LOCATION GOCOUGS                 CA

Established Series
Rev: EEM/PBF/CAH/ET
04/2015

GOCOUGS SERIES

The Gocougs series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium from granitoid rocks. Gocougs soils are on fan aprons over fan remnants and fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 138 millimeters (5.5 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 18.5 degrees C (65 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Argic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Gocougs loamy coarse sand on a linear, 4 percent slope under desert shrubs at an elevation of 970 meters (3,182 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 50 percent fine gravel and 5 percent medium and coarse gravel.

A -- 0 to 4 centimeters (0 to 1.5 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine irregular pores and few very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent fine gravel and 2 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 centimeters thick)

Bw -- 4 to 15 centimeters (1.5 to 6 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 13 percent fine gravel and 1 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 52 centimeters thick)

Bt -- 15 to 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 3 percent faint, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on ped faces and 3 percent faint, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay bridging between sand grains; 8 percent fine gravel and 2 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary.

Btk1--32 to 52 centimeters (13 to 20 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent distinct, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on ped faces and 20 percent distinct, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay bridging between sand grains; 2 percent distinct, white (10YR 8/1) noncemented calcium carbonate threads on ped faces with clear boundaries; 12 percent fine gravel and 3 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary.

Btk2--52 to 84 centimeters (20 to 33 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; 5 percent distinct, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on ped faces; 5 percent distinct, white (10YR 8/1), irregular, calcium carbonate masses in the soil matrix with clear boundaries; 17 percent fine gravel and 3 percent medium and coarse gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt and Btk horizons is 30 to 92 centimeters)

Bkkm--84 to 117 centimeters (33 to 46 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) crushed, very weakly cemented gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4)crushed, moist; petrocalcic with 90 percent cementation; massive; hard, very firm; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots matted at top of horizon; few fine tubular pores; 35 percent faint, white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate films on surfaces along pores and 15 percent faint, white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate films on rock fragments; 15 percent fine gravel and 5 percent medium and coarse gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 81 centimeters thick)

Ckq--117 to 165 centimeters (46 to 65 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) and light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent faint, white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments and 1 percent distinct, white (10YR 8/1) very weakly cemented, irregular calcium carbonate nodules in the soil matrix with clear boundaries; 5 percent faint, reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) silica films on rock fragments; 25 percent fine gravel and 5 percent medium and coarse gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; approximately 2 kilometers north-northeast of the Cottonwood Visitor Center; 2.7 kilometers west and 1 kilometer south of the NE corner of section 2, T. 5 S., R 11 E.; 33 degrees, 45 minutes, 48.86 seconds north latitude, and 115 degrees, 48 minutes, 42.59 seconds west longitude; USGS Porcupine Wash, CA 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S 0610031e 3736576n (DTM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some part 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 moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 19 to 22 degrees C. (66 to 72 degrees F.)

Surface rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent, with 40 to 77 percent gravel and 0 to 3 percent cobbles.



Control section
Rock fragments: 2 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.
Clay content: 18 to 26 percent.
Depth to argillic horizon: 2 to 35 centimeters (1 to 14 inches).
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 40 inches).

A horizon Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 3 to 5 moist. Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, and 3 to 6 moist. Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand or fine sandy loam. Clay content: 2 to 16 percent. Rock fragments: 2 to 10 percent gravel. Effervescence: noneffervescent through strongly effervescent. Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
Bw horizon (when present) Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist. Texture of the fine earth: sand, loamy sandor sandy loam. Clay content: 4 to 14 percent. Rock fragments: 6 to 14 percent gravel. Effervescence: noneffervescent through strongly effervescent. Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
Bt and/or Btk horizon(s)
Hue: 5YR to 10YR.
Value: 4 to 7 dry, and 3 to 5 moist. Chroma: 4 to 6 dry, and 3 to 6 moist. Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam. Clay content: averages 18 to 26 percent, ranges from 14 to 30 percent. Rock fragments 2 to 30 percent, mainly gravel. Effervescence: noneffervescent through violently effervescent. Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 6 percent. Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline. Note: Calcium carbonate equivalence of Btk horizons is not enough to meet the requirements for a calcic horizon.
Bkkm and/or Bkk horizon Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR. Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist. Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 4 through 6 moist. Texture of the fine earth fraction (when crushed): loamy sand or sandy loam. Clay content: 8 to 15 percent. Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent gravel. Effervescence: strongly or violently effervescent. Calcium carbonate equivalent: 8 to 14 percent.
Cementation: extremely weakly to moderately with 50 to 90 percent continuity.
Bkq and/or Ckq horizon (when present):
Value: 4 through 7 dry, and 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, and 4 through 6 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sand or sand.
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 8 to 30 percent.
Effervescence: strongly or violently effervescent.
Visible secondary carbonates: 0 through 45 percent petronodes.
Silica: 0 to 20 percent silica films on petronodes and rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cacique (NM), Castaneda (AZ), Foxtrot (NM) and Winerton (CA) series. Cacique soils are moist for more than 20 days cumulative during July through September and have a mean annual soil temperature of 16 to 19 degrees C. Castaneda and Foxtrot soils have a calcic horizon above the petrocalcic horizon. In addition, Castaneda soils have a horizon above the petrocalcic horizon with 35 to 60 percent rock fragments and 60 to 90 percent rock fragments below the pan. In addition, Foxtrot soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 17 to 19 degrees C., calcium carbonate equivalence of 15 to 40 percent in the fine earth, and are derived from eolian sands over alluvium. Winerton soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 15 to 18 degrees C, a sodium adsorption ratio of greater than 30 within the A horizon(s) and 13 to 30 in all subsurface horizons, an indurated petrocalcic horizon, and can be gleyed in C horizons below the cemented layer.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gocougs soils are on fan aprons over fan remnants and fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 8 percent. These soils formed alluvium from granitoid rocks. Elevations are 738 to 1,165 meters (2,425 to 3,820 feet). The climate is arid with warm, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 175 millimeters (4 to 7 inches), and the mean annual air temperature is 17 to 20 degrees C (63 to 78 degrees F). The frost-free season is 270 to 320 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Pinkcan, Popups and Werewolf soils. Pinkcan soils are on nearby fan remnants and have a duripan below 100 centimeters. Popups soils are on exposed fan remnants and are moderately deep to a duripan with an overlying argillic horizon. Werewolf soils are also on nearby fan remnants, do not have a cemented horizon and have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Gocougs soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly burrobush, creosote bush and Hall's shrubby-spurge.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. These soils are of small extent.

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

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

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:

Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches) (A and Bw horizons).
Argillic horizon - from a depth of 15 to 84 centimeters (6 to 33 inches) (Bt, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Petrocalcic horizon - from a depth of 84 to 117 centimeters (33 to 46 inches) (Bkkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - from a depth of 15 to 65 centimeters (6 to 26 inches) (Bt, Btk1 and upper part of Btk2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: POWA64.

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.