LOCATION BIGCANYON               CA

Established Series
REV: SMR/PRR/CAH/ET
04/2015

BIGCANYON SERIES

The Bigcanyon series consists of moderately deep, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from granitoid or gneiss. These soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 138 millimeters (5.5 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 18.5 degrees C (65 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Torripsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Bigcanyon sand, on a southwest-facing, 67 percent slope at an elevation of 831 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) The surface is covered by approximately 35 percent fine gravel, 20 percent medium and coarse gravel, 3 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones.

A--0 to 1 centimeters (0 to 0.5 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 4 percent fine gravel, and 1 percent medium and coarse gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 centimeters thick)

C1--1 to 35 centimeters (0.5 to 14 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots and common fine roots; many very coarse tubular pores; 1 percent medium and coarse paragravel and 5 percent fine paragravel that breaks down to 4 percent medium and coarse gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.

C2--35 to 52 centimeters (14 to 20 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) parastony sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; 5 percent parastones, 5 percent paracobbles, and 3 percent medium and coarse paragravel that break down to 5 percent fine gravel and 7 percent medium and coarse gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of C horizons is 49 to 75 centimeters)

Cr--52 to 150 centimeters (20 to 60 inches); extremely weakly cemented granitoid bedrock with cracks greater than 10 centimeters apart; moderate excavation difficulty; few very fine and fine roots in cracks and common very fine roots on top of horizon.

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; approximately 3 miles east of Morongo Valley; approximately 1,692 meters east, 1,121 meters north of the southwest corner of section 30, T. 1 S., R. 5 E., San Bernardino Base and Meridian; USGS Yucca Valley South, California 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 34 degrees, 3 minutes, 26 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 29 minutes, 34 seconds west longitude; UTM 11S 546804e, 3768622n (DTM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: usually dry, moist in some parts for short periods during winter and spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative betweenJuly and September following summer convection storms. The soils have a typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 19 to 22 degrees C (66 to 72 degrees F).

Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.
Surface rock fragments: 15 to 60 percent, dominated by gravel.
Depth to paralithic contact: 50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 40 inches).

Control section -
Rock fragments: 2 to 33 percent.
Clay content: 1 to 4 percent.
Effervescence: noneffervescent throughout.

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, dominantly gravel.

Bw 3r C horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry; 2 to 5 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sand, sand, fine sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 1 to 4 percent.
Rock fragments: 2 to 33 percent, dominantly indurated gravel, with 0
to 14 percent pararock fragments ranging from medium-sized gravel to
stones.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Birdcanyon (CA), Bluepoint (NV), Brazito (NM), Cajon (CA), Copia (NM), Hembrillo (T NM), Koehn (CA), Maynard Lake (NV), Moapa (NV), Morongo (T CA), Pintura (UT), Toquop (NV), Yander (T CA) and Yturbide (NM) series. Birdcanyon, Bluepoint, Brazito, Cajon, Copia, Hembrillo, Koehn, Maynard Lake, Morongo, Pintura, Toquop, and Yturbide are very deep. Yander are deep to weathered granitoid bedrock. In addition, Bluepoint, Brazito, Cajon, Koehn, Maynard Lake, Moapa, Toquop, and Yturbide allow effervescence throughout the control section. Copia and Pintura have Hues of 7.5YR or redder. Maynard Lake also contains more than 20 percent pumice and volcanic ash. Brazito, Copia and Yturbide are intermittently moist in the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days from July to September. Koehn soil do not receive substantial summer precipitation and are only intermittently moist near the soil surface following occasional summer convection storms. Also, Bluepoint, Copia, Hembrillo, Moapa and Pintura soils all formed in eolian deposits; Hembrillo soils are gypsiferous, while Pintura soils form in sandstone and Moapa soils are deposited over sandstone. Moapa soils also have a lithic contact below the paralithic contact from 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bigcanyon soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 75 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from granitoid or gneiss. Elevation ranges from 792 to 1,128 meters (2,600 to 3,700 feet). The climate is arid with hot, dry summers, and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 175 millimeters (4 to 7 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 17 to 20 degrees C (63 to 68 degrees F). The frost-free season is 270 to 320 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Ironped, Morongo, Smithcanyon and Whiterobe series. Arizo soils occur on stream terraces and have a sandy-skeletal particle size control section and are very deep. Ironped soils occur on convex spurs and are shallow to a paralithic contact. Morongo soils are formed in alluvium, are very deep and are found on footslopes. Smithcanyon soils are found on adjacent upper backslopes at higher elevations, are shallow to a paralithic contact and have a xeric bordering on aridic soil moisture regime. Whiterobe soils are on lower elevation, adjacent backslopes, have more than 35 percent rock fragments in part of the particle size control section, and have a hyperthermic temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity above the bedrock and moderately high within the bedrock.

USE AND VEGETATION: Bigcanyon soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is creosote bush, Parish's goldeneye, and Acton's brittlebush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mojave Desert of southeastern, California, MLRA 30. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morongo Valley, San Bernardino County, California. Soil Survey of Joshua Tree National Park, 2012. The name is from Bigcanyon road in Morongo Valley, just outside the survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are:

Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 1 centimeter (0 to 0.5 inches) (A horizon).
Particle size control section: from a depth of 25 to 52 centimeters (10 to 20 inches) (C1 and C2 horizons).
Paralithic contact: the zone beginning at 52 centimeters (20 inches) (Cr horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS UserPedonID 1251503601.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.