LOCATION GRANOSO CA
Tentative Series
Rev. BRY/KDA/MRS/KP
11/2012
GRANOSO SERIES
The Granoso series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from rocks of mixed mineralogy. The Granoso soils are on alluvial fans and flood plains. Slope is 0 to 5 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 152 millimeters (6 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 18 degrees C. (64 degrees F.).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Granoso sand, Kern County, California; on a 0.5 percent slope under mustard, filaree, and tumbleweed at 127 meters (415 feet) elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 9/9/1988 the soil was dry throughout.)
Ap--0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 41 centimeters [3 to 16 inches] thick.)
C1--25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 64 centimeters [6 to 25 inches] thick.)
C2--51 to 91 centimeters (20 to 36 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 114 centimeters [4 to 45 inches] thick.)
C3--91 to 157 centimeters (36 to 62 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California, Southwest Part; in map unit 120, Granoso loamy sand, 0 to 2 percent slopes; about 11 kilometers (0.7 miles) east of Weed Patch Highway and 152 meters (500 feet) south of Panama Road, near Lamont, California; about 174 meters (570 feet) south and 537 meters (1,760 feet) west of the northeast corner of section 6, T. 31 S., R. 29 E.; Mount Diablo Base and Meridian; latitude 35 degrees 15 minutes 56 seconds north and longitude 118 degrees 54 minutes 08 seconds west; USGS Lamont, California, Quadrangle, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry from mid March to mid December and is not continuously moist for as long as 90 days in the winter.
Soil temperature: 18 to 19 degrees C. (64 to 66 degrees F.) and soil temperature is not below 8 degrees C. (47 degrees F.) at any time.
About 0 to 50 percent of the surface is covered by 2 to 75 millimeter gravel of mixed mineralogy.
Organic matter is always less than 1 percent.
Stratification consisting of gravely coarse sand to silt loam may occur below 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Typically the soil is slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent throughout although some pedons are non-effervescent in the A horizon.
A Horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5YR dry and moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry and moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy sand or sandy loam
Content of clay: 4 to 12 percent
Content of organic matter: 0.5 to 0.9 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Content of rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent 2 to 75 millimeter gravel
C Horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5YR dry and moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry and moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: coarse sand, sand, loamy sand, fine sand,, loamy fine sand,, sandy loam, or silt loam
Content of clay: 4 to 12 percent
Content of organic matter: 0.05 to 0.4 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Content of rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent 2 to 75 millimeter gravel
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Azulugar,
Bigcanyon,
Birdcanyon,
Bluepoint,
Brazito,
Cajon,
Copia,
Hembrillo,
Jawbone,
Kajoe,
Koehn, Maynard Lake,
Moapa,
Morongo,
Pintura,
Toquop,
University,
Yander, and the
Yturbide series. Azulugar (MLRA 42) soils are on fan remnants on a sand plain at elevations of 914 to 1219 meters (3,000 to 4,000 feet); most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms from midspring to midautumn, and does not receive significant amounts of winter precipitation. Bigcanyon (MLRA 30) soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact, are found on mountains and formed in colluviums and residuum weathered from granitoid or gneiss with slopes from 30 to 75 percent. Birdcanyon (MLRA 29) soils are intermittingly moist near the soil surface following occasional summer convection storms, are on fan aprons, formed in alluvium derived from granite with slopes from 4 to 15 percent, and have elevations of 1160 to 1465 meters (3,805 to 4,806 feet). Bluepoint (MLRA 30) soils are on dunes and sand sheets and formed in eolian materials derived from mixed rock sources. Brazito (MLRA 40, 41, and 42) soils have most of the rainfall occuring as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms from midspring to midautumn and do not receive significant amounts of winter precipitation. Cajon (MLRA 30) soils receive precipitation during the summer months due to convection storms, are on recent fans, fan skirts, fan aprons, inset fans, and river terraces, and are derived from dominantly granitic rocks. Copia (MLRA 42) soils are on dunes and shrub-coppice dunes and elevations are 1189 to 1280 meters (3,900 to 4,200 feet); most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms from midspring to midautumn, and does not receive significant amounts of winter precipitation. Hembrillo (MLRA 42) soils are on dunes and formed from sandy gypsiferous eloian deposits with elevations ranging from 