LOCATION FANHILL                 CA

Established Series
Rev: PRR/CAH/ET
04/2015

FANHILL SERIES

The Fanhill series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from gneiss and granitoid rocks. Fanhill soils are on mountains. Slopes range from 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 100 millimeters (4 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 21.5 degrees C (71 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Fanhill cobbles, on a linear, 51 percent slope under desert shrubs at an elevation of 359 meters (1178 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 10 percent fine gravel, 42 percent medium and coarse gravel, 30 percent cobbles, 7 percent stones, and 1 percent boulders.

C -- 0 to 12 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); cobbles; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent fine gravel, 60 percent medium and coarse gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones. (5 to 12 centimeters thick)

A -- 12 to 15 centimeters (5 to 6 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam; dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very thick platy parting to weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine irregular and common fine interstitial pores; 9 percent fine gravel and 3 percent medium and coarse gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 4 centimeters thick)

Bk1 -- 15 to 38 centimeters (6 to 15 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 15 percent prominent white (10YR 8/1), calcium carbonate coats on bottoms of rock fragments; very few very fine and moderately few very fine roots; common fine interstitial and common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent fine gravel and 25 percent medium and coarse gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.

Bk2 -- 38 to 45 centimeters (15 to 18 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 7 percent medium to coarse, prominent, white (10YR 8/1) cylindrical, weakly cemented calcium carbonate masses and 2 percent fine, prominent, white (10YR 8/1) platy, weakly cemented calcium carbonate masses at the top of the horizon and 1 percent fine, prominent, white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate threads in the matrix; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 35 percent parastones, 5 percent paracobbles, and 10 percent medium and coarse gravel which breaks down to 10 percent fine gravel and 20 percent medium and coarse gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear irregular boundary. (The ombined thickness of Bk horizons is 22 to 30 centimeters thick)

Crk -- 45 to 150 centimeters (18 to 60 inches); weakly cemented, highly weathered granitoid bedrock with fractures greater than 10 cm apart; moderate excavation difficulty; 40 percent very coarse and extremely coarse, prominent, white (10YR 8/1) platy, weakly cemented calcium carbonate masses at the top of the horizon and in cracks.

TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; about 2.1 kilometers northeast of the intersection of Berdoo Canyon Road and Dillon Road and about 145 meters due east of Berdoo Canyon Road; about 760 meters west and 170 meters south of the northeast corner of sec. 20, T. 4 S., R. 8 E. San Bernardino Base and Meridian; 33 degrees, 48 minutes, and 53.3 seconds north latitude, and 116 degrees, 10 minutes, and 11.7 seconds west longitude; USGS West Berdoo Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S 0576822e 3741932n (DTM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: usually dry, moist in some parts for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and September following summer convection storms. The soils have a typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 22 to 25 degrees C (63 to 73 degrees F).
Surface rock fragments: 85 to 95 percent, with 25 to 50 percent fine gravel, 25 to 35 percent medium and coarse gravel, 15 to 25 percent cobbles, 2 to 10 percent stones, and 1 to 8 percent boulders.

Control section
Rock fragments: ranges from 10 to 25 percent.
Clay content: 8 to 12 percent.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.
Depth to paralithic contact: 36 to 50 centimeters (14 to 20 inches).

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 6 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 12 to 25 percent.

Bk horizon(s)
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry.
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand or sandy loam .
Clay content: 6 to 12 percent.
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent indurated gravel and 0 to 55 percent
parafragments with 0 to 10 percent paragravel, 0 to 5 percent paracobbles and 0 to 35 percent parastones.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fanhill soils are on mountains. Slopes range from 30 to 75 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from gneiss and granitoid rocks. Elevations range from 120 to 1,128 meters (390 to 3,700 feet). The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 75 to 125 millimeters (3 to 5 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 20 to 23 degrees C. (63 to 73 degrees F.). The frost-free season is 300 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bulletproof, Goldenhills, and Whiterobe soils. Bulletproof, Goldenhills, and Whiterobe soils are on similar landscape positions, but Bulletproof soils have no diagnostic subsurface horizons and a sandy particle size control section. Goldenhills soils also have no diagnostic subsurface horizons, have a sandy-skeletal particle size control section, and are deep to a paralithic contact. Whiterobe soils have no diagnostic subsurface horizons, have a sandy-skeletal particle size control section, and are moderately deep to a paralithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity above the bedrock and moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity within the bedrock.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is brittlebush, California fagonbush, and creosote bush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mojave Desert of southeastern California, U.S.A.; MLRA 30. These soils are of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Riverside County, California; Soil Survey of Joshua Tree National Park, 2012. The soil name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:

Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 12 to 30 centimeters (7 to 12 inches). (A horizon and upper part of Bk1 horizon)
Cambic horizon - from a depth of 15 to 45 centimeters (6 to 18 inches). (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
Paralithic contact - the zone beginning at 45 centimeters (18 inches) (Cr horizon).
Particle-size control section - from a depth of 25 to 45 centimeters (10 to 18 inches).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 1247810505.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2012. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.