LOCATION ANELA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Cumulic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Anela very gravelly sandy loam, on a nearly level slope of 2 percent under soft chess, foxtail fescue, wild oats, tarweed and other annual grasses and forbs at an elevation of 280 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on July 20, 1978, the soil was dry to 12 inches and very slightly moist from 12 to 60 inches).
Ap--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel 2 to 25 mm in size; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
A--6 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel 2 to 25 mm in size; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
BA--12 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel 2 to 25 mm in size; very few thin clay films bridging sand grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--18 to 32 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films bridging sand grains and few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 70 percent gravel and cobbles 2 to 25 mm and 75 to 150 mm in size; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
Bt2--32 to 42 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films bridging sand grains and few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 60 percent gravel 2 to 25 mm in size; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
2C--42 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on rock fragments; 60 percent gravel 2 to 25 mm in size; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Merced County, California; approximately 13 miles west northwest of the city of Los Banos; 1,800 feet north and 700 feet west of the southeast corner of section 27, T. 9 S., R. 8 E., MDB&M; Latitude 37 degrees, 07 minutes, 14 seconds north and Longitude 121 degrees, 04 minutes, 18 seconds west; USGS San Luis Dam Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 62 degrees
F. The soil is warmer than 47 degrees F. from January 20 to December 1. The soil between 15 and 45 inches is moist in all parts from January 1 to May 1 and dry in all parts from July 1 to November 1. Clay content of the B horizon is always less than 1.2 times that of the A horizon.
The A horizon has color of 10YR 4/3, 5/2 or 5/3. Moist coloris 10YR 2/2, 3/2 or 3/3. Texture is gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy loam. Clay content is 10 to 27 percent. Gravel content is 15 to 60 percent. Organic matter content is 1 to 3 percent and decreases irregularly with depth.
The B horizon has color of 7.5YR 4/2 or 10YR 4/3. Texture of the fine earth fraction is loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam and is very gravelly or extremely gravelly. Gravel and cobble content ranges from 45 to 70 percent. Clay content is 15 to 35 percent. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The 2C horizon has fine earth textures of loamy coarse sand, sandy loam or sandy clay loam and is extremely gravelly. Gravel and cobble content is 60 to 70 percent. Clay content is 5 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Anela soils are on flood plains and stream terraces. Slope is 0 to 15 percent. Elevation is 140 to 1,300 feet. These soils formed in mixed gravelly alluvium dominantly from sedimentary rock sources. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The mean January temperature is 46 degrees F.; mean July temperature is 79 degrees F.; and mean annual temperature is 62 degrees F. Frost-free season is 200 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anderson, Carranza, Cortina and Yokut soils. Anderson and Cortina soils, on alluvial fans and flood plains, have an ochric epipedon. Carranza soils, on alluvial fans, have a fine-loamy particle-size class. Yokut soils, on flood plains and alluvial fan overwash on terraces, have an ochric epipedon and and argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow and medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as cropland and for livestock grazing. The crops grown include almonds, alfalfa and barley. The vegetation on rangeland is mainly soft chess, foxtail fescue, wildoats with tarweed and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur as flood plains and stream terraces in the Central San Joaquin Valley and Little Panoche Valley adjacent to the Coast Range foothills. They are not extensive. MLRA 17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Merced County, California, 1984. Name is coined.
REMARKS: These soils were mapped as Sorrento loam and Sorrento gravelly loam in the Los Banos Area, Series 1939 report. They are being differentiated by being skeletal and lacking carbonates. The pH is determined by colormetric method using Thymol Blue and Hellige-Troug Triplex indicators. Texture is determined by hydrometer method. Organic matter estimated from adjacent soils where Walkley-Black digestion method was used. Presence of carbonates determined by 10 percent HCl.