LOCATION ELKHILLS CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Elkhills sandy loam, on a 29 percent slope under filaree and Atriplex spp. at 1,320 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described September 22, 1982 the soil was dry throughout).
A--0 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; strong effervescent, lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
AC--7 to 29 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent, lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 38 inches thick)
C1--29 to 49 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, about 10 percent of horizon is weakly cemented and brittle and firm when moist, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; violently effervescent, lime disseminated (6 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 45 inches thick)
C2--49 to 65 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) stratified gravelly coarse sand, sand, and loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent, lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 1 1/2 miles northwest of the junction of Skyline Road and Elk Hills Road, about 200 feet NE of oil well #.372; approximately 900 feet west and 300 feet south of the NE corner of section 27, T. 30 S., R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil between depth of 8 and 32 inches is dry in all parts from May 1 until the end of December and is moist in all parts for less than 60 consecutive days in winter. Mean annual soil temperature is 61 degrees to 65 degrees F. The soil is slightly to violently effervescent throughout. Carbonates are usually disseminated, but segregated lime occurs in some areas with 5 to 20 percent calcium carbonate. Rock fragments occur is well rounded pebbles or cobbles and occupy 0 to 30 percent.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 7/4, 7/3, 6/4, 6/3 or 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 5/4, 5/3, 4/4, 4/3 or 3/3. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam or loam. Organic matter is less than 1 percent and decreases regularly with depth. Clay content is 6 to 18 percent.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 8/3, 8/2, 7/4, 7/3, 7/2 or 6/3. Moist color is 10YR 7/4, 7/3, 6/4, 5/6, 5/4, 5/3, 5/2, 4/4, or 4/3 Texture is usually sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam or loam with a clay content of 5 to 18 percent. The C2 horizon is stratified with textures ranging from gravelly coarse sand to silt loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bitterwater, Kimberlina, McCullough, and Seaman series in the same family and the Cantua series. Bitterwater soils are 40 to 60 inches deep over soft sedimentary rock, have less than 20 percent silt content and lack lithologic discontinuity within a depth of 40 inches. Kimberlina soils are 0 to 9 percent slopes and the calcium carbonate is less than 5 percent. McCullough soils have a thin strata of hue 5YR or 7.5YR and have a sand texture within a depth of 40 inches. Seaman soils are clearly stratified Cantua soils are noneffervescent to depth of more than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elkhills soils are on uplifted fan terraces at elevations of 400 to 1,800 feet. Slope is 9 to 50 percent. The soils formed in alluvium from sedimentary and granitic rock. The climate is arid (desert) with hot dry summers and cool somewhat moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 6 to 8 inches with no summer precipitation. Mean annual temperature is 60 degrees to 64 degrees F. The frost-free season is 240 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bitterwater soils and Kettleman soils. Kettleman soils are fine-loamy and 20 to 40 inches deep over sedimentary rock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Occasionally used for spring grazing. Oil wells are a common feature on these soils. Vegetation is mainly red brome, filaree, and saltbrush (Atriplex spp.).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly along the southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, Northwestern Part, California, 1982.
REMARKS: Elkhills soils were originally mapped as Bitterwater but later separated because Elkhills soils formed in deep alluvium and Bitterwater soils are less than 60 inches deep over sedimentary rock.