LOCATION WHITINGER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Whitinger very cobbly loam on a 33 percent ESE facing slope under cover of western juniper, mountain big sagebrush, and Idaho fescue at 6,200 feet elevation. (When described November 12, 1980, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise indicated.)
Oi--1.5 to 0 inches; decomposing juniper needles.
A--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to very fine and fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 10 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick).
Bt1--6 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very stony clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores; many thin clay films on peds and in pores; 20 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--15 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores; many thin clay films on peds and in pores; 5 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 16 to 30 inches)
R--26 inches; hard basalt, weathered enough in upper 2 inches to be cut by a knife; massive with a few 1/4 inch wide vertical fractures with soil and covered with clay films.
TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; about 14 miles NW of Termo at Moon Valley subdivision. About 0.25 mile W on Marmot Street to sharp turn, then 200 feet southeast and downhill; about 175 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner of the NW 1/4, NE 1/4, section 24, T.36 N., R.11 E., MDBM. Quadlocation
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. The soil moisture control section (9 inches to the lithic contact or 9 to 27 inches) is dry from mid July to mid November (about 100 to 130 days) and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from April 15 to December 15 and exceeds 47 degrees F from May 15 to November 15. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick and includes part of the Bt horizon. Rock fragments on the surface, mostly stones and cobbles, range from 3 to 50 percent.
The A horizon color is 10YR 5/2, 4/3 or 4/2 or 7.5YR 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 2/2, 7.5YR 3/2 or 5YR 3/3. It is stony or very stony loam with 20 to 25 percent clay and 15 to 50 percent rock fragments. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bt horizon color is 10YR 4/4, 4/3; 7.5YR 5/4, or 5/2. Moist color is 10YR 4/3, 3/4, 3/3, 3/2; 7.5YR 3/4, 3/2, or 5YR 3/3 or 3/4. It has a weighted average clay content of 27 to 35 percent clay. Rock fragments average 35 to 60 percent mainly stones and cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Badge (WA), Hooverton (T ID), Kusshi (T WA), Phys (OR) and Ridd (UT) series. Kusshi, Phys and Badge soils are more than 60 inches deep. Ridd soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whitinger soils are on lava plateaus and mountain side slopes. Slopes are 5 to 50 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from basalt. Elevation is 4,000 to 6,200 feet. The climate is semi-arid with warm, dry summer and cold, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation varies from 12 to 18 inches including 20 to 40 inches of snow. The mean annual temperature varies from 45 to 47 degrees F. Mean July temperature varies from 60 to 64 degrees F, and the mean January temperature varies from 22 to 28 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 100 days. These soils are Hooverton ?????
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fiddler, Fredonyer, Dunnlake, Orhood and Petescreek soils. Fiddler soils are clayey-skeletal. Fredonyer soils lack argillic horizons and have pachic epipedons. Dunnlake soils are shallow and have a clayey control section. Orhood soils are shallow. Petescreek soils have a fine-loamy control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Whitinger soils are used for livestock grazing, and juniper wood products such as firewood and fence posts. Vegetation is western juniper with an understory of mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Idaho fescue, thurber needlegrass, rubber rabbitbush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lassen County, California; Susanville Area Soil Survey, Established by Intermountain correlation 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to a depth of 15 inches (A, Bt1)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 6 to 26 inches (Bt1, Bt2)