LOCATION GRANITEPASS CA
Established Series
REV: PBF/ET
04/2015
GRANITEPASS SERIES
The Granitepass series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in dominantly granitic alluvium. The Granitepass soils are on alluvial fans. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: On Goldivide extremely gravelly-Granitepass-Goldivide complex, 2 to 8 percent slopes at an elevation of 2,410 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by 50 percent gravel.
A -- 0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium and coarse roots throughout; noneffervescent; 50 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 15 inches thick)
AC -- 2 to 7 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak very thick platy structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots throughout; few very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores throughout; noneffervescent; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Ck1 -- 7 to 17 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots throughout; few very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores throughout; very slightly effervescent; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
Ck2 -- 17 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; few very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores throughout; few prominent carbonate coats on gravels; slightly effervescent; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear irregular boundary.
Ck3 -- 28 to 43 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores, few fine tubular pores throughout; common prominent carbonate coats on gravels; strongly effervescent; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (Combined thickness of the Ck horizon is 18 to 58 inches)
2Btkb -- 43 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; massive; moderately hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores, few fine tubular pores throughout; common discontinuous faint clay films on sand and gravel; very few irregular carbonate threads throughout; slightly effervescent; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 390 feet south and 1,700 feet west of the NE corner of sec. 5, T. 14 N., R. 4 E., 35 degrees, 20 minutes, and 31 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 34 minutes, and 33 seconds west longitude, Tiefort Mountains quadrangle. (11S, 0538537e 3911059n)
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 October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature is 63 to 72 degrees F.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent
Depth to disseminated carbonates: less than 20 inches, often occurs within 10 inches. Carbonates in lower horizons are unrelated to overlying horizons
Surface rock fragments: 30 to 80 percent gravel and 0 to 1 percent cobbles
Where present, the depth to a 2Btk horizon ranges from 40 to 60 inches
A horizon
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand, coarse
sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 4 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 10 to 50 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Ck horizon
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand, coarse
sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 4 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
2Btkb horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam or sandy
loam
Clay: 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bitterwater,
Circular (T),
Corbilt (T),
Elkhills,
Herbel (T),
Kimberlina,
Machone (T), McCullough, and
Seaman series. Bitterwater and Machone soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Bitterwater soils also have 10 to 20 percent calcium carbonate. Circular soils recieve 8 to 12 inches of precipitation and have less than 15 percent rock fragments within the control section. Corbilt soils have a duripan at a depth of 45 to 58 inches. Elkhills soils have 5 to 20 percent calcium carbonate, 9 to 50 percent slopes, and formed in old uplifted alluvial terraces that have lithological discontinuities within depths of 40 inches. Herbel soils are moist in the moisture control section for more than 20 days cumulative in the summer. Kimberlina soils have a moisture control section that is moist in some part more than half the time, cumulative, that the soil temperature at 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F. McCullough soils have a thin horizon in 5YR or 7.5YR hue and have a sandy texture within a depth of 40 inches. Seaman soils are clearly stratified with some influence from volcanic ash.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Granitepass soils are on alluvial fans. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The soils formed in material from mixed alluvium. Elevations are 1,800 to 4,200 feet. The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm winters. Most precipitation comes in the winter but in some areas it is sporadic. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 7 inches. The mean annual temperature is 61 to 70 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 78 degrees F., and mean January temperature is about 42 degrees F. The frost-free season is 240 to 340 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are
Goldivide (T) soils on similar landscape positions. Goldivide soils are moderately deep to an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to low runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Granitepass soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage and range ratany.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Fort Irwin Soil Survey Area, 2000. The name is from a nearby mountain pass.
REMARKS: The Granitepass series was established to separate out soils in the Mojave Desert mapped as the Kimberlina series. Kimberlina soils are currently mapped in both the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 7 inches (A and AC horizons)
2. Particle-size control section -- 10 to 40 inches (part
of the Ck1, the Ck2 and part of the Ck3 horizons)
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 1/2002. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.