LOCATION BALLVAR CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Typic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ballvar loam - on a south, southwest slope of 3 percent, under filaree, soft chess, ripgut brome and other annual grasses and forbs at an elevation of 800 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 28, l978, the soil was moist to 45 inches, slightly moist below.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium and coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 24 percent clay content; 1.4 percent organic matter; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
BA--15 to 23 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common thin colloidal stains on peds and line pores; 26 percent clay content; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--23 to 35 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry and moist sandy clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films and colloidal stains on peds and in pores; 26 percent clay content; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 13 inches thick)
Bt2--35 to 45 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6); moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; 26 percent clay content; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 12 inches thick)
C--45 to 62 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry and moist loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Merced County, California; about 11 miles west southwest of the city of Los Banos, 2,700 feet west and 2,200 feet south of the NW corner of Section 6, T. 11 S., R. 9 E., San Luis Dam Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 59 degrees to 65 degrees F and is below 47 degrees F in parts of January and February. It is not below 41 degrees F at any time. The soil between 6 and 18 inches is moist in all parts from January 1 to May 1 and dry in all parts from July 1 to October 31.
The A horizon is 5 to 19 inches thick. It is 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6; 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/6 or 5/3. Moist colors are 10YR 3/2 or 3/3. It has 18 to 25 percent clay content. Organic matter is 1 to 2 percent.
The B horizon is 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6; 10YR 4/4, 5/6; 2.5Y 4/4 or 5/4. Moist colors are 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4 or 4/6. It is loam or sandy clay loam with 20 to 30 percent clay content but is never 1.2 times greater than the A horizon.
The C horizon is 7.5YR 4/6, 5/6; 10YR 4/6, 5/4 or 5/6. Moist colors are 7.5YR 4/4; 10YR 3/4, 4/4 or 5/6. It is loam or sandy clay loam with 20 to 27 percent clay content. It is It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Liveoak, Saurin and Tisdale series. Ballard, Vernalis and Woo series are in other families. Liveoak soils have 16 to 20 inches precipitation and are moist in the 7 to 20 inch moisture control section from November 1 to April 30 and is dry by May 1. Liveoak also have 10 to 15 percent less material passing the #40 and 20 sieves. Suarin and Tisdale soils have bedrock within 20 to 40 inches. Ballard soils have an argillic horizon. Vernalis soils have an ochric epipedon and are calcareous. Woo soils are calcareous.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ballvar soils are on alluvial fans in intermountain valleys and have slopes of 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 200 to 1,400 feet. These soils formed in alluvium from sandstones and shales of the Panoche formation. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches. The mean January temperature is 45 degrees F; mean July temperature is 80 degrees F and the mean annual temperature is 62 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Vernalis soils and the Pedcat soils. Pedcat soils have an ochric epipedon, argillic horizon and more than 15 ESP.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff, moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as annual rangeland and upland wildlife habitat. The vegetation is soft chess, wildoats, filaree, ripgut brome and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in small intermountain valleys in the foothills of the Coast Range of California. They are not extensive.
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 in the Los Banos Area, series 1939 report. They are being differentiated by lacking lime in the lower A and in the C horizon which is typical of the Sorrento soils. pH determined by colormetric method using Thymol Blue and Hellige-Truog Triplex indicators. Texture determined by hydrometer method. Organic carbon determined by Walkely-Black digestion method. Presence of lime determined by 10 percent HCl.
The activity class was added to the classification in January of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Last revised by the state on 4/85.