LOCATION BIGGRIZ CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aquic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Biggriz loam, in a fallow field with a slope of less than 1 percent at an elevation of 222 feet. (When described on June 25, 1992, the soil was moist below 6 inches; colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap1--0 to 6 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; electrical conductivity is 1.7 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 3; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Ap2--6 to 14 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate fine and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; electrical conductivity is 0.8 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 4; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--14 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging sand grains, on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; electrical conductivity is 0.6 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 3; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Btkg1--25 to 34 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging sand grains, on ped faces and lining pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated in few fine irregular filaments and soft masses; electrical conductivity is 0.6 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 4; few fine prominent dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist redox concentrations and few fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 5/1) moist redox depletions; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Btkg2--34 to 50 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin and very few moderately thick clay films bridging sand grains, on faces of peds and lining pores; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated in common fine filaments, soft masses and concretions; electrical conductivity is 0.6 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 7; few fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 5/1) moist redox depletions; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Btkg3--50 to 58 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine tubular pores; very few thin clay films bridging mineral grains, lining pores and on ped faces; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated in many fine and medium filaments, soft masses and common fine concretions; electrical conductivity is 0.5 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 6; few fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 6/1) moist redox depletions; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Btkng--58 to 65 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sandy clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains, lining pores and on faces of peds; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated in many fine and medium filaments, soft masses and common fine concretions; electrical conductivity is 0.4 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 4; common fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 6/1) moist redox depletions and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations; few fine manganese concretions; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1).
TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California; about 1 mile south of Waukena near the intersection of Road 28 and Avenue 184; about 1,500 feet west and 100 feet north of the southeast corner of section 5, T. 21 S., R. 23 E., MDB&M; Latitude 36 degrees, 7 minutes, 40 seconds north and Longitude 119 degrees, 30 minutes, 8 seconds west; Waukena Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 65 to 68 degrees F.
Secondary carbonates: Occurs at a depth of 10 to 30 inches as few to many, fine and medium filaments, soft masses and concretions.
Particle-size control section: Averages 18 to 33 percent clay.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 decisiemens per meter in the nonsaline-nonsodic phase and 0 to 8 decisiemens per meter in the saline-sodic phase.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 1 to 13 in the nonsaline-nonsodic phase and 13 to 200 in the saline-sodic phase. Sodium adsorption ratio is highly variable due to reclamation practices.
Organic matter: 0.3 to 1 percent.
A Horizon--2.5Y 5/2, 6/2 or 7/2 dry; 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2 or 5/2 moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
B Horizon--2.5Y 5/2 or 6/2 dry; 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2 or 5/2 moist.
Texture: Loam to clay loam in the upper part and sandy loam, sandy clay loam and loam in the lower part, with the sandy loam commonly occurring below 40 inches.
Clay: 18 to 33 percent; the clay increase relative to the A horizon is always less than 20 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to very strongly alkaline; reaction is highly variable due to reclamation practices.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Few to many, fine to medium, distinct or prominent redox concentrations and/or redox depletions in at least some part of the horizon, but never directly underlying the mollic epipedon.
Clay films: Very few to common, thin to moderately thick lining pores, on faces of peds and bridging sand grains.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balcom, Calla, Chanac, Chaqua, Checker, Exclose and Vernalis series. Balcom soils are less than 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Calla soils are well drained, lack redoximorphic features and do not have a Bt horizon. Chanac soils are well drained and lack redoximorphic features. Chaqua soils have 7.5YR hue, are well drained and have bedrock at less than 60 inches. Checker soils have electrical conductivity greater than 10 decisiemens per meter throughout, have substratums that are clay loam or silty clay with 35 to 45 percent clay, and have perched water tables at 3 to 4 feet. Exclose soils lack clay films in the B horizon and it is less than 12 inches thick. Vernalis soils have a hue of 10YR throughout, are well drained and lack redoximorphic features.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Biggriz soils are on terraces with slopes of 0 to 2 percent. They formed in alluvium mainly from granitic rocks. Elevations range from 190 to 270 feet. The climate is semi-arid with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 8 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 63 to 66 degrees F. The frost-free season is 250 to 300 days. Flooding is rare.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nord, Colpien (T), Gambogy (T), Garces and Lethent series. Colpien, Gambogy, Nord soils have a mollic epipedon. Garces and Lethent soils have a natric horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained, these soils have been artificially drained and had perched water tables under natural conditions; negligible to low runoff; moderately slow permeability. Flooding is rare. Depth to water table is greater than 60 inches under current conditions. This soil has been artificially drained. All areas are protected from natural flooding by upstream reservoirs, levees and diversions of water.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for irrigated cropland growing cotton, alfalfa and grains. It is also used for dairy and cattle production and building site development.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern part of the San Joaquin Valley. The soil is not extensive. MLRA 17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tulare County, Western Part Soil Survey, California, 1999. The name is coined.
REMARKS: In some pedons, carbonates have been removed from the surface layer by leaching with irrigation water or addition of soil amendments. Many areas have been partially reclaimed of salinity and sodicity by farming practices such as the addition of gypsum. Significant leaching of salts has occurred. This soil has been artificially drained. All areas are protected from natural flooding by upstream reservoirs, levees and diversions of water.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- the zone from the surface to a depth of about 14 inches (Ap1 and Ap2 horizons). Cambic horizon -- the zone from 14 to about 25 inches (Zone of loss of carbonates (Bt horizon)).