LOCATION CAX CA

Inactive Series
REV: AAR/JCR/ET
02/2024

CAX SERIES

The Cax series consists of shallow well drained soils formed in mixed alluvium. The Cax soils are on summits of erosional fan remnants. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 67 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Argidic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Cax coarse sandy loam at an elevation of 2093 feet. (When described on May 2, 1994 the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with a desert pavement of 55 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles.

A--O to 4 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and medium vesicular pores, common very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

Bt--4 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very coarse angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots and common medium roots between peds; common very fine and medium tubular pores; few, distinct, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay bridging sand grains and few, distinct, continuous, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) pressure faces and very few distinct patchy clay skins on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)

Btk--8 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) crushed, moist; strong very coarse angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine to medium roots between peds; common very fine to coarse tubular pores; few prominent very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate coats on lower surfaces of peds and rocks; few, distinct, patchy light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay bridging and very few distinct patchy clay skins on faces of peds and lining pores; 3 percent fine and medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft carbonate threads and 3 percent very coarse and extremely coarse, irregular very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft masses of carbonate between peds; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Bqkm--16 to 18 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) weakly cemented duripan, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive, extremely hard, very firm, brittle; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bkql--18 to 22 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loamy coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; strong thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; common fine and medium constricted tubular pores; very few, distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate coats on lower surfaces of rocks; 35 percent very coarse and extremely coarse, rounded, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) hard durinodes; 10 percent very coarse and extremely coarse, rounded, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft carbonate nodules; 8 percent gravel; violently effervescent matrix (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bkq2--22 to 28 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine to medium tubular pores; few, distinct, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate coats on lower surfaces of rocks; 10 percent coarse, irregular, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft masses of carbonate; 35 percent very coarse and extremely coarse, rounded, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) hard durinodes; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent matrix (13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Bkq3--28 to 36 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine to medium tubular pores; very few, prominent, patchy, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) calcium carbonate coats on lower surfaces of rocks; 10 percent coarse, irregular, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft masses of carbonate; 5 percent medium, rounded, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) slightly hard durinodes; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent matrix (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

Bkq4--36 to 43 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine to medium tubular pores; very few, distinct, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate coats on rocks; 20 percent coarse, irregular, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) slightly hard carbonate nodules; 30 percent very coarse and extremely coarse, rounded, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) hard durinodes; few fine and medium, platelike, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) rigid silica laminae; 25 percent gravel; violently effervescent matrix (36 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt irregular boundary.(6 to 15 inches thick)

Ckq--43 to 80 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few, prominent, patchy, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate coats on lower surfaces of rocks; few medium, irregular, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) extremely hard durinodes and few fine, irregular, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft masses of carbonates; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent matrix (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; 300 feet east and 2320 feet north of the southwest corner of section 31, T. 3 N., R. 8 E; 34 degrees 18 minutes 04.1 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees 11 minutes 28.8 seconds west longitude. UTM 05-744.18 E. and 37-958.40 N. (Deadman Lake Southwest quadrangle.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture control section - The soil between a depth of 7 and 17 inches is usually dry and is moist in some part for short periods from November through April and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July to October following convection storms.
Soil temperature - 68 to 72 degrees F. Depth to the argillic - 1 to 4 inches. Depth to duripan - 10 to 20 inches. Textural control section - Clay content: averages 12 to 18 percent. Sand content: 35 to 50 percent very coarse and coarse sand. Surface coarse fragments: 35 to 60 percent gravel, 1 to 5 percent cobbles

A horizon Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist Value: 6 or 7 dry and 4 through 6 moist Chroma: 3 or 4 dry and 3 through 6 moist Clay. 8 to 15 percent Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, gravelly pedons are recognized with 15 to 25 percent gravel Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bt horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist Value: 5 or 6 dry and 4 or 5 moist Chroma: 4 through 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist Clay: 20 to 25 percent. Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, gravelly pedons are recognized with 15 to 25 percent gravel. Effervescence: Noneffervescent to strongly effervescent. Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Btk horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist. Value: 5 or 6 dry and 4 or 5 moist. Chroma: 4 through 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist. Clay: 8 to 13 percent. Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, gravelly pedons are recognized with 15 to 25 percent gravel. Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 8 percent. Carbonates: 5 to 8 percent calcium carbonate threads and soft masses. Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.

Bqkm horizon - Value: 7 or 8 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry

Bkq horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist. value: 6 through 8 dry and 5 through 7 moist. Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist. Texture: loamy coarse sand, gravelly loamy coarse sand and very gravelly loamy coarse sand. Clay: 3 to 10 percent. Rock fragments: 5 to 40 percent. Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 40 percent. Carbonates: 10 to 20 percent nodules or soft masses.

Cementation: 5 to 40 percent durinodes and 0 to 5 percent rigid 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter thick silica laminae. Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.

Ckq horizon - Value: 6 through 8 dry and 5 through 7 moist. Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist. Clay: 1 to 3 percent. Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent, nongravelly pedons are recognized with 5 to 15 percent gravel, very gravelly pedons are recognized with 35 to 75 percent coarse fragments. Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent. Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are presently no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cax soils are on summits of erosional fan remnants. These soils formed in mixed alluvium. Elevations are 1880 to 3500 feet. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The climate is warm and arid, with hot, dry summers and cool winters. The mean annual precipitation is 2 to 6 inches; the mean annual air temperature is 66 to 68 degrees F., the mean July air temperature is about 88 degrees F., the mean January air temperature is about 49 degrees F. and the frost free season is 220 to 260 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Calcio (T CA) Desfirex (T CA), Edalph (T), Macagce (T CA), Narea (T CA) and Arizo (NV). Arizo soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the textural control section and are on adjacent inset fans. Calcio soils lack duripans and are on adjacent erosional fan summits. Desfirex soils are 20 to 30 inches to the duripan and are on adjacent erosional fan remnants footslopes. Edalph soils do not have a duripan and are on adjacent erosional fan backslopes. Macagce soils do not have an argillic horizon or a duripan and are on adjacent erosional fan remnant shoulders. Narea soils are sandy and are on adjacent inset fans.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to low runoff; moderately slow permeability above the pan and very rapid below the pan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush and white bursage.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern California. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 30.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: DAVIS, CALIFORNIA

SERIES PROPOSED: San Bernardino County, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Soil Survey Area, California, 1996. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagonostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 4 inches. (Al horizon)
Argillic horizon - 4 to 16 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Duripan - 16 to 18 inches. (Bkqm horizons)
Particle size control section - 4 to 16 inches (Bt and Btk horizons)

Characterized by the National Soil Survey Lab #S97CA-071-006

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.