LOCATION HEXIE CA
Established Series
Rev: PRR/CAH/ET
04/2015
HEXIE SERIES
The Hexie series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium over residuum derived from gneiss and/or granitoid rocks. Hexie soils are on hills and mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 138 millimeters (5.5 inches) and the mean annual temperature is 18.5 degrees C (65 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Hexie sandy loam, on a 36 percent slope under desert shrubs at an elevation of 1166 meters (3,825 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 10 percent fine gravel, 50 percent medium and coarse gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones and 2 percent boulders.
A1 -- 0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inch); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 15 percent fine gravel and 30 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary.
A2 -- 3 to 12 centimeters (1 to 5 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 7 percent fine gravel and 8 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 7 to 16 centimeters)
Bt -- 12 to 22 centimeters (5 to 9 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent faint, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), clay films bridging sand grains; 15 percent fine gravel, 10 percent medium and coarse gravel, and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 57 centimeters thick)
Btk -- 22 to 98 centimeters (9 to 39 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely paracobbly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; moderately few very fine roots; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; 25 percent distinct, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films on rock fragments and 5 percent faint, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent prominent, white (10YR 8/1), dry, calcium carbonate masses lining pores; 7 percent indurated fine gravel, 20 percent fine paragravel, 20 percent medium and coarse paragravel, and 30 percent paracobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 76 centimeters thick)
Cr -- 98 to 150 centimeters (37 to 60 inches); moderately hard, moderately weathered, fractured gneiss, with fractures greater than 10 centimeters apart; moderate excavation difficulty.
TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; about 2.5 kilometers south of the intersection of Geology Tour Road and Berdoo Canyon Road and due east of Berdoo Canyon Road about 2.7 kilometers; 429 meters west and 32 meters north of the southeast corner of section 22, T. 3 S., R. 9 E. San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian; 33 degrees, 53 minutes, and 19.1 seconds north latitude, and 116 degrees, 1 minute, and 24.0 seconds west longitude; USGS Malapai Hill 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S 0590313e 3750239n (DATUM: 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 soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 19 to 22 degrees C (66 to 72 degrees F).
Surface rock fragments: ranges from 35 to 70 percent, with 10 to 20 percent fine gravel, 3 to 50 percent medium and coarse gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 7 percent stones, and 0 to 3 percent boulders.
Control section
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 30 percent, dominantly indurated gravel with 0 to 70 percent pararock fragments.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.
Depth to argillic horizon: 7 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches).
Depth to paralithic contact: 50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 40 inches).
A horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 2 to 4 moist.
Clay content: 6 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 55 percent.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
Bt and/or Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry, 2 to 6 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 2 to 34 percent indurated fragments, with 0 to 70 percent pararock fragments, typically in the lower part of the profile.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to violently effervescent.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Dovecanyon (CA),
Friedliver (CA),
Goldivide (CA),
Goldpeak (CA),
Helendale (CA),
Jumborox (T CA),
Littlefargo (T CA),
Searchlight (NV),
Sonoita (AZ+NM),
Tray (CA), and
Wingap (CA) series. The Dovecanyon, Friedliver, Goldivide, Goldpeak, Helendale, Jumborox, Searchlight, Sonoita, and Tray soils are all very deep soils and do not have a paralithic contact within 150 centimeters. Wingap soils have a paralithic contact between 100 and 150 centimeters, and a mean annual soil temperature of 15 to 18 degrees C. Goldpeak, Jumborox and Littlefargo soils also have a mean annual soil temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees C. In addition, Sonoita soils are moist greater than 20 days cumulative in some part of the soil moisture control section following summer convection storms. Friedliver soils have an upper boundary to the argillic between 25 and 50 centimeters, and Goldivide soils within 50 to 100 centimeters. Dovecanyon, Goldpeak, and Wingap soils do not have secondary carbonates within the series control section, while Tray soils are strongly to very strongly alkaline in all parts and have an argillic horizon with an ESP of 15 to 30.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hexie soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes range from 15 to 60 percent. These soils formed in colluvium over residuum derived from gneiss and/or granitoid rocks. Elevations range from 700 to 1200 meters (2,300 to 3,935 feet). The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 175 millimeters (4 to 7 inches); mean annual air temperature is 17 to 20 degrees C. (63 to 68 degrees F.), and the frost-free season is 270 to 320 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Desertqueen and
Ironped soils. Desertqueen soils are on similar landscape positions and are shallow to weathered bedrock. Ironped soils are on similar landscape positions, do not have an argillic horizon and are shallow to a paralithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium 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 recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly burrobush, Parish's goldeneye, big galleta, creosote bush, white ratany, and waterjacket.
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, California, 2012. The soil is named for the Hexie Mountains in the survey area.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 12 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - from a depth of 12 to 98 centimeters (9 to 39 inches) (Bt and Btk horizons).
Paralithic contact - the zone beginning at 98 (39 inches) (Cr horizon).
Particle-size control section - from a depth of 12 to 62 centimeters (9 to 28 inches) (Bt and upper part of the Btk horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS Pedon User ID: 1249705502.
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2012. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.