LOCATION PANTHERCREEK CA

Established Series
Rev: JHP/JPS/ET/SAA
01/2013

PANTHERCREEK SERIES

The Panthercreek series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in debris flow colluvium derived from schist. Panthercreek soils are on stabilized debris slides on mountains and have slopes of 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 2030 millimeters (80 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C (54 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, isomesic Dystric Eutrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Panthercreek gravelly loam - on an uneven, northeast-facing slope of 72 percent under redwood, western hemlock, tanoak, Douglas-fir, swordfern, deer fern and woodsorrel at 293 meters (960 feet) elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. When described July 12, 1984, the soil was moist throughout.)

Oi--0 to 6 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); fresh and slightly decomposed redwood needles, tanoak leaves and twigs; very strongly acid (pH 4.5). (0 to 10 centimeters thick)

A--6 to 17 centimeters (2 to 7 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 34 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 43 centimeters thick)

Bw--17 to 41 centimeters (7 to 16 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, and few fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; 17 percent gravel and 7 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 71 centimeters thick)

C1--41 to 86 centimeters (16 to 34 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) extremely gravelly loam, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 60 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); diffuse wavy boundary.

C2--86 to 126 centimeters (34 to 50 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) very gravelly loam, gray (5Y 5/1) dry; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 43 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); diffuse wavy boundary.

C3--126 to 171 centimeters (50 to 67 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) very gravelly loam, gray (5Y 5/1) dry; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); gradual smooth boundary.

Cg--171 to 226 centimeters (67 to 89 inches); dark gray (N 4/) gravelly loam, gray (N 5/) dry; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6). (combined thickness of C subhorizons is 50 to 200 centimeters)

TYPE LOCATION: Redwood National Park, Humboldt County, California; located approximately 24 kilometers south of the town of Orick, 200 meters downslope from end of M-4 logging road, 30 meters above middle fork of Bridge Creek; center of north half, southeast quarter, Section 30, T. 9 N., R. 2 E., 41 degrees, 8 minutes, 26 seconds north latitude and 123 degrees 59 minutes, west longitude; HBLM; USGS Bald Hills Quadrangle; UTM Zone 10 417485mE 4554819mN; NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil is continuously moist in all parts in the soil moisture control section in most years. The soils have an udic moisture regime. Depth to seasonal water table is 100 centimeters (40 inches) or more.

Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F). The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature is 2 to 4 degrees C.

Depth to redoximorphic features: 100 centimeters or more.

Reaction is neutral to moderately acid and base saturation, by ammonium acetate, is 70 to 100 percent throughout.

Particle-Size Control Section (weighted average):

Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent clay.

O horizon

Hue: 10YR.
Value: 2 through 6 dry and moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4 dry and moist.

In lieu of texture: slightly decomposed organic material.
Wood fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Reaction: moderately to very strongly acid.

A horizon

Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist.

Texture of fine earth: loam.
Rock fragments: 20 to 35 percent gravel and 0 to 3 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent clay.

Bw horizon

Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist.

Texture of fine earth: loam.
Rock fragments: 15 to 60 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent clay.

C horizons

Hue: 5Y or N.
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: / through 2 dry, / through 3 moist.

Texture of fine earth: sandy loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 8 to 20 percent clay.

Redoximorphic features:

Type: Fine and medium iron-manganese masses in the matrix, iron stains lining root channels and and/or pores

Quantity: common to many
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 8 moist.

COMPETING SERIES: At this time there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Panthercreek soils are on stabilized debris slides on steep-sided mountain slopes near creeks. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations are 15 to 757 meters (45 to 2480 feet). These soils formed in debris flow colluvium derived from schist. The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers and cool, rainy winters. Mean annual precipitation is 1780 to 2550 millimeters (70 to 100 inches). Mean January temperature is about 9 degrees C.; mean July temperature is about 14 degrees C., and mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F). Frost-free season is about 240 to 300 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Coppercreek and Devilscreek soils. Coppercreek and Devilscreek soils are fine-loamy. The Coppercreek soils are on gentler, drier slopes above the Panthercreek soils. The Devilscreek soils are near drainage headwaters upstream from the Panthercreek soils.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife and watershed. Natural vegetation includes redwood, western hemlock, tanoak, Douglas fir, big-leaf maple and red alder in the overstory, and rhododendron, huckleberry, salmonberry, thimbleberry, swordfern, deer fern, woodsorrel and coltsfoot in the understory.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: California Coastal Redwood Belt; MLRA 4B. The series is not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt Del Norte area, California, 2007. Source of name is "Panther Creek", a tributary to Redwood Creek in Redwood National Park 18 kilometers south of the town of Orick.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 18 centimeters (Oi, A & upper Bw horizons)
2. Cambic horizon - the zone from 17 to 41 centimeters (Bw horizon)
3. Eutrudepts feature -base saturation of greater than 60 percent, by ammonium acetate, in the zone from 25 to 100 centimeters (Bw, C1 and C2 horizons)
4. Aquic conditions - seasonal water table and depleted matrix in the zone from 171 to 226 centimeters (Cg horizon)
5. Particle-size control section - the zone from 25 to 100 centimeters, (Bw, C1 and C2 horizons) averages 11 percent clay, by weight, and 52 percent rock fragments, by volume. CEC/clay ratio averages 0.38.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil sample 84-RNP-8 was collected from the type pedon and analyzed at the Oregon State University Soil Testing and Soil Physics Laboratories.

Nasis User Pedon: 83CA605REDW013
Soil classified using the 11th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy. 10th Edition classification was loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, isomesic Typic Eutrudepts.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.