LOCATION CARTAGO CA

Established Series
REV: DV-TAC-ET-MAV
01/2023

CARTAGO SERIES

The Cartago series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in granitic alluvium and in some small areas mixed alluvium. Cartago soils are on alluvial fans, fan terraces, and edges of valley floors and have slopes of 0 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, thermic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Cartago gravelly loamy coarse sand - on a 7 percent east slope at 1481 meters elevation under Cooper goldenbush, spiny hopsage and white burrobush vegetation. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described February 1978, the soil was moist throughout. About 30 percent of the soil surface is covered with fine granitic gravel.

A--0 to 25 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

C1--25 to 69 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary (36 to 51 cm thick)

C2--69 to 112 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand with some very gravelly lenses present, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (36 to 56 cm thick)

C3--112 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California. About 4 miles southwest of Lone Pine in Owens Valley; 20 feet north of dirt road; 2,200 feet north and 900 feet east of the southwest corner of section 7, T. 16 S,. R. 36 E., M.D.B.M., Lone Pine quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 33 minutes 23 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 6 minutes 32 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 36.5563889 latitude, -118.1088889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth of the soil is greater than 152 cm. The soil between depths of 25 and 100 cm is usually dry from about April 30 to November 30, and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. Aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric. The soil temperature is above 47 degrees F from about March 1 to December 15, but is rarely below 5 degrees C. The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 17 degrees C. Soil reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline. The surface is covered by 5 to 40 percent rock fragments with 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 40 percent gravel.

The A horizon color is 10YR 5/3, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6 or 7/3. Moist color is 10YR 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 or 5/3. Textures are loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, gravelly loamy coarse sand and gravelly loamy sand. Rock fragment content is 5 to 35 percent consisting of 5 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders. The organic carbon content is 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

The C horizon color is 2.5y 4/4; 10YR 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 6/1, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 7/2 or 7/4 and moist color of 10YR 4/3, 4/4 or 5/4. Textures are stratified loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, gravelly loamy coarse sand, gravelly loamy sand, gravelly loamy fine sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very gravelly loamy sand, cobbly loamy sand and very cobbly loamy coarse sand. The 25 to 100 cm control section averages loamy fine sand or coarser. Some very gravelly or very cobbly lenses are present above a 100 cm depth.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Feltham series in other families. Feltham soils have mesic soil temperatures.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cartago soils are on alluvial fans and fan terraces. These soils formed in granitic alluvium and in some small areas mixed alluvium. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The elevation range is 3,700 to 1,680 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 250 mm, and the mean annual temperature is 14 to 16 degrees C. The mean January temperature is about 1 degrees C; mean July temperature is about 22 degrees C. The frost-free season is 140 to 200 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lubkin (T), Goodale (T), and Tinemaha (T) soils. Lubkin and Tinemaha soils have loamy-skeletal argillic horizons and are on fan terraces. Goodale soils have sandy-skeletal control sections and are on alluvial fans and fan terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; moderate to very slow runoff, depending on slope; rapid and moderately rapid permeability and in some areas moderately rapid over rapid permeability in the lower part of the profile. Flooded phases are recognized.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing, wildlife habitat, and as a source of road construction material. The vegetation is mainly spiny hopsage, Cooper goldenbush, Nevada ephedra and desert needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Owens Valley in east-central California. The soils are of small extent in MLRA 29.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES PROPOSED: Inyo County, California; Benton-Owens Valley Soil Survey, 1987.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
Ochric Epipedon -- The layer from the soil surface to 18 cm (Part of the A).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1 and part of C2 horizons)

Other Soil Characteristics:
1. Textures coarser than loamy very fine sand in the 25 to 100 cm control section (hydrometer analysis). Very gravelly or very cobbly lenses are present in the lower part of the control section.
2. Mineralogy is assumed to be mixed. Parent material is granitic alluvium.
3. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric. M.A.P. is 15 to 20 cm.
4. The soil temperature regime is on the cool end of thermic. M.A.S. T. is 15 to 17 degrees C. This is extrapolated from actual soil temperature data over the past years using 12 month averages and Rod Arkley's formula.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.