LOCATION WHISPERING CA
Established Series
Rev. NHS/WDB/JMK/CEJ/ET
12/2022
WHISPERING SERIES
The Whispering series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in material weathered from basic igneous rocks. Whispering soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 45 inches and the mean annual temperature is 53 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Ultic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Whispering loam--on a southwest facing slope of 27 percent under black oak, prostrate ceanothus, manzanita, coffee berry, annual grasses and Jeffrey pine at elevation 3,350 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on September 10, 1979, the soil was moist below a depth of 24 inches.)
01--1 inch to 0; pine litter.
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; moderate medium granular and soft, very friable, weakly smeary nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many very fine, fine and common medium interstitial pores; NaFl pH 9.8; 10 percent pebbles 2 to 75 mm in diameter; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
BAt--5 to 15 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, weakly smeary nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium and coarse roots; common very fine and few fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films in pores and on peds; NaFl pH 9.6; 20 percent pebbles 2 to 75 mm in diameter and 10 percent cobbles 7.5 to 15 cm in diameter; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bt--15 to 26 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very cobbly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, weakly smeary sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; common moderately thick clay films on peds and in pores; NaFl pH 9.1; 15 percent pebbles 2 to 75 mm in diameter and 30 percent cobbles 7.5 to 20 cm in diameter; moderately acid (pH 5.9); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
R--26 inches; hard highly fractured andesite; fractures are 2 to 8 inches apart and deep within the bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, California; 8 feet east of Boggs Mountain State Forest Road 550, 1,125 feet southeast of its intersection with Road 551, 330 feet west of the southeast corner of the NE1/4, section 13, T.11 N., R.8 W.; Whispering Pines quadrangle, MBB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 49 degrees to 54 degrees F. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from February to November and exceeds 47 degrees F from April to October. The soil between depths of 7 to 21 inches is moist in all parts from December 15 through April 30, and is dry in all parts from July 1 through October 15. The surface has 0 to 10 percent stones and boulders. Mineralogy is dominated by amorphous materials. The mineral is halloysite. Coarse and very coarse sand is less than 10 percent throughout. The base saturation varies from 50 to 75 percent and decreases with increasing depth.
The A horizon is 7.5YR 5/4, 6/4; or 5YR 5/4. Moist color is 5YR 3/3 or 3/4. Gravel content is 5 to 15 percent and cobble content is 0 to 10 percent. It is neutral to moderately acid. When dry values of 5 and moist values and chromas of 3 are present the epipedon is thin to qualify for a mollic epipedon.
The Bt horizon is 5YR 5/6, 6/4, or 6/6. Moist color is 5YR 3/3, 3/4, or 4/4. It is clay loam with very gravelly or very cobbly modifiers and has 27 to 35 percent clay. Rock fragments consisting of gravel and cobbles commonly are 35 to 55 percent in the upper 20 inches. It is slightly or medium acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Abegg,
Behemotosh,
Collayomi,
Marpa, and
Skalan series. Abegg soils have a solum of 29 to 60 inches thick and are 40 to 60 inches or more deep to bedrock. Behemotosh soils have 18 to 20 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Collayomi soils lack a lithic or paralithic contact within 60 inches. Marpa soils have a base saturation of 35 to 50 percent and lack obsidian or amorphous properties. Skalan soils have only a thin mantle of ash and loess, are not dominated by halloysite, and have a C horizon above the bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whispering soils are on mountains. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,200 to 4,600 feet. The soils are formed in material weathered from basic igneous rocks. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation varies from 30 to 65 inches. Mean January temperature is 45 degrees F; mean July temperature is 65 degrees F; and mean annual temperature varies from 50 to 59 degrees F. Frost-free season is 120 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aiken and
Collayomi soils. Aiken and Collayomi soils are more than 40 inches deep to a lithic or paralithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to rapid runoff, moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for recreation, wildlife habitat, watershed, and timber production. Natural vegetation consists of ponderosa pine, California black oak, Douglas-fir, Jeffrey pine, prostrate ceanothus, manzanita,, coffee berry, and annual grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lake County, California, Clear Lake volcanic field. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, California, 1983.
REMARKS: The isotic mineralogy class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Soil Survey Lab., sampled for mineralogy and particle-size distribution, Sample No. 5 79CA-033-038.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.