LOCATION YELLOWHOUND CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, isomesic Ultic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Yellowhound gravelly loam - on a south facing convex slope of 65 percent under Douglas-fir, redwood, tanoak and huckleberry at 1,500 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described September 28, 1979, the soil was dry throughout.)
Oi--1 inch to 0; litter of Douglas-fir, tanoak and huckleberry.
A--0 to 6 inches; variegated pale brown (10YR 6/3) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common fine tubular and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 17 percent pebbles (2 to 50 mm); moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
AB--6 to 15 inches; variegated light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 23 percent pebbles (2 to 75 mm); moderately acid (pH 5.7); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--15 to 28 inches; variegated light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium and few very fine and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common medium tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 63 percent pebbles (2 to 75 mm); 5 percent cobbles (75 to 125 mm); moderately acid (pH 5.7); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--28 to 45 inches; variegated pale brown (10YR 6/3) light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, 5/4) moist; weak to medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial, and few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 60 percent pebbles (2 to 75 mm); 2 percent cobbles (75 to 125 mm); moderately acid (pH 5.9); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
BCt--45 to 53 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, 5/8) moist; weak fine angular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 65 percent pebbles (2 to 75 mm); moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
R--53 inches; hard fractured sandstone. Fractures are 2 to 10 cm apart and 1 to 5 mm wide; rock does not slake in water.
TYPE LOCATION: Mendocino County, California; 2,000 feet north of water tank on private logging road (Georgia-Pacific Ten Mile access road), then down slope about 90 feet to an old road cut; 2000 feet south and 400 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 29, T. 21 N., R. 16 W.; Lincoln Ridge Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact and thickness of the solum is 40 to 60 inches. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 50 to 56 degrees F. The difference between mean summer and mean winter temperature ranges from 5 to 9 degrees F. The soil between depths of 7 to 28 inches is moist in all parts from November 1 to June 1 and is dry in some or all parts from July 1 to October 1 in most years. The particle-size control section averages 18 to 30 percent clay and 35 to 60 percent rock fragments. Reaction is strongly through slightly acid.
The A horizon is 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/2, 7/3 or 7.5YR 6/4. Moist color is 10YR 2/1, 2/2, 3/2, 3/3, 3/4, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4; 7.5YR 3/2 or 4/4. It is gravelly loam, very gravelly loam or loam. Where mollic colors occur the layer is too thin to meet the requirements of a mollic epipedon. Gravel content is 10 to 55 percent.
The Bt horizon is 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 7/3, 7/4, 7/6; 7.5YR 4/4, 6/4, 6/6 or 7/6. Moist color is 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 5/8, 6/3, 6/4, 6/8; 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4 or 5/6. It is very gravelly or extremely gravelly loam, clay loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam with 15 to 30 percent clay. Gravel content is 35 to 80 percent. Cobble content is 0 to 10 percent. Base saturation (sum) is 50 to 75 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Kibesillah (CA) series. Kibesillah soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Yellowhound soils occur on hills and mountains. Slopes are 9 to 99 percent. Elevations are 200 to 2,500 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from sandstone or conglomerate. The climate is humid with cool foggy summers and cool moist winters. A moderate coastal fog influence limits the diurnal and annual range of temperature. Mean annual precipitation varies from 50 to 70 inches. Mean January temperature is 50 degrees F; mean July temperature is 60 degrees F; and the mean annual temperature is 53 degrees F. The frost-free period is 220 to 320 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Kibesillah soils and the Comptche, Ornbaun, Woodin and Zeni soils. Comptche soils are fine-loamy and have mollic epipedon. Ornabun and Zeni soils are fine-loamy. Woodin soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact and have a mesic soil temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; surface runoff under bare soil conditions is medium to very rapid; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. Vegetation consists of Douglas-fir, redwood, tanoak, madrone, California huckelberry and scattered sugar pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern coastal California. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA is 4.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mendocino County, California, Eastern Part, 1985.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 15 to 53 inches (Bt1, Bt2, BCt horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Complete laboratory analysis was performed on the modal pedon. NSSL sample numbers 80P 2453-2457.