LOCATION HONKER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Mollic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Honker sandy loam - on a south-facing slope of 55 percent, under wild oats, soft chess, filaree and other annual grasