LOCATION ERSKINE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Mollic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Erskine loamy coarse sand on a 52 percent slope at 4,000 feet elevation under big sagebrush, cheatgrass, and buckbrush. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described (September 9, 1992) the soil was dry throughout.
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores, few fine tubular pores; 12 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
A2--4 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores, common tubular pores; 11 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 13 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 7 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Bt2--13 to 18 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 8 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Cr--18 to 25 inches; partly decomposed granodiorite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California. Approximately 2.25 miles northeast of Havilah; 2,400 feet south, 2,400 feet east of the northwest corner of Section 13, T. 28 S., R. 32 E., M.D.B.M.; USGS Piute Peak, California, topographic quadrangle; latitude 35 degrees 29 minutes 41 seconds north, longitude 118 degrees 29 minutes 27 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil is usually dry from late May through October. It is usually moist in all parts for at least 90 consecutive days from December to May.
Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 55 to 59 degrees F. The soil temperature may go below 46 degrees F for part of the winter, but rarely goes below 41 degrees F.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent stones and boulders, 0 to 2 percent cobbles and 5 to 25 percent gravel. Total coarse fragment content is 5 to 35 percent.
Depth to weathered bedrock: 10 to 20 inches
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1, 2, or 3, dry or moist
Texture: loamy coarse sand, sandy loam, gravelly coarse sandy
loam or gravelly sandy loam
Clay: 3 to 15 percent
B horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 3, 4, or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, moist or dry
Texture: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam
or loam
Clay: 8 to 18 percent
Some pedons have an O horizon that is less than 1 inch thick.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Erskine soils are on hills and mountains with slopes of 5 to 60 percent. The soils formed in material weathered in place from granite, granodiorite, diorite and gabbro. Elevations are 2,700 to 6,200 feet. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches. The mean January temperature is 40 degrees F., mean July temperature is 73 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature is 50 to 58 degrees F. The frost free season is 130 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alberti(T), Haight(T), Sorrell(T), and Tweedy soils. Alberti soils are redder than 10YR and have more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon. Haight soils have a thermic temperature regime. Sorrell soils are moderately deep. Tweedy soils have more than 18 percent clay in the argillic horizon and are moderately deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat. and homesite development. The vegetation is mainly cheatgrass, mountain mahogany, big sagebrush, buckbrush, pine bluegrass, California buckwheat Digger pine, oaks and California juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern Sierra Nevada mountains in California. The soils are of small extent in MLRAs 18 and 29..
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California 1995. Kern County, Northeastern Part and Southeastern Part of Tulare County Soil Survey Area. The name is taken from Erskine Creek.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 8 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Some pedons have an epipedon that would otherwise meet the requirements of a mollic epipedon except that it is less than 7 inches thick. The organic matter content is less than 1.0% below 4 inches.
Argillic horizon: from 8 to 18 inches (Bt horizon).