LOCATION AIDO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Aridic Haploxererts
TYPICAL PEDON: AIDO clay on a west facing convex slope of 22 percent under red brome and filaree, at 1,400 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on April 4, 1977, the soils was slightly moist below 1 inch).
A--0 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Bssk--10 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong very coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; about 7 percent pebbles; visible cracks greater than 1 cm in diameter; many pressure faces; few weak slickenslides; strong effervescent, disseminated lime and a few fine soft lime masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick).
Cr--26 to 30 inches; weathered fractured shale; fractures are from 1 to 5 cm apart and have no rotational displacement, can be dug with difficulty with a spade when moist; violently effervescent with many medium irregular soft lime masses; lime coatings are on fracture faces.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 5 miles east and one mile north from the intersection of Highway 46 and the San Luis Obispo County line, midway between the drainageway and the top of the hill, in the NE corner of the NW1/4, NE1/4, NW1/4 sec. 34, T.25S., R.17E., MDBM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the paralithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Cracks wider than 1 cm extend from the surface to a depth of 20 inches or to the paralithic contact. The cracks close some time in December to March for 60 to 90 consecutive days. None to a few weak slickenslides were observed. It was assumed they would intersect. Some minor gilgai is present. Mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 60 to 64 degrees F. It is slightly or moderately alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.4). Depth to carbonates ranges from 8 to 40 inches. This series lacks a calcic horizon.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4 or 7/2 and moist color of 10YR 4/3, 5/2, 5/3, or 5/4. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay. Structure ranges from weak platy to strong angular blocky. Where plowed, structure is granular to angular blocky. It is noneffervescent or slightly effervescent. Clay content is 30 to 55 percent. Gravel content is 0 to 5 percent.
The Bssk horizon has dry and moist colors similar to the A horizon. It is silty clay, or clay. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Structures ranges from weak coarse angular blocky to strong very coarse prismatic structure. Some pedons are structureless. It is slightly to violently effervescent with segregated lime ranging from fine to medium soft masses or filaments. Clay content is 40 to 60 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are the Alo, Altamont, Auld, Bosanko, Cibo, Cropley, Diablo, Myers, Porterville, Sehorn, and Vaquero series. Alo and Bosanko soils have cracks that are closed for more than 90 days. Altamont and Auld soils have paralithic contact more than 40 inches deep. The Cropley, Myers, Porterville, and Sehorn soils lack a paralithic contact. Cibo and Sehorn soils have a lithic contact. Diablo soils have a chroma of 1 in the upper 12 to 30 inches. Vaquero soils have cracks that close for 100 to 150 consecutive days and have common intersecting slickenslides.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Aido soils are on rolling and very steep hills and mountains. Minor amount of gilgai is present. Slopes are 9 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from shale or sandstone. Elevations are 1,400 to 4,200 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Mean January temperature is 46 degrees F.; mean July temperature is 83 degrees F.; mean annual temperature ranges from 58 to 65 degrees F. Frost-free season is 175 to 260 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: There are the Ayar, and Bluestone soils. Ayar soils have a color value, moist, less then 3.5 and a value dry, less than 5.5 in the upper surface horizon. Bluestone soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 10 to 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland, watershed, and wildlife. Vegetation is annual grasses, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Coastal Ranges of Southern California. MLRA is 15. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, Northwestern Part, California 1982.
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