LOCATION RAINGAGE CA
Established Series
Rev: JHP/JPS/ET
10/2016
RAINGAGE SERIES
The Raingage series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in earthflow colluvium derived from mudstone and sandstone. Raingage soils are on mountains and have slopes of 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 2030 millimeters (80 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C (55 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aquultic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Raingage loam - on a convex, southwest-facing slope of 18 percent under annual and perennial grasses and forbs at 295 meters (970 feet) elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on May 14, 1986, the soil was moist throughout)
A--0 to 44 centimeters (0 to 17 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 9 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 50 centimeters thick)
BA--44 to 65 centimeters (17 to 26 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 36 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 centimeters thick)
Btg--65 to 130 centimeters (26 to 51 inches); light olive gray (5Y 6/2) gravelly silty clay loam, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; weak coarse subangular block structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films and many prominent silt flows in pores; common medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulations, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; 20 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.5). (30 to 80 centimeters thick)
Cg1--130 to 140 centimeters (51 to 55 inches); gray (N 5/) gravelly silty clay loam, dark gray (N 4/) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; common medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulations, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; 16 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5).
Cg2--140 to 150 centimeters (55 to 59 inches); gray (N 5/) gravelly silty clay loam, dark gray (N 4/) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; 29 percent gravel, rock content increasing irregularly with depth; neutral (pH 7.0). (Combined thickness of the Cg horizons is 20 to 95 centimeters)
TYPE LOCATION: Redwood National Park, Humboldt County, California; in Devils Earthflow Prairie; southwest quarter, northwest quarter, Section 35, T. 9 N., R. 2 E., WGS84 Decimal degrees 41.12972 latitude and 123 degrees, 55 minutes, 26 seconds west -123.92278 longitude; HBLM; USGS Bald Hills Quadrangle, Ca. UTM Zone 10 422455mE 4553550mN; NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil is dry in all parts in the moisture control section from about July 10 to September 20, and is moist in all parts from about October 1 to June 1. The soils have a xeric moisture regime and an aquic subclass. A seasonal water table is present at a depth of 50 to 75 centimeters (20 to 30 inches).
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 18 degrees C (59 to 64 degrees F). The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature is 6 to 10 degrees C.
The umbric epipedon is 25 to 50 centimeters thick.
Surface fragments: 3 to 12 percent gravel.
Depth to Redoximorphic features is 50 to 75 centimeters.
Base saturation by sum of cations is less than 35 percent in the upper 75 centimeters of the argillic, and increases with depth above 35 percent in the Cg horizons.
Surface fragments: 3 to 10 percent gravel.
Particle-Size Control Section (weighted average):
Rock fragments: 10 to 23 percent gravel and 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 30 to 35 percent clay.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 1 through 3 moist.
Texture of fine earth: loam.
Rock fragments: 5 to 13 percent gravel.
Clay content: 20 to 26 percent clay.
Reaction is moderately or strongly acid.
Btg horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: / through 3 dry, 1 through 4 moist.
Texture of fine earth: clay loam or silty clay loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 23 percent gravel and 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 30 to 35 percent clay.
Reaction is moderately or strongly acid.
Redoximorphic features:
Type: fine and medium iron-manganese masses in the matrix, iron stains lining root channels and/or pores
Quantity: common to many
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry, 4 through 8 moist.
Cg horizon
Hue: 2.5Y, 5Y, or N.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: / through 2 dry, / through 2 moist.
Texture of fine earth: clay loam or silty clay loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent gravel and 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
Clay content: 33 to 35 percent clay.
Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Redoximorphic features: (in the upper part)
Type: fine and medium iron-manganese masses in the matrix, iron stains lining root channels and/or pores
Quantity: common to many
Hue: 7.5 YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry, 4 through 8 moist.
COMPETING SERIES: At this time there are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Raingage soils are on earthflows on lower mountain slopes. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 67 to 971 meters (215 to 3185 feet). The soils formed in earthflow colluvium derived from mudstone and sandstone. The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers and cool, rainy winters. Mean annual precipitation is 1780 to 2290 millimeters (70 to 90 inches). Mean January temperature is about 9 degrees C; mean July temperature is about 16 degree C; and the mean annual temperature is 10 to 15 degree C (50 to 59 degrees F). Frost free season is about 250 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Pigpen soils. Pigpen soils have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are on steeper irregular slopes, have a higher frequency of hummocks and more rapid earthflow activity.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained; high runoff; saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high in the surface layer, moderately low to low in the subsoil and very low in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil has been used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and watershed. The present vegetation is predominantly annual grasses and forbs, and some shrubs. Herbaceous species include dogtail grass, blando brome, slender wild oats, cranesbill, silver hairgrass, narrow-leaved flax and annual clover. Poison oak, blackberry and coyote brush are common on sites disrupted by earthflow motion.
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 and Del Norte area, California, 2007. The source of the name is from "Raingage Earthflow Prairie", located in Redwood National Park south of the town of Orick.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Umbric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 44 centimeters (A horizon)
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 65 to 130 centimeters (Btg horizon)
3. Redoximorphic features - in the zone from 65 to 150 centimeters (Btg, Cg1 & Cg2 horizons)
4. Aquic conditions - seasonal water table, depleted matrix and aquic conditions for more than 30 days in most years within the zone from 65 to 150 centimeters (Btg, Cg1 & Cg2 horizons)
5. Particle-size control section - the zone from 65 to 115 centimeters, (Btg, Cg1 & Cg2 horizons) averages 30 percent clay, by field estimate, and 20 percent rock fragments, by volume. CEC/clay ratio averages 0.65
ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 82CA605REDW044
Supporting data from a similar Raingage soil, Pedon No: 10N0674.
Soil sample 82-RNP-2 was collected from a similar pedon and analyzed chemically at the Oregon state University Soil Testing Laboratory.
Soil classified using the 12th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.