LOCATION BUZZARDSPRINGS          CA

Established Series
PBF/CAH/ET
04/2015

BUZZARDSPRINGS SERIES

The Buzzardsprings series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium from igneous rock. The Buzzardsprings soils are on fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 100 millimeters (4 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 21.5 degrees C (71 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, hyperthermic Typic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Buzzardsprings gravelly fine sand, on a north-northwest facing, linear, 4 percent slope under sparse desert shrubs at an elevation of 533 meters (1,750 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 10 percent fine gravel, 5 percent medium and coarse gravel and 10 percent cobbles.

A -- 0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inch); pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine vesicular and interstitial pores; 10 percent fine gravel, 5 percent medium and coarse gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 centimeters)

Bk1 -- 3 to 8 centimeters (1 to 3 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy parting to weak fine subangular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; 1 percent fine gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary.

Bk2 -- 8 to 21 centimeters (3 to 8 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular parting to massive structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; few fine interstitial pores; 1 percent fine gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 7 to 33 centimeters).

2Bk -- 21 to 58 centimeters (8 to 23 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent fine, very pale brown (10YR 8/2), irregular calcium carbonate masses in the matrix; common very fine and fine roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; 7 percent fine gravel and 3 percent medium and coarse gravel; strongly effervescent (calcium carbonate equivalent of 7.5); moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 60 centimeters thick)

2Ck -- 58 to 152 centimeters (23 to 60 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent thin, very pale brown (10YR 8/2), calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; common very fine and fine roots; 10 percent fine gravel, 2 percent medium and coarse gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; 305 meters (1,000 feet) south and 105 meters (345 feet) east of the NW corner of section 14, T. 3 S., R. 11 E. San Bernardino Base and Meridian; 33 degrees, 54 minutes and 46 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees, 48 minutes and 21 seconds west longitude; USGS Pinto Mountain, CA 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S 0610410e 3753111n (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. The soils have a typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 22 to 25 degrees C (72 to 80 degrees F).
Surface rock fragments: 15 to 80 percent; with 15 to 80 percent gravel and 0
to 40 percent cobbles.

Control section -
Depth to the upper boundary of a calcic horizon: 11 to 35 centimeters (4 to
14 inches).
Rock fragments: averages 5 to 20 percent; with 5 to 30 percent gravel and 0
to 5 percent cobbles.
Clay content: averages 2 to 8 percent.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: fine sand, loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 1 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 3 to 35 percent; with 3 to 25 percent gravel and 0 to 5
percent cobbles.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to violently effervescent.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

Bk horizon(s)
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand or sandy loam.
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 1 to 15 percent gravel.
Effervescence: slightly to violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.

2Bk(q) horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sand or sandy loam.
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 32 percent gravel.
Effervescence: strongly or violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent.
Visible secondary carbonates: 2 to 10 percent as masses and 0 to 2 percent
as indurated nodules in the matrix.
Silica: 0 to 5 percent as pendants on bottom of rock fragments.
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline.

2Ck(q) horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 1 to 6 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 32 percent; with 5 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 5
percent cobbles.
Effervescence: slightly to violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline.
Visible secondary carbonates: 2 to 10 percent as masses in the matrix.
Silica: 0 to 5 percent as pendants on bottom of rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Oldad (CA) and Superstition (AZ+CA) series. Oldad soils have a calcic horizon with an upper boundary between 50 and 100 centimeters. Superstition soils do not receive appreciable summer precipitation, are generally dry throughout the moisture control section for most of the year and are formed in sandy eolian deposits.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Buzzardsprings soils are on fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 30 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from igneous rock. Elevations range from 290 to 730 meters (950 to 2,400 feet). The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean 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 73.5 degrees F). The frost-free season is 300 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aquapeak and Dalelake soils. Aquapeak soils are on similar landscape positions and have an argillic horizon above a duripan. Dalelake soils are on sand sheets, have a sandy particle-size control section dominated by fine sand and do not have a calcic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low or low runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Buzzardsprings soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosote bush and burrobush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. These soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Riverside County, California, Joshua Tree National Park Soil Survey, 2012. The name is from a location in the soil survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:

Ochric epipedon: from a depth of 0 to 3 centimeters (A horizon).
Calcic horizon: from a depth of 21 to 58 centimeters (2Bk horizon).
Particle-size control section: from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters (parts
of the 2Bk and 2Ck horizons.)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 794-X-16.


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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.