1,200 to 1,210 meters (3,940 to 3,970 feet); most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms from midspring to midautumn, and it does not receive significant amounts of winter precipitation. Jawbone (MLRA 30) soils are shallow to a paralithic contact, on mountainous side slopes and ridges with slopes from 8 to 75 percent; elevations are 730 to 1,340 meters (2,395 to 4,396), and they are formed from weathered granitic rocks. Kajoe (MLRA 30) soils are on inset fans and footslopes of erosional fan remnants and formed in sandy granitic alluvium; elevations are 565 to 870 meters (1,860 to 2.860 feet) and mean annual soil temperature is 20 to 21 degrees C. (68 to 70 degrees F.). Koehn (MLRA 30) soils are on inset fans, fan aprons, stream terraces, and drainageways with elevations from 680 to 1,160 meters (2,230 to 3,805 feet), and formed in granitic alluvium; the soil moisture control section is usually dry, moist in some part during winter and spring and intermittingly moist near the soil surface following occasional summer convection storms. Maynard Lake (MLRA 30) soils are deep, contain more than 20 percent volcanic ash or pumice and are calcareous, and have a mean annual soil temperature from 15 to 17 degrees C. (59 to 62 degrees F.). Moapa (MLRA 30) soils are moderately deep, are on sand sheets over rock pediments, and formed in eolian sands over sandstone. Morongo (MLRA 30) soils are on fan aprons, inset fans, fan remnants and in drainageways, and formed in alluvium derived from granitoid and/or gneissic rock; elevations range from 650 to 1,550 meters (2,135 to 5,085 feet); the soil moisture control section is usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative from July to September following summer convection storms. Pintura soils formed in deposits of wind-blown sand weathered from sandstone, have a hue of 5YR or redder and lack stratification. Toquop soils typically have hue redder than 10YR and are at elevations of 425 to 1,220 meters (1,400 to 4,000 feet). University (MLRA 42) soils are at elevations that range from 1,065 to 1,370 meters (3,500 to 4,500 feet); most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms from midspring to midautumn, and does not receive significant amounts of winter precipitation. Yander (MLRA 30) soils are deep to a paralithic contact and are on fan aprons over pediment with elevations from 900 to 1,310 meters (2,950 to 4,295 feet). Yturbide (MLRA 40, 41, and 42) soils have hues of 5YR, 7.5YR and 10YR in the C horizons and are at elevations of 885 to 1,830 meters (2,900 to 6,000 feet); most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms from midspring to midautumn, and does not receive significant amounts of winter precipitation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Granoso soils have slopes of 0 to 5 percent and are on alluvial fans and flood plains at elevations of 85 to 360 meters (280 to 1,175 feet). Granoso soils formed in alluvium composed of mixed rock sources. The climate is arid with hot dry summers and somewhat moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 127 to 203 millimeters (5 to 8 inches). Mean annual air temperature is 17 to 18 degrees C. (62 to 65 degrees F.). The difference between summer and mean winter temperatures is less than 4 degrees C. (40 degrees F.). The soil temperature is always above 8 degrees C. (47 degrees F.). The soil between the depths of 10 and 30 centimeters (4 and 12 inches) is dry in all parts from April 1 until January 1 and is moist in some or all parts for only 60 to 90 consecutive days from January through March. Frost-free season is 250 to 300 days. Frost-free season ranges from 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bakersfield,
Kimberlina and
Wasco soils. The Bakersfield soils on floodplains have a coarse-loamy particle-size class and have a mollic epipedon. Kimberlina soils on floodplains and recent alluvial fans have a coarse-loamy particle-class and are calcareous. Wasco soils on recent alluvial fans and floodplains have a coarse-loamy particle-size class and are nonacid.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; negligible to low runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Granoso soils with sandy loam surface textures have moderately rapid over rapid permeability. Flooding is none to rare.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for irrigated crops such as cotton, alfalfa, dry beans, onions, carrots, lettuce, and wheat. Some areas are used for homesites and pasture. Native vegetation is dominantly annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern San Joaquin Valley of California. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA is 17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, 2007. The name comes from the Spanish word for granular.
REMARKS: The soil was formerly named Cajon. The Cajon series receives precipitation during the summer months due to convection storms. This official series description only includes characteristics from Kern County, Southwest Part Soil Survey. Further changes to the range in characteristics will be included as part of MLRA 17 updates.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.