LOCATION CAJON CA
Established Series
Rev. GAW/TDC/MAV/KJO/ET
04/2015
CAJON SERIES
The Cajon series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in sandy alluvium from dominantly granitic rocks. Cajon soils are on alluvial fans, fan aprons, fan skirts, inset fans and river terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 65 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Cajon sand, on a 1 1/2 percent slope under creosotebush, spiny hopsage, and Mormon-tea at 3,060 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 4/29/75 the soil was moist to 18 inches and dry below).
A--0 to 2 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick).
C1--2 to 7 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; single grained; loose; common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 1 to 2 percent 3/8 to 1/2 inch gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick).
C2--7 to 13 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose; common fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick).
C3--13 to 18 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose; common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick).
C4--18 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; single grained; loose; common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; about 4 percent 1/2 inch gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick).
2C5--25 to 38 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grained; loose; common fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 25 percent 1/2 to 1 inch gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick).
2C6--38 to 45 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent 1/2 to 1 inch gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick).
2C7--45 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 5 miles east of Lucerne Valley, 0.5 mile east of intersection of Visalia Avenue and Foothill Road; and 0.3 mile north in NE1/4, SE1/4, SE1/4 section 16, T.4N., R.1E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture- usually dry from mid March to mid December and is not continuously moist for as long as 90 days in the winter.
Soil temperature: 59 degrees to 72 degrees F. and soil temperature usually is not below 47 degrees F. at any time.
Control section - Rock fragments are mostly gravel size and they make up as much as 35 percent though many pedons have less than 15 percent gravel. There is weak stratification of sandy material in some or all parts.
Typically the soil is slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent throughout although some pedons are noneffervescent in the A horizon.
Typically the profile is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline although some pedons are neutral.
Some pedons are strongly alkaline and mildly saline-alkali to strongly saline-alkali. Electrical conductivity ranges up to 16 ds/m and the SAR to 20.
The A - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry and 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6 dry and moist.
Texture: Coarse sand, loamy coarse sand, sand and loamy sand. Some pedons have sandy loam overblown phases. Some pedons have as much as 60 percent gravel within 2 inches.
The C horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry and 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6 dry and moist
Texture: Coarse sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand or their gravelly or cobbly equivalents. Some pedons have a sandy loam horizon at a depth of more than 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bluepoint (NV),
Brazito (NM),
Maynard Lake (NV),
Moapa (NV),
Pintura (UT),
Toquop (NV),
University (T NM) and
Yturbide (NM) series in the same family and the
Carsitas series in another family. Bluepoint soils are dominantly in hue of 5YR and have chroma of 3 through 6. Brazito soils are not dry in all parts of the moisture control section for months following the summer solstice. Carsitas and
Myoma soils have a hyperthermic temperature regime. Maynard Lake soils contain a significant amount of volcanic ash. Moapa soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Pintura soils have hue of 5YR or redder and lack stratification. Toquop soils typically have hue redder than 10YR. Yturbide soils are noncalcareous or have small amounts of disseminated lime. Also, Yturbide soils are moist in the summer.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Cajon soils have gradients of 0 to 15 percent and are on recent fans, fan skirts, fan aprons, inset fans and river terraces at elevations of 200 to 4,300 feet. The lower elevations commonly occur in the San Joaquin Valley. They formed in sandy alluvium, mostly granitic rock sources, but also a variety of sources are included. The climate is arid with hot dry summers and somewhat moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 2 to 9 inches, mostly in the form of winter rain. Mean January temperature is 43 degrees to 48 degrees F., mean July temperature is 82 degrees to 84 degrees F., mean annual temperature is 57 degrees to 70 degrees F. Frost-free season is 150 to 340 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Adelanto,
Arizo,
Calcio,
Edalph,
Goldivide,
Gravesumit,
Hesperia,
Livefire and
Rosamond soils. Adelanto soils have an argillic horizon. Arizo soils have a sandy skeletal particle size control section. Calcio, Goldivide and Gravesumit soils have an argillic horizon and a calcic horiaon. Edalph and Hesperia soils have a coarse-loamy control section. Livefire soils have sandy loam textures within the particle size control section. Rosamond soils have a fine-loamy particlr size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; negligible to low runoff; rapid permeability. Cajon soils with sandy loam surface textures have moderately rapid over rapid permeability. Flooding is none to rare.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for range, watershed, and recreation. A few areas are irrigated and are used for growing alfalfa and other crops. Vegetation is mostly desert shrubs including creosotebush, saltbush, Mormon-tea, Joshua trees, some Indian ricegrass, annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern California, southern Nevada, and Arizona. The soils are extensive. The central concept for the series is in MLRA 30. Use in other MLRA's should be reevaluated.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Central-Southern California Reconnaissance, 1917.
REMARKS: The ranges of the Bluepoint, Cajon and Toquop series overlap.
Runoff classes based on Ksat and slope as described in "Terminology Used in Soil Survey Data Entry or Manuscript Editing of: 9-23-94 MAV." Runoff changed from slow or very slow; runoff is now negligible to low.
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 1/2002. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.