent fine, slightly effervescent calcium carbonate masses in the matrix; 8 percent gravel, slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary.
Cg2--150 to 200 centimeters; light brownish gray (2.5Y6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine interstitial, very fine irregular and very fine dendritic tubular pores; few distinct pressure faces; 15 percent fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) iron-manganese masses in matrix; 1 percent fine, slightly effervescent calcium carbonate masses in the matrix; 8 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Cg horizons is 0 to 100 centimeters).
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, California, USGS Capetown Quadrangle, Ca.; about 15 kilometers southwest of Ferndale, CA; WGS84 Decimal degrees 40.4698611 latitude and -124.3688333 longitude; UTM zone 10 383959mE, 4480808mN; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The entire soil profile is saturated from January through March. The soils have an aquic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature at 50 centimeters is 11 to 15 degrees C. The difference between mean summer and winter temperature is 6 degrees C or more. The soils have a mesic soil temperature regime.
Surface fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravels, 0 to 2 percent cobbles and stones.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 25 to 60 centimeters
Depth to redoximorphic features: 0 centimeters
Base Saturation: Base saturation is 76 to 100 percent (by NH4OAc) in all horizons
Particle size control section (weighted average):
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent gravel
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 through 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist
Texture of fine earth: clay loam, silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent strongly cemented sandstone or mudstone gravel
Clay content: 30 to 39 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid
Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron-manganese masses in the matrix
Quantity: common to many
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8 moist
Btg horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, and 5Y
Value: 5 or 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture of fine earth: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, and clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent sandstone or mudstone gravel
Clay content: 32 to 45 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron-manganese masses in the matrix
Quantity: common to many
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 6 to 8 moist
Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron depletions
Quantity: none to common
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y
Value: 4 to 6, moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, moist
Cg horizon, when present
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y
Value: 5 or 6, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture of fine earth: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, and clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent strongly cemented sandstone or mudstone gravel
Clay content: 32 to 45
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron-manganese masses in the matrix
Quantity: common to many
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 3 to 5
Redoximorphic Features: fine and medium iron depletions
Quantity: none to common
Hue: 10YR and 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6, moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, moist
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Oceanhouse soils are on concave backslope positions on mountain slopes dominated by earthflows. Slopes are 5 to 50 percent. Elevations are 10 to 750 meters. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from strongly cemented sandstone, mudstone, and metasedimentary rock. The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers and cool, wet winters. Mean annual precipitation is 1270 to 2030 millimeters. The mean annual temperature is 12 to 14 degrees C. Frost free season is about 240 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Dolason (CA),
Forhaux (CA), and
Peaked (CA) soils. Dolason soils lack redoximorphic features, have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are on linear to slightly concave or convex summit, shoulder, and backslope positions. Forhaux soils have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section and are on convex summit and shoulder positions. Peaked soils have redoximorphic features between 50 and 100 centimeters and are on linear to slightly concave or convex summit, shoulder, and backslope positions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained, high to very high runoff, moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used mainly for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Natural vegetation is annual and perennial grasses and forbs including bentgrass, wild oat, slender oat, bristly dogstail grass, common velvetgrass, pale flax, burclover, pennyroyal, and western rush. Some sites have scattered coyotebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Redwood Belt; MLRA 4B. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Southern Part, California Soil Survey Area, 2010. The name is from Oceanhouse Ranch.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 40 centimeters (A and ABt horizons)
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 40 to 110 centimeters (Btg1 and Btg2 horizon)
3. Particle-size control section - the zone from 25 to 100 centimeters (ABt, Btg1, and Btg2 horizons) averages 41 percent clay.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: KSSL Pedon No. 07N0345 NSSL
Soil classified using the 12th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.