LOCATION PAIGE CAEstablished Series
The Paige series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium over till derived from volcanic rock. The Paige soils are on moraines. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 1372 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, mixed, frigid Humic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Paige medial sandy loam on an east facing (80 degree), 8 percent slope at an elevation of 2136 meters. When described on 10/19/2001 the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.
Oi--0 to 8 cm; slightly decomposed plant material.
A1--8 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) medial sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; 70 percent sand; 26 percent silt; 4 percent clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; soft, very friable; few fine and very fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; slightly acid, pH 6.6; clear smooth boundary.
A2--25 to 51 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) medial sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; 70 percent sand; 26 percent silt; 4 percent clay; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable; common fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; slightly acid, pH 6.6; clear smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the A horizons is 25 to 61 cm thick.)
Bw1--51 to 91 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly medial sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; 70 percent sand; 24 percent silt; 6 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; common fine, many medium, and few coarse roots throughout; few very fine interstitial and few very fine dendritic tubular pores; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid, pH 6.2; clear smooth boundary. (25 to 51 cm thick)
Bw2--91 to 122 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) cobbly medial sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; 70 percent sand; 24 percent silt; 6 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; common fine and medium roots throughout; few very fine dendritic tubular pores; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid, pH 6.2; clear smooth boundary. (25 to 51 cm thick)
2Bw3--122 to 157 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) cobbly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; 50 percent sand; 35 percent silt; 15 percent clay; strong medium angular blocky structure; soft, very friable; few fine roots and medium roots throughout; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid, pH 6.0; abrupt smooth boundary. (25 to 51 cm thick)
3Cd--157 cm; dense glacial till; hard, very firm
TYPE LOCATION: Placer County, California, 685 meters west and 573 meters south of the northeast corner of Section 15, Township 15 N., Range 16 E., 39 degrees, 8 minutes, 60 seconds North latitude and 120 degrees, 11 minutes, 52 seconds West longitude, NAD27 - U.S.G.S Quad: Tahoe City.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from mid-July to early October for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.
Surface rock fragment content:
0 to 5 percent consisting of: gravel and cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
Base saturation: less than 60 percent. (By amonium acetate). Typically it is very low due to high amounts of Aluminum.
Rock fragments: 2 to 20 percent, with 0 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent cobbles.
Mineralogy: mixed.
A horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Organic matter: 5 to 10 percent
Texture (less than 2 mm): Sandy loam
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent
Content of rock fragments: 2 to 15 percent
2 to 15 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
Bw horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Organic matter: 2 to 5 percent
Texture (less than 2 mm): Sandy loam
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent
Content of rock fragments: 10 to 25 percent
2 to 10 percent gravel
5 to 15 percent cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
2Bw3 horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry; 3 to 6 moist
Organic matter: 1 to 2 percent
Redoximorphic features: iron-manganese masses
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 6
Texture (less than 2 mm): Loam
Clay content: 5 to 20 percent
Content of rock fragments: 10 to 20 percent
2 to 10 percent gravel
5 to 15 percent cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kneeridge soils. Kneeridge soils do not have densic contact within 150 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paige soils are on moraines. Slopes are 5 to 15 percent. These soils formed in colluvium over till weathered from volcanic rock. Elevation is 1900 to 2270 meters. The climate is sub-humid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 790 to 1600 millimeters. The mean annual temperature is 5 to 7.9 degrees C. Frost free season is 40 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kneeridge and Waca soils. The Kneeridge soils are very deep and consist completely of colluvial materials in the control section. Waca soils are moderately deep to soft volcanic bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Moderate permeability above the densic material. Low to medium runoff. The soils are not flooded or ponded.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for recreation, wildlife and urban development. Vegetation is white fir and Jeffrey pine with an understory of snowberry, aster, and thistle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Paige soils are of minor extent California in MLRA 22A -- Sierra Nevada Mountains
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Placer County, (Tahoe Basin Area), California, 2007. Source of name from is from a local meadow.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: from the mineral soil surface to 100 cm below the starting point (the A1, A2 and Bw horizons)
Andic properties: 8 to 122 cm (the A1, A2, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons)
Umbric Epipedon: 8 to 51 cm (the A1 and A2 horizons)