LOCATION CARSITAS                CA

Established Series
Rev. AAK/LAB/GMK/PBF/ET
04/2015

CARSITAS SERIES

The Carsitas series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium from granitoid and/or gneissic rocks. The Carsitas soils are on alluvial fans, fan aprons, valley fills, dissected remnants of alluvial fans and in drainageways. Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 75 millimeters (3 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 25 degrees C (77 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, hyperthermic Typic Torripsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Carsitas gravelly sand under desert shrubs. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

C1 -- 0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); light olive gray (5Y 6/2) gravelly sand, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; stratified; single grain; loose; few coarse and fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 16 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 38 centimeters thick)

C2 -- 25 to 152 centimeters (10 to 60 inches); light olive gray (5Y 6/2) gravelly coarse sand, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; stratified; single grain; loose; very few fine and coarse roots; common fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; approximately 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) east of Cleveland Avenue on Avenue 70; 183 meters (600 feet) west of the NE corner of section 28, T. 7 S., R. 10 E., San Bernardino Base and Meridian; 33 degrees, 32 minutes, 22.9 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees, 56 minutes, 28.3 seconds west longitude; USGS 7.5 minute Mortmar, CA topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S 0598304e 3711622n (DTM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: usually dry throughout, rarely moist in
some part during winter and summer and early fall. The soils have a
typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 25 to 28 degrees C (77 to 82 degrees F).
Surface rock fragments: 40 to 95 percent; with 35 to 95 percent gravel, 0
to 20 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones.


Control section -
Rock fragments: averages 15 to 35 percent; with 7 to 35 percent gravel, 0
to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 2 percent stones.
Clay content: 1 to 6 percent.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.
Effervescence: Effervescent below 25 centimeters in all pedons.

A horizon (when present)
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 4 to 7, dry or moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand and
sandy loam.
Clay content: 0 to 7 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 40 percent; with 5 to 35 percent gravel and 0 to 5
percent cobbles.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to slightly effervescent.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

Bw horizon (when present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand or sandy loam.
Clay content: 2 to 7 percent.
Rock fragments: 8 to 25 percent; with 8 to 20 percent gravel, 0 to 10
percent cobbles and 0 to 2 percent stones.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.

Note: This horizon is either too thin, is the wrong texture, has insufficient calcium carbonate or fails to meet some other necessary requirement to be classified as a diagnostic horizon.

C, Ck, Ckq and Cq horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist.
Texture: coarse sand, sand, loamy coarse sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 7 to 35 percent; with 7 to 35 percent gravel and 0 to 5
percent cobbles.
Effervescence: very slightly to violently effervescent.
Visible secondary carbonates: 0 to 5 percent as coats on rock fragments.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
Silica: 0 to 5 percent as films on rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dalelake (CA), Lagunita (AZ), Myoma (CA), Pintobasin (CA) and Rositas (CA AZ+NV) series. Dalelake, Lagunita, Myoma and Rositas soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. In addition, Lagunita soils are slightly to strongly saline throughout, Myoma and Rositas soils have less than 15 percent coarse and very coarse sand and Dalelake and Pintobasin soils are moist in some part of the moisture control section for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and September following convection storms and have mean annual soil temperature less than 25 degrees C (72 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Carsitas soils are on alluvial fans, fan aprons, valley fills, dissected remnants of alluvial fans and in drainageways. Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from granitoid and/or gneissic rocks. Elevations are 67 meters (220 feet) below sea level to 800 meters (2,625 feet). The climate is arid with warm, dry winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 50 to 100 millimeters (2 to 4 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 23 to 27 degrees C (73.5 to 80.5 degrees F). The frost-free season is 360 to 365 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Carrizo, Chemwash, Chuckawalla, Goldrose, Imperial, Niland, Rizzo and Rositas soils. Carrizo, Chemwash and Rizzo soils are on similar landscape positions and have sandy-skeletal particle-size control sections. Chuckawalla soils have a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section and an argillic and calcic horizon. Goldrose soils have a layer within the particle-size control section that has more than 35 percent rock fragments. Imperial soils have a fine-textured particle-size control section and Niland soils have a sandy over clayey particle-size control section. Rositas soils are found on nearby dunes, sand sheets and edges of bolson floors, have less than 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section which is typically dominated by eolian fine sands.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; negligible to low runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Altered drainage may occur where irrigation or seepage has caused a seasonal water table at 2 to 5 feet. Torrential summer thundershowers occasionally produce enough runoff to flood the soil for brief periods.

USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat and recreation. They are a source of sand and gravel for construction material. Vegetation is sparse creosote bush, burrobush, barrel cactus, mesquite, and paloverde. Where irrigation water is available, the soils are used for growing citrus and grapes.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Colorado Desert of southeastern California; MLRA 31. These soils are of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Riverside County (Coachella Valley Area), California, 1974.

REMARKS: Previously revised by the state on 4/1974. Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:

Particle-size control section - from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters (C2
horizon).

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.