LOCATION KHYBER CA
Established Series
REV: LJL/PBF/ET
09/2015
KHYBER SERIES
The Khyber series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium from granite. Khyber soils are on fan remnants and have slopes of 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 63 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: On Khyber-Venusite complex, 2 to 8 percent slopes at an elevation of 3,550 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones.
A -- 0 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; common very fine, fine and few medium interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bt -- 5 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic parting to coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 90 percent distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores, 60 percent distinct discontinuous clay films between sand grains and on sands and gravel; 45 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Btk1 -- 8 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; moderately hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 60 percent distinct discontinuous clay films between sand grains and on sand and gravel; 5 percent of matrix has slightly hard, very friable, lime cementation in bands and pockets, violently effervescent; 95 percent of matrix is noneffervescent; 45 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary.
Btk2 -- 23 to 39 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; moderately hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 60 percent distinct discontinuous clay films between sand grains and on sand and gravel; 5 percent of matrix has slightly hard, very friable, lime cementation in bands and pockets, violently effervescent; 95 percent of matrix is noneffervescent; 45 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btk horizon is 15 to 30 inches)
Bkq -- 39 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent of matrix has moderately hard, very friable, lime and silica cementation in bands and pockets, violently effervescent; 75 percent of matrix is noneffervescent; 50 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 16 miles north of cantonment area, Fort Irwin, California; adjacent to the Granite Mountains in an unsectionalized area, T. 16 N., R. 3 E.; 35 degrees, 29 minutes, 13 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 41 minutes, 12 seconds west longitude; USGS West of Drinkwater Lake, Calif. quadrangle; UTM 11S, 0528424e 3926880n (DTM: NAS-C).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section - usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 59 to 68 degrees F.
Surface rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 15 percent stones
Control section -
Rock fragments: ranges from 35 to 60 percent; mainly gravel, with 40 to 80 percent in the 2 to 5 millimeter size
Clay content: averages 18 to 25 percent
Depth to argillic horizon: 3 to 10 inches
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Rock fragments: 15 to 75 percent with 10 to 70 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 15 percent stones
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry or moist
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 28 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent, with 20 to 45 percent gravel
and 0 to 20 percent cobbles
Structure: subangular blocky or massive
Btk1 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam,
sandy loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 28 percent
Rock fragments: 45 to 60 percent, with 40 to 55 percent gravel
and 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Effervescence: noneffervescent with bands and pockets of
strongly or violently effervescent material
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 1 to 15 percent of the fine
earth fraction
Other features: 1 to 5 percent visible secondary lime
Btk2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, coarse sandy loam and sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 45 to 60 percent, with 40 to 45 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Effervescence: noneffervescent with bands and pockets of
strongly or violently effervescent material
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 1 to 15 percent of the fine
earth fraction.
Other features: 1 to 5 percent visible secondary lime
Bkq horizon
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sand, loamy coarse
sand, or loamy sand
Clay content: 4 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: range is 45 to 70 percent; mainly gravel,
with 50 to 80 percent in the 2 to 5 millimeter size
Effervescence: noneffervescent with bands and pockets of
strongly or violently effervescent material
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 1 to 15 percent of the fine
earth fraction
Other features: 1 to 5 percent visible secondary lime and
1 to 15 percent weakly to moderately cemented durinodes
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ashmed (T NV),
Bitter (CA),
Blind (T AZ),
Bluebird (T AZ),
Highland (T NV),
Nellake (T CA),
Pinaleno (AZ),
Soledad (NM),
Timosea (T CA),
Topawa (AZ),
Twobitter (T CA), and
Werewolf (T CA) series. Ashmed, Bitter and Timosea soils are dry in the moisture control section during the summer months. Blind soils average fewer rock fragments and have higher clay content in the control section. They also receive more total rainfall and have a MAAT of 59 to 64 degrees F. Bluebird soils receive more total precipitation and have higher clay content in the control section. Highland soils have bedrock at 30 to 40 inches and average fewer rock fragments in the control section. Nellake soils have a MAST of 67 to 71 degrees F., receive less rainfall, and are formed in granitic material. Pinaleno, Soledad, and Topawa soils are moist in some part of the moisture control section for more than 20 days, cumulative, between July and October. In addition, Pinaleno soils have a calcic horizon, Soledad soils have 8 to 18 percent clay in the control section, and Topawa soils have a MAST of 69 to 72 degrees F. Twobitter soils are on patina surfaces, have a thinner argillic horizon, average fewer rock fragments in the control section, and are underlain by sand. Werewolf soils do not have 40 to 80 percent of the total gravel fraction in the 2 to 5 mm range. In addition, Werewolf soils do not have 1 percent or more visible carbonates throughout the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Khyber soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from granite. Elevations are 3,200 to 4,800 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 8 inches; mean annual air temperature is 57 to 66 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 200 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Venusite series. Venusite soils do not have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to medium runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability in the upper part and very rapid permeability in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Khyber soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly blackbrush, creosotebush Nevada ephedra and desert needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Fort Irwin Soil Survey Area, 2000. The name is from a local landform.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 5 inches (A horizon).
2. Argillic horizon -- 5 to 39 inches (Bt and Btk
horizons).
3. Particle size control section -- 5 to 25 inches (Bt,
Btk1, and part of the Btk2 horizon).
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 9/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2000. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.