LOCATION SCARUL CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, frigid Typic Palexerults
TYPICAL PEDON: Scarul very gravelly loam, forested, on a 9 percent north east-facing slope under mixed conifers and shrubs at 4,750 feet elevation. (When described May 2, 1989, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 2 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm pebbles and 30 percent 5 to 75 mm pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
BA--2 to 7 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm pebbles and 30 percent 5 to 75 mm pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 17 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine, common fine and medium and few coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; many thin and common moderately thick thin clay films on peds; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm pebbles and 30 percent 5 to 75 mm pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--17 to 40 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; many thin and moderately thick yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist clay films on peds, in pores and bridging mineral grains; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm pebbles and 30 percent 5 to 75 mm pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--40 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; many thin and moderately thick clay films on peds, in pores and bridging mineral grains; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm pebbles and 35 percent 5 to 75 mm pebbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8).
Bt4--60 to 84 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; common thin and few moderately thick clay films on peds, in pores and bridging mineral grains; light gray (10YR 7/2) coatings on faces of coarse blocks with few very fine roots and many medium and coarse very dark brown (10YR 4/2) moist stains on peds and in matrix; 20 percent 2 to 5 mm pebbles and 35 percent 5 to 75 mm pebbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0). (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 60 to 80 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Plumas County, California; about 2.0 miles SE of Almanor; 1.0 mile S of HWY 89; about 2000 feet E and 700 feet N of SW corner of Sec. 14, T.27N., R.7E. Almanor Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature varies from 44 to 46 degrees F. The moisture control section (19 to 53 inches) is dry from early early August to early November and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from early May to early December and exceeds 47 degrees F from early June to early November. Organic carbon ranges from 8 to 10 Kg/m2 to a depth of 100 cm.
The A horizon is 7.5YR 4/4, 5/2, 5/3, 6/4 or 6/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 3/2, 3/4, 4/4 or 4/6. Rock fragments range from 40 to 55 percent, mostly gravel
The BA horizon is 7.5YR 5/4, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4 or 5 YR 6/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6 or 5YR 4/6. It is 20 to 25 percent clay and 40 to 60 percent rock fragments.
The Bt horizon is 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 5/8, 6/6, 7/4; 5YR 6/4, 6/6 or 7/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6; 5YR 4/6, 5/6, 5/8; 2.5YR 4/8 or 5/8. The upper part is very gravelly clay loam with 27 to 35 percent clay. The lower part below a depth of 40 inches is 35 to 40 percent clay. Rock fragments range from 40 to 60 percent. Base saturation of the argillic horizon ranges from 10 to 45 percent but decreases with depth. Below a depth of 40 inches base saturation ranges from 10 to 35 percent. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Scarul soils are on toe slopes and fans. Slopes are 5 to 30 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from metasediments. Elevation is 4,700 to 4,900 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is about 35 to 40 inches with 40 to 120 inches of snow. The mean annual temperature is about 44 degrees F., mean July temperature is about 60 degrees F. and mean January temperature is about 26 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kinkle, Penstock and Scaribou soils. Kinkle soils have 15 to 18 percent clay in the control section and are mesic. Penstock and Scaribou soils have base saturation that ranges from 35 to 65 percent. In addition, Penstock soils have 18 to 27 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is rapid; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Scarul soils are used for timber production. The vegetation is ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, sugar pine, Incense cedar, whitethorn ceonothus, pinemat manzanita and squawcarpet.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Plumas County near Lake Almanor, Ca. The soils of this series are not extensive in MLRA 22.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Plumas County, California; Plumas Supplemental Area, Parts of Lassen and Plumas Counties Soil Survey Area, 1990.
REMARKS: Soil physical and chemical properties from UCD Lab Data. Lab No. 1701. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the mineral soil surface to a depth of 7 inches (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 7 to 84 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizons)