LOCATION WOLFEY CA
Established Series
Rev. CAR-DJE-JJJ
12/2022
WOLFEY SERIES
The Wolfey series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone. Wolfey soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 57 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Wolfey loam - on a southwest facing slope of 70 percent under annual grasses and forbs at 1400 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on February 7, 1984 the soil was moist throughout).
A--0 to 3 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 10 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial and few fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bw2--10 to 15 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores and many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Cr--15 to 20 inches; soft, fractured, weathered coarse grained sandstone; fractures are less than 1mm wide and 20 to 50mm apart; few very fine roots in fractures; rock slakes in water.
TYPE LOCATION: Mendocino County, California; about 5 miles north and one mile west of Boonville via Peachland road; 1900 feet west and 2100 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 10, T.14N., R.14W., MDBM, Boonville SW quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to a paralithic contact is 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature varies from 59 to 62 degrees F. The soil from a depth of 7 inches to the paralithic contact is moist in all parts from November 1 to May 1 and is dry in all parts from June 1 to October 15 in most years. It is loam throughout with 12 to 27 percent clay and 0 to 10 percent gravel. Base saturation ranges from 60 to 85 percent.
The A horizon is 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4 or 7/3. Moist color is 10YR 3/3, 3/4, 4/3, 4/4 or 6/4. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bw horizon is 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4 or 7/3. Moist color is 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3 or 7/3. There is a slight increase in clay content over the A horizon, but it is not enough to meet the requirements of an argillic horizon. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Amador (CA) and
Osito (CA) series. Amador soils are formed from rhyolitic tuffaceous sediments, are influenced by ash, and have a mean annual soil temperature that ranges from 64 to 67 degrees F. The Osito soil is dry for greater than 175 days and has mean annual soil temperatures that range from 59 to 70 degrees F. and have neutral to mildly alkaline reaction in the subsoil.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Wolfey soils occur on hills and mountains. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. Elevations are 300 to 2500 feet. They formed in material weathered from sandstone. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation varies from 45 to 60 inches. The mean January temperature is about 44 degrees F. and the mean July temperature is about 72 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is about 57 degrees F. Frost-free period ranges from 150 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Hopland, Frogwoman, and
Witherell soils. Hopland soils have a mesic soil temperature regime and Frogwoman soils are skeletal. Witherell soils are less than 20 inches deep to a lithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; surface runoff under bare soil conditions is medium through very rapid; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for livestock grazing, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Vegetation consists of soft chess, wild oats and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern coastal California. The series is not extensive. MLRA 5.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mendocino County, California, Western part, 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- the zone from 0 to 3 inches (A)
Cambic Horizon -- the zone from 3 to 15 inches (Bw1, Bw2)
Paralithic contact -- the boundary at 15 inches (Cr)
The description of the competing Osito soils states that the soil is usually dry in the SMCS for greater than 45 consecutive days within the 4 months that follow the summer solstice. This range was narrowed using precipitation data from soil moisture probability sheets (Newhall, 1976) for stations near the Osito type location (Pasadena, Pomona). MAP for Pasadena is 18 in., for Pomona 16 in., and for Osito MAP is 17 inches. Using monthly precipitation amounts it was calculated that the Osito soils will be dry in all parts greater than 175 days.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.