LOCATION BIRDCANYON CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Birdcanyon coarse sand, on 6 percent slope under desert shrubs at an elevation of 1,278 meters. When described the soil was dry throughout.(Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 40 percent fine and 10 percent medium gravel.
A--0 to 6 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 4 percent fine and 1 percent medium gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 11 centimeters thick)
C1--6 to 53 centimeters (2 to 22 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine and coarse roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 4 percent fine and 1 percent medium gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary.
C2--53 to 155 centimeters (22 to 61 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine, and coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 7 percent fine and 3 percent medium gravel; neutral (pH 7.2). (Combined thickness of the C horizons is 140 to 150 centimeters.)
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 53 kilometers north and 9 kilometers east of Mojave, California in Bird Spring Canyon; located in a nonsectionalized area 730 meters south and 3,800 meters west of the northwest corner of section 6, T. 27 S., R. 37 E.; USGS Horse Canyon, CA 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 35 degrees, 31 minutes, 40.7 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees, 5 minutes, 13.6 seconds west longitude; UTM 11, 401437 e, 3932139 n; NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some part during winter and spring and intermittingly moist near the soil surface following occasional summer convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 15 to 18 degrees C. (59 to 64.4 degrees F.)
Control section
Rock fragments: averages 5 to 20 percent, ranges from 5 to 30 percent, mainly fine gravel.
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent.
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
C horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3, 4 or 6 moist.
Texture: sand, coarse sand, loamy coarse sand or loamy sand.
Structure: weak or moderate, medium or coarse, subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: soft through hard.
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
Note: Some pedons have clay films in the lower part of the soil profile. Clay increase does not meet the requirements for an argillic horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atina (T TX), Azulgar (T TX), Bluepoint (NV), Brazito (NM), Cajon (CA), Copia (NM), Koehn (CA), Maynard Lake (NV), Moapa (NV), Pintura (UT), Toquop (AZ), University (NM), and Yturbide (NM) series. Atina, Azulgar and Toquop soils contain secondary calcium carbonate. Bluepoint soils are calcareous and formed from eolian material. Brazito, Bluepoint, Cajon, Copia, and University soils are intermittently moist in some part of the moisture control section July through September. Copia soils also do not have a hue of 10YR. University soils are calcareous. Koehn soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 18.1 to 22 degrees C. Maynard Lake soils contain more than 20 percent volcanic ash or pumice and are calcareous. Moapa soils are moderately deep to calcareous sandstone bedrock. Pintura soils have a hue of 5YR or 2.5YR. Yturbide soils have secondary calcium carbonate in the lower profile and receive maximum precipitation in the summer.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Birdcanyon soils are on fan aprons. Slope ranges from 4 to 15 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from granite. Elevations are 1,160 to 1,465 meters. The climate is semi-arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 180 to 230 millimeters. The mean annual air temperature is 13 to 16 degrees C. The frost-free season is 165 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Goldpeak and Pinyonpeak soils. Goldpeak soils are on summits of nearby fan remnants, have an argillic horizon and a coarse-loamy particle size control section. Pinyonpeak soils are on nearby hills, have an argillic horizon, have a loamy particle size control section and are shallow to granitic soft bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for grazing, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly cheesebush, horsebrush, Nevada ephedra, Joshua tree, desert needlegrass and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California; MLRA 29. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California; Jawbone-Butterbredt Soil Survey Area, part of the Mojave Desert Area, Northwest Part, California, 2007. The name is coined from Bird Spring Canyon located adjacent to the Scodie Mountains.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon - 0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches). (A and part of the C1 horizons)
2. Particle-size control section - 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 40 inches). (Part of the C1 and C2 horizons)