LOCATION BULLETPROOF             CA

Established Series
Rev: SMR/PBF/CAH/ET
04/2015

BULLETPROOF SERIES

The Bulletproof series consists of shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from granitoid. These soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 75 percent. The average annual precipitation is 100 millimeters (4 inches) and the average annual temperature is 21.5 degrees C (71 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Bulletproof cobbles, on a north-facing, 37 percent slope at an elevation of 474 meters. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) The surface is covered by approximately 15 percent fine gravel, 30 percent medium and coarse gravel, 39 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones.

C -- 0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); cobbles; 15 percent fine gravel, 30 percent medium and coarse gravel, 39 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 15 centimeters thick)

A -- 5 to 8 centimeters (2 to 3 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) gravelly loamy sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine irregular pores; 10 percent fine gravel and 20 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 centimeters thick)

Bw -- 8 to 12 centimeters (3 to 5 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine irregular pores; 4 percent fine gravel and 8 percent medium and coarse gravel; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 32 centimeters thick)

C' -- 12 to 36 centimeters (5 to 14 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent fine gravel, 5 percent fine paragravel, 1 percent medium and coarse paragravel; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 32 centimeters thick)

Crk -- 36 to 150 centimeters (14 to 60 inches); extremely weakly cemented soft granitioid bedrock with cracks greater than 10 centimeters apart; moderately few very fine roots in mat at top of horizon; 20 percent white (10YR 8/1) dry, calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; violently effervescent.

TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; approximately 12 miles north of the city of Indio; approximately 105 meters east, 1475 meters north of the southwest corner of section 29, T. 3 S., R. 7 E., San Bernardino Base and Meridian; USGS East Deception Canyon, California 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 33 degrees, 53 minutes, 17.7 seconds North latitude and 116 degrees, 16 minutes, 55.7 seconds West longitude; UTM 11S 566381e, 3749997n (DTM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

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

Soil temperature: 22 to 25 degrees C (72 to 79 degrees F).
Surface rock fragments: 80 to 95 percent, dominated by gravel.

Control section -
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent.
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 36 centimeters (10 to 14 inches).

C horizon
In Lieu of texture: cobbles or gravel.
Rock fragments: 80 to 95 percent, with 10 to 20 percent fine gravel, 15 to 70 percent medium and coarse gravel, 5 to 40
percent cobbles, and 1 to 15 percent stones.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry, 2 to 5 moist.
Clay content: 1 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent, dominantly gravel.
Effervescence: noneffervescent or very slightly effervescent.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

Bw or Btk horizon (when present)
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy coarse sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 6 to 30 percent, 6 to 30 percent indurated gravel with 0 to 30 percent paragravel and 0 to 15 paracobbles.
Effervescence: noneffervescent or very slightly effervescent.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

C' horizon (when present)
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry; 2 to 4 moist.
Texture of the fine earth fraction: fine sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 1 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 4 to 25 percent, dominantly indurated gravel with 0 to 6 percent paragravel.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.
Reaction: neutral to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bulletproof soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 75 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from granitoid. Elevation ranges from 120 to 1,128 meters (390 to 3,700 feet). The climate is arid with hot, dry summers, and warm, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 75 to 125 millimeters (3 to 5 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 20 to 23 degrees C (68 to 73 degrees F). The frost-free season is 300 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fanhill, Goldenhills, Meccapass and Whiterobe soils. Fanhill, Goldenhills, Meccapass and Whiterobe soils are found on similar landscape positions. Fanhill soils are loamy and shallow, Goldenhills soils are sandy-skeletal and deep to a paralithic contact, Meccapass soils are loamy-skeletal and moderately deep to a paralithic contact and Whiterobe soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Bulletproof soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is creosote bush, brittlebush, and burrobush.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Riverside County, California, Soil Survey of Joshua Tree National Park, California, 2012. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:

C horizon - from a depth of 0 to 5 centimeters.
Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 5 to 8 centimeters (2 to 3 inches). (A horizon)
Particle size control section - from a depth of 0 to 36 centimeters (0 to 14 inches). (A, Bw and C horizons)
Paralithic contact - the zone beginning at 36 centimeters (14 inches). (Crk horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 1249800230.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2012. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.