LOCATION BIKELAKE CA

Established Series
REV: PBF/ET
12/2022

BIKELAKE SERIES

The Bikelake series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in dominantly granitic alluvium. The Bikelake soils are on alluvial fans. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: On Arizo-Granitepass-Bikelake association, 2 to 8 percent slopes at an elevation of 3,020 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on April 4, 1994, the soil was dry throughout). The soil surface is partially covered with 55 percent gravel.

A1 -- 0 to 1 inch; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial pores throughout; noneffervescent; 45 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt wavy boundary.

A2 -- 1 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial, few fine tubular pores throughout; noneffervescent; 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 2 to 4 inches)

Bw -- 3 to 19 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak, fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, few fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial, few fine tubular pores throughout; noneffervescent; 45 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 18 inches thick)

C1 -- 19 to 29 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial, common fine tubular and interstitial pores throughout; noneffervescent, 45 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary.

C2 -- 29 to 39 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard to hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores throughout; noneffervescent, 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary.

C3 -- 39 to 50 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; common very fine interstitial pores throughout; noneffervescent, 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary.

C4 -- 50 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores throughout; noneffervescent, 35 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4).

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 1,000 feet west and 2,500 feet south of the NE corner of section 29, T. 14 N., R. 2 E., 35 degrees, 16 minutes, and 46 seconds north latitude, and 116 degrees, 47 minutes, and 09 seconds west longitude; East of Goldstone 7.5 minute quadrangle. UTM 11S 0519450e 3903850n (Datum: NAS-C)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 63 to 72 degrees F.

Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent

Effervescence: Noneffervescent within 20 inches of the soil surface.

Surface rock fragments: 30 to 80 percent gravel.

Control section -

Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.

Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam or sandy loam.

Rock fragments: averages 35 to 50 percent gravel.

A horizon

Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand and sandy loam

Clay content: 2 to 15 percent

Rock fragments: 30 to 65 percent gravel

Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist

Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist

Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam or sandy loam

Clay content: 10 to 15 percent

Rock fragments: 25 to 50 percent gravel

C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR

Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist

Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand

Clay content: 3 to 10 percent

Rock fragments: 30 to 50 percent gravel

Effervescence: noneffervescent to strongly effervescent

Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Parashant (AZ), Detrital (AZ), Klipstein (CA), Vado (NM), and Wickenburg (AZ) series. Parashant soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact and have higher average rock fragments in the control section. Detrital soils have a thicker subsoil, allow redder hues in the subsoil, are calcareous within 20 inches of the soil surface, and receive more precipitation. Klipstein soils have a moisture control section that is moist in some part more than half the time, cumulative, that the soil temperature at 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F. Vado and Wickenburg soils are intermittently moist in some part of the moisture control section for more than 20 days cumulative between July and September. In addition, Wickenburg soils are shallow to a paralithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Bikelake soils are on alluvial fans. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The soils formed in material from granitic sources. Elevations are 2,500 to 3,500 feet. The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm winters. Most precipitation comes in the winter but in some areas it is sporadic. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 7 inches. The mean annual temperature is 61 to 70 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 78 degrees F., and mean January temperature is about 42 degrees F. The frost-free season is 240 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo and Granitepass soils. Arizo soils have a sandy-skeletal particle size control section and Granitepass soils have a coarse-loamy particle size control section. Neither soil has a cambic horizon. Both soils are found on similar landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low or low runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Bikelake soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly perennial grasses and shrubs such as white bursage, creosotebush, and desert needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California. The series is of moderate extent in MLRA 30.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Fort Irwin Soil Survey Area, 2000. The name is taken from nearby Bicycle Lake, a playa.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:

1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 3 inches (A1 and A2 layers)
2. Cambic horizon -- 3 to 19 inches (Bw horizon)

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2000. ET

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.