LOCATION CANEBRAKE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic, shallow Xeric Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Canebrake gravelly loamy coarse sand - on a northeast facing slope of 47 percent under purple sage, big sagebrush, California buckwheat, pine bluegrass and desert needlegrass at an elevation of 4,280 feet. (When described on January 9, 1990, the soil was moist from 0 to 6 inches and dry below 6 inches; Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many medium interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 7 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
C--7 to 17 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and common fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--17 to 23 inches; partially decomposed granitoid bedrock with clay films and dark organic staining on fracture faces and few fine roots in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 3.5 miles east of Canebrake, California, and about 1,125 feet west of Highway 178; about 1,625 feet south and 1,250 feet west of the northeast corner of Sec. 26, T. 25 S., R. 36 E.; Latitude 35 degrees, 43 minutes, 45 seconds north and Longitude 118 degrees, 4 minutes, 50 seconds west, USGS Walker Pass, California, Topographic Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Usually dry in all parts from about May 1 to November 30 and moist for less than consecutive 90 days in some or all parts the remainder of the time.
Soil Temperature - The mean annual soil temperature is 52 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to decomposed granitoid bedrock - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to hard granitoid bedrock - 20 to 40 inches.
Particle size Control section
Texture: Loamy coarse sand, gravelly loamy coarse sand or bouldery loamy coarse sand and bouldery coarse sand
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral
.
A horizon - Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent with 5 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 20 boulders and stones.
Organic matter: 0.5 to 1.0 percent.
C horizon - Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4.
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent with 5 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 20 boulders and stones.
Organic matter: 0.1 to 0.8 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Glennbrook series. Glennbrook soils have mean annual soil temperatures of 47 to 53 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Canebrake soils are on slopes of hills and mountains. Slopes are 9 to 60 percent. These soils formed in material weathered from granitoid rocks. Elevations are 2,800 to 6,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 12 inches, some as snowfall. The mean January temperature is about 38 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is about 74 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 51 to 57 degrees F. The frost-free season is 120 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Pilotwell (T) and Xyno (T) series. Pilotwell and Xyno soils have thermic soil temperatures and occur on southern and western facing mountain sideslopes and hill slopes. Pilotwell soils are moderately deep to decomposed granitoid bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Canebrake soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is commonly purple sage, big sagebrush, California buckwheat, pine bluegrass and desert needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California. The series is not extensive in MLRA-29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, Northeast Part, 2005. The name is taken from the local community of Canebrake.
REMARKS: Dark surface colors partly due to high content of
mica rather than just organic matter.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 7 inches (A1, A2)
Paralithic contact - The zone from 17 to 23 inches (Cr)