LOCATION GODDE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Godde loam, watershed. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (ph 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
R--16 to 19 inches; hard dark colored schist.
TYPE LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California; located on summit road to relay station top of Pelona Ridge, on Ritter Ranch; NW1/4 SW1/4 section 2, T.5 N., R.13 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact is 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is about 57 degrees F. The soil below a depth of 5 inches is usually dry in all parts from May or June until late October or early November and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the year. The base saturation is 75 to 100 percent. Rock fragments, mostly gravel size, range from 0 to 35 percent. The soil is medium acid to neutral. The organic matter is 1.5 to 6 percent.
The A horizon is 10YR 3/2, 4/2, 4/3, 5/2, 5/3; 7.5YR 4/2, 5/2. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam and averages less than 18 percent clay. The soil has granular or subangular blocky structure.
Some pedons have a thin Bw horizon or C horizon between the A horizon and the bedrock. It is 10YR 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4 sandy loam or loam and averages less than 18 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kuhl, Iron Mountain, Soaplake, Stukel, and Yakus series. All these soils have a mean annual soil temperature of about 47 degrees to 55 degrees F., and a difference between the average summer-winter soil temperatures of about 35 degrees to 40 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Godde soils have slopes of 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,000 to 8,000 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from hard schist, granite rocks, sandstone, and shale. The climate is subhumid with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 25 inches and there is some snow. The mean annual temperature is 51 degrees to 60 degrees F., January temperature is about 40 degrees F., July temperature is about 74 degrees F. The freeze-free season is about 150 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anaverde, Edmundston, Lebec, Oak Glen, Plaskett, Sheridan, Sur, and Tollhouse soils. Anaverde, Edmundston, Oak Glen and Sheridan soils have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick. Lebec soils have lime segregations and lack a lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches. Plaskett and Sur soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments throughout the control section. Tollhouse soils have a paralithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low to high runoff, moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for range, wildlife habitat, watershed, and recreation purposes. Principal native plants are annual grasses and weeds, flattop buckwheat, ceanothus, toyon and scattered clumps of California juniper, and scrub oaks.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountains of southern California, MLRAs 15, 20, 22. The soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Los Angeles County, California, 1972.
REMARKS:
Last revised by the state on 7/86.