LOCATION PARDALOE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Pardaloe very gravelly loam - on a southwest facing concave slope of 72 percent under Douglas fir, tanoak and California nutmeg at 1,040 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described August 8, 1978, the soil was moist below a depth of 35 inches).
A--0 to 11 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky and strong fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles (2 to 40 mm); slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick).
Bw--11 to 26 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial and common medium and coarse interstitial pores; 70 percent pebbles (2 to 40 mm); slightly acid (pH 6.4); wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick).
Bt1--26 to 39 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine and fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; many thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 60 percent pebbles (2 to 40 mm); slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick).
Bt2--39 to 54 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial and common medium interstitial pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 65 percent pebbles (2 to 40 mm); slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (11 to 18 inches thick).
R--54 to 69 inches; hard fractured sandstone; fractures are 1 to 18 centimeters apart and less than 1 millimeter wide; few very fine, fine and coarse roots along fractures; continuous moderately thick clay films on rock faces.
TYPE LOCATION: Mendocino County, California; 4 miles west on Mountain View Road from its intersection with Highway 128, up west facing slope about 100 yards to logging road; 1,800 feet south and 1,800 feet west of the northeast corner, section 8, T.13 N., R.14 W.; Boonville Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact and thickness of the solum is 40 to 60 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 54 to 59 degrees F. The soil between depths of 10 and 30 inches is moist in all parts from November 1 to May 15 and it is dry in all parts from July 1 to October 1 in most years. Clay content throughout the profile ranges from 15 to 27 percent. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid. Base saturation (ammonium acetate) ranges from 40 to 90 percent.
The A horizon is 10YR 3/4, 4/4, 5/4; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 7/4, 6/4, or 6/2. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3; 7.5YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 5/4, 4/4. Where mollic colors occur the layer is too thin to qualify as a mollic epipedon. Base saturation (sum) ranges from 40 to 80 percent. It is gravelly sandy loam, gravelly loam, very gravely sandy loam, or very gravelly loam. Gravel content is 15 to 50 percent. Cobble content is 0 to 10 percent. Total coarse fragment content is 15 to 60 percent.
The B horizon is 10YR 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4; 7.5YR 7/6, 6/6, 6/4; 2.5Y 6/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/3, 4/3, 5/6, 5/4, 4/4; 7.5YR 5/6, 5/4, 4/4; 2.5Y 4/4, 5/4. It is sandy loam, loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam and is very gravelly or extremely gravelly. Gravel content is 35 to 85 percent. Cobble content is 0 to 20 percent. Total coarse fragment content is 35 to 85 percent. In some pedons there is a slight increase in clay content over the A horizon but not enough to qualify for an argillic horizon. Base saturation (sum) ranges from 50 to 90 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brownbear (CA), Burwill (T ID), Caris (CA), Indleton (CA), Itat (T WA), Maki (WA), McGuire (ID) and Olete (WA) series. The Burwill and Itat soils have mean annual soil temperatures less than 54 degrees F. Brownbear, Caris, Maki and Olete soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Indleton soils are very deep and have mean annual soil temperatures of 47 to 52 degrees F. McGuire soils have a sand or gravel discontinuity at 25 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Pardaloe soils occur on mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations are 700 to 4,000 feet. The soils are formed in material weathered from sandstone, siltstone or shale. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 35 to 70 inches. Mean January temperature is about 48 degrees F; mean July temperature is about 68 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 55 degrees F. The frost-free period is 150 to 290 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Casabonne, Hollowtree, Holohan, Wohly and Woodin soils. Casabonne and Wohly soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments. Wohly and Woodin soils are 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact. Hermitage and Holohan soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; surface runoff under bare soil conditions is rapid or very rapid; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for limited commercial timber production, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation consists of Douglas-fir, tanoak, California nutmeg, madrone, and live oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern coastal California. The series is not extensive. MLRA 5.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mendocino County, California, Eastern Part, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to about 11 inches (A).
Cambic horizon - the zone from about 11 to 54 inches (Bw, Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact - the boundary at about 54 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedons: S78CA-045-029 (partial pedon) and S83CA-105-012, S83CA-105-007 and S84CA-105-002 (range in characteristics)