LOCATION DEERSPRING CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Deerspring series on a 1 percent slope on a floodplain under shrubs and perennial grasses at an elevation of 6,080 feet (1850 meters). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on November 13, 1985, the soil was dry throughout.)
A1--0 to 11 inches (0 to 28 cm); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline; (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary.
A2--11 to 24 inches (28 to 61 cm); brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 20 to 35 inches)
C1--24 to 38 inches 61 to 96 cm); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary (6 to 19 inches thick).
C2--38 to 56 inches (96 to 142 cm); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 1 percent gravel; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary (12 to 22 inches thick).
C3--56 to 65 inches (142 to 165 cm); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; common very fine and fine redox concentrations, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 2 percent gravel; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California; located in Kennedy Meadows, about 3.5 miles south of Kennedy Meadows camp; 1,100 feet north and 1,750 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 17, T.22 S,. R. 36 E.; Long Canyon, California Quadrangle; lat. 36 degrees zero minutes 20 seconds N. and long. 118 degrees 6 minutes 58 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil between the depths of 8 and 24 inches becomes moist about November 15th and remains moist until about May 30th. It is dry in all parts from about July 1 until about September 30th. (Xeric moisture regime.)
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 57 degrees F (8 to 14 degrees C).
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Depth to bedrock: More than 60 inches
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 1, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loamy sand
Clay: 4 to 18 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 4 percent
EC: 0 to 4 dS/m
SAR: 0 to 25 some areas have a thin salt crust.
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2,3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2,3 or 4 moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loamy sand to loam some areas are
stratified
Clay: 8 to 15 percent
Organic matter: .5 to 3 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coxlake, Endersby, Evans, Lapwai, Leavenworth, Narcisse, Okanogan, Patit Creek, Pleasant View, Plinco, Poween, Redola, Threecreeks, and Tombeall series. Coxlake soils have redoximorphic features in the substratum; Endersby soils have 50 to 80 percent rock fragments below 40 inches; Evans soils are slightly acid and have loam, silt loam and very fine sandy loam textures; Lapwai soils have a cambic horizon; Leavenworth and Redola soils are dry for less than 75 consecutive days; Narcisse, Okanogan and Threecreeks soils do not have effervescence throughout the profile; Patit Creek, Pleasant View and Tombeall soils have more than 15 percent coarse fragments; Poween soils are not dry for 90 consecutive days; Plinco soils have more that 15 percent coarse fragments in the C horizon and they have a mollic epipedon that is more than 40 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Deerspring soils are on floodplains and dry meadows with slopes of 0 to 5 percent. They formed in mixed alluvium, predominantly from granitic rock. Elevation is 5,200 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches. The average January temperature is 30 to 38 degrees F.; and the average July temperature is 65 to 75 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 55 degrees F. The frost free period is 85 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Toll soils. Toll soils have less than 1 percent organic matter throughout and they have less than 10 percent clay throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, slow runoff, moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Dominant vegetation is rubber rabbitbrush, big sagebrush, Nevada bluegrass and beardless wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain valleys in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains; MLRA is 29. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tulare County; Kern County, Northeastern Part and Southeastern Part of Tulare County Soil Survey Area; California, 2005. The name is taken from the Deer Spring.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features of this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon- from a depth of 0 to 24 inches (A1, A2)