LOCATION DOMENGINE CA
Established Series
Rev: PGN-KDA-MAV
01/2023
DOMENGINE SERIES
The Domengine series consist of moderately deep, well drained soils on mountains. These soils formed in material weathered from marine calcareous sandstone. Slope is 30 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 61 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Domengine loam - on a northeast facing slope of 52 percent under California sagebrush, soft chess, rattail fescue, red brome, filaree, pine bluegrass, California buckwheat and goldenbush. The elevation is 2,100 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described April 23, 1984, the soil was slightly moist below 8 inches.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary.
A2--6 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine, medium roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (Combined A horizon thickness ranges from 10 to 19 inches)
Bw--17 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots: common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)
Bk--28 to 39 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine, few fine and medium tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as many fine soft threads; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear irregular boundary. ( 8 to 12 inches thick )
Cr--39 to 45 inches: soft calcareous sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Fresno County, California; approximately 3 miles southwest of Lillis Ranch, 0.8 miles south of Cantua Creek, approximately 1,500 feet west and 150 feet south of the northeast corner of section 11, T. 18 S., R. 13 E., MDB&M; Latitude 36 degrees, 23 minutes, 07 seconds north and Longitude 120 degrees, 31 minutes, 21 seconds west; USGS Ciervo Mountain Topographic Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of marine calcareous sandstone is 20 to 40 inches. The moisture control section of 6 to 18 inches is moist from January 1 to May 1 and dry from June 1 to October 15 in most years. The soil temperature is above 47 degrees F from February 15 to December 15. The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 65 degrees F.
The A horizon has color of 10YR 5/3 or 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/2 or 3/3. Organic matter content is 1 to 2 percent. Texture is loam or clay loam. Clay content is 20 to 29 percent. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline. Some pedons have slight effervescence.
The Bw horizon has color of 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 6/4 or 6/6. Moist color is 10YR 4/2, 4/4, 5/3 or 5/6. Organic matter content is 0.5 to 1 percent. Texture is loam or clay loam. Clay content is 20 to 31 percent. Some pedons have slight effervescence.
The Bk horizon has color of 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 6/4 or 6/6. Moist color is 10YR 4/2, 4/4, 5/3 or 5/6. Organic matter content is 0.2 to 0.5 percent. Texture is loam or clay loam. Clay content is 20 to 31 percent. It is strongly effervescent or violently effervescent with disseminated carbonates and has segregated carbonates as many fine soft threads. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 5 to 10 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Apollo,
Fontana,
Nacimiento,
Sorrento,
Thomhill and
Woo soils. Apollo soils (MLRA 15), on low foothills, are 40 to 60 inches to paralithic contact. Fontana soils (MLRA 20), on uplands, have slightly acid reaction in the upper 10 inches, 5 to 20 percent shale fragments and 3/8 to 1/2 inch cracks down to 18 inches. Nacimiento soils (MLRA 15, 20, 29), on uplands, are strongly effervescent throughout, have up to 35 percent shale fragments in the profile and have cracks 1/4 to 1 inch wide to to a depth of 10 to 20 inches in some pedons. Sorrento soils (MLRA 14, 19), on alluvial fans and flood plains, are formed in alluvium and are deeper than 60 inches. Thomhill soils (MLRA 17), on alluvial fans and alluvial flats, are formed in alluvium and are deeper than 60 inches. Woo soils (MLRA 17), on alluvial fans, are formed in alluvium and are deeper than 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Domengine soils are on mountains. Slope is 30 to 65 percent. Elevation is 761 to 3,960 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from marine calcareous sandstone. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 13 inches. Mean January temperature is 46 degrees F; mean July temperature is 81 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 57 to 63 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Getrail,
Lilten and
Vernado soils. Getrail soils, on mountains, have a fine particle-size control section, crack wide when dry and have a mesic soil temperature regime. Lilten soils, on mountains, have a fine particle-size control section and are deeper than 40 inches to a paralithic contact. Vernado soils, on mountains, have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section and have a lithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is California sagebrush, soft chess, wild oat, rattail fescue, red brome, pine bluegrass, California buckwheat, goldenbush and snakeweed. Approximately 12 miles northwest of the community of Coalinga, an area of approximately 400 acres of Domengine soils, located in the north half of section 1, T. 19 S., R.14 E., is the location for a remnant population of big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in the Diablo Range in the California Coast Ranges. They are not extensive. MLRA 15.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fresno County, California, 2002. Named after nearby Domengine Creek.
REMARKS: These were formerly mapped as Rockland in the unpublished report, Soil Survey of Western Fresno, 1967. They are being differentiated by being classified and mapped. Competing series Woo and Fontana need the activity class added to their taxonomic classification.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.