LOCATION DELGADO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Lithic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Delgado sandy loam, on a west facing slope of 10 percent under red brome, filaree and fescue at 700 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on March 3, 1975, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
C--2 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
R--10 to 14 inches; pink (5YR 7/3) hard laminar lime coatings, 1 to 2 mm thick, underlain be pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) relatively unweathered feldspathic calcareous sandstone that does not slake in water, has cracks at 4 to 8 inch intervals. Cracks are free of soil. No roots in cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California; in the Pyramid Hills, approximately 1,000 feet southeast of Highway 41 and 1 mile northeast of the former Fire Lookout Station; 2,600 feet west and 1,650 feet north of the southeast corner of section 6, T. 24 S., R. 18 E., MDB&M; Latitude 35 degrees, 51 minutes, 58 seconds north and Longitude 120 degrees, 03 minutes, 55 seconds west; USGS Pyramid Hills Topographic Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact is 7 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 64 degrees to 71 degrees F. The soil temperature is always above 47 degrees F. The soil is dry immediately above the lithic contact from March through January and is not continuously moist for as long as 60 consecutive days in the winter. Gravel content is 0 to 35 percent. Cobble content is 0 to 5 percent.
The A horizon has color of 2.5Y 6/2, 7/2; 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3 or 6/4. Moist color is 2.5Y 4/2, 5/2; 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/3 or 4/4. Organic matter content is less than 1 percent. Texture is gravelly sandy loam or sandy loam. Clay content is 8 to 20 percent. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has color of 2.5Y 6/2, 6/4, 7/2; 10YR 5/4, 6/3 or 6/4. Moist color is 2.5Y 4/2, 4/4, 5/2; 10YR 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 or 5/3. Texture is sandy loam or fine sandy loam and is gravelly sandy loam or gravelly fine sandy loam in some pedons. Clay content is 5 to 20 percent. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 1 to 5 percent. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Langwell, Splanod, Tidwell and Trigger series. Langwell soils (MLRA 30), on mountains, hills and pediments, are moist in some part for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms and have surface rock fragments. Splanod soils (MLRA 35), on mesas and structural benches in the Grand Canyon, are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July-September and have color hue of 2.5YR or 5YR. Tidwell soils (MLRA 41), on plateaus and mesas, are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during June - September and have color hue of 7.5YR or 10YR. Trigger soils (MLRA 30), on uplands, are at elevations of 2,400 to 3,800 feet, receive 3 to 7 inches mean annual precipitation, have soil temperatures that less than 47 degrees F. during part of the year and only have color hue of 10YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Delgado soils are on hills, foothills and uplands. Slope is 5 to 75 percent. Elevation is 450 to 2,120 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from hard sandstones and shales. The climate is arid and has hot dry summers and mild somewhat moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 8 inches, most falling in the winter. The mean January temperature is about 47 degrees F. and the mean July temperature is about 84 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 63 to 65 degrees F. The frost-free season is 230 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cantua, Kettleman, Mercey, Panoche and Wasco soils. Cantua soils, on hills, have a paralithic contact at a depth of 40 to 60 inches and have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Kettleman soils, on hills and uplands, have a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches and have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Mercey soils, on hills and uplands, have a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches and have a fine-silty particle-size control section. Panoche soils, on alluvial fans, are very deep and have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Wasco soils, on alluvial fans, are very deep and have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium to very high runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for livestock grazing during the late winter and spring. Natural vegetation is annual grasses, forbs and species of saltbush (Atriplex).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern edge of the Diablo Range in the California Coast Ranges. Series is moderately extensive. MLRA 15.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, California, 1980.
REMARKS: The typical site location on the published Kings County Soil Survey should be located approximately 200 feet east of the site indicated on map sheet number 24.