LOCATION COWSPRING CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cowspring gravelly loamy sand, on a 38 percent west slope at 4,600 feet elevation under filaree, red brome and buckwheat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 1, 1989, the soil was dry throughout.
A--0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm)); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary.
Bt1--3 to 10 inches (8 to 25 cm.); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm.); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--15 to 27 inches (38 to 69 cm.); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary.
Cr--27 to 35 inches (69 to 89 cm.); partially decomposed granodiorite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County , California; about 1 1/2 miles southwest of Hoffman Peak; about 1,600 feet north and 500 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 1, T. 30 S., R. 35 E., MDBM; Cross Mountain, Quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 21 minutes 11 seconds N and long. 118 degrees 10 minutes 41 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - Average annual: 59 to 62 degrees F (15 to 17 degrees C.).
Soil moisture - The soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F. (5 degrees C.) from about Febuary 1 to December 1 (290 to 320 days) and is greater than 47 degrees F (8 degrees C.) from about March 1 to November 10 (235 to 265 days). The soils are dry from about April 15 to November 30 (200 to 225 days). The soil is dry less than three fourths of the time the soil temperature is greater than 41
degrees F.
Particle Size Control Section:
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent mostly 2 to 5 mm gravel
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent There is at least a 3 percent
clay increase from the A to the Bt horizons.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: gravelly loamy coarse sand or gravelly coarse sandy loam
Organic matter: less than 1 percent
Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: gravelly coarse sandy loam
Organic Matter: less than 1 percent
Depth to the paralithic contact is 20 to 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adelanto, Chollawell and Lucerne series. These soils are all are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cowspring soils are on gently rolling to steep hillslopes with slopes of 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in material weathered mainly from granitic bedrock. Some areas have outcrops of metamorphic and volcanic rocks. Elevations are 3,000 to 5,000 feet(9842 to 1524 meters). The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches (150 to 230 mm), mostly as winter rain, and the mean annual temperature is 57 to 61 degrees F (14 to 16 degrees C). The frost-free season is 190 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tips(T) and Jawbone soils. Tips and Jawbone soils are shallow to rock. The Jawbone soil is sandy throughout and lacks an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly filaree, annual forbs, red brome, California buckwheat, desert needlegrass and blackbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Kern County, California. The series is not extensive in MLRA-29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California 1993; Northeastern Kern Area. The name is coined from a nearby spring.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized on this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- the zone from the soil surface to 3 inches (A)
Argillic horizon -- the zone from 3 to 27 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3)