LOCATION SHASTINA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed,
mesic Humic Haploxerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Shastina loam - on a southeast facing 2 percent slope under a cover of ponderosa pine at 3,340 feet elevation. (Colors are dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on August 26, 1980, the soil was dry throughout.)
0--4 to 0 inches; slightly decomposed litter. (0 to 4 inches thick)
A1--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 8 percent fine gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear smooth boundary.
A2--6 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and common fine interstitial pores; 15 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 14 to 16 inches)
2AC--15 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, and common coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary.
2C1--26 to 36 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the upper C horizon is 16 to 21 inches)
3C2--36 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and light gray (10YR 7/1) extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and gray (10YR 5/1) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 35 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Siskiyou County, California; about 1/2 mile north of McCloud, 200 feet north of the McCloud airstrip entrance road and 100 feet east of the airstrip clearing; 1,200 feet south and 1,200 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 31, T. 40 N., R. 2 W., Shasta SE (Elk Spring) quadrangle (7.5 minute series).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from early April to early December (245 days) and exceeds 47 degrees F from mid May to mid November. The soil moisture control section (8 to 25 inches) is dry in all parts for 100 to 110 days from early July to mid October and is moist in all parts from early December to mid April. Depth to cobbly outwash material ranges from 15 to 30 inches. Base saturation (by ammonium acetate) ranges from 5 to 30 percent decreasing with depth.
The A horizon color is 10YR 5/4, 4/4, 4/3, 4/2, 3/3, or 3/2. Moist color is 10YR 3/3, 3/2, or 2/2. It is loam, fine sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam. Rock fragments, mostly gravel, range from 5 to 35 percent. Bulk density ranges from .85 to .95.
The 2C horizon color is 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/2, 5/3, or 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3, or 3/4. It is very cobbly sandy loam or extremely cobbly sandy loam. Coarse fragments, mostly gravel or cobbles, range from 35 to 80 percent.
Depth to the 3C2 horizon ranges from 30 to 36 inches. Color is 10YR 5/3, 6/1, 6/3, 6/4, 7/1, or 7/3 and moist color is 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/1, 5/2, or 5/4.
Andic property data (see remarks for explanation): Depth P-ret B.D. pH NaF Glass Alo Feo 15 barH20 0-6 ND ND ND
ND ND ND 23.2 6-15 87 ND ND ND 2.42 0.25 17.4 15-26 90 ND ND ND 2.56 0.26 14.4 26-36 47 ND ND ND 1.00 0.11 14.1 36-48 ND ND ND ND ND ND 5.0
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series within this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shastina soils are on glacial outwash plains and fans. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The soils formed in glacial outwash. Elevation is 3,300 to 4,200 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Snowfall is 48 to 72 inches. The mean annual temperature varies from 45 degrees to 50 degrees F. The mean January air temperature is about 35 degrees F and the mean July air temperature is about 65 degrees F. Frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Neer, Nikal (T), Ponto and Shasta soils. Neer soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact, have an ochric epipedon and are on lava plateaus. Nikal soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to hard basalt, are medial and are on lava plateaus. Ponto soils have an ochric epipedon and are medial. Shasta soils are ashy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid in the upper part and rapid in lower part permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is mainly used for timber production. The natural vegetation is ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, Douglas fir, incense-cedar, green leaf manzanita, California black oak, pine manzanita, whitehorn, bitter cherry, Western choke-chery, buckbrush and creeping sage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. The Shastina soils are not extensive, about 6,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Siskiyou County, Intermountain Soil Survey Area California 1994. Source of name is from Shastina Mountain west of Mount Shasta.
REMARKS: Series reclassified on September, 1994. Competing series not reviewed at that time.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 26 inches (A1, A2, AC horizons).
Depth to contrasting material - depth to this material is at 36 inches and ranges from 30 to 36 inches.
Xeric moisture - the moisture control section is dry 100 days of the 245 days the temperature exceeds 41 degrees F.
0-47-150, Lab # 1500. Analysis ran on archived samples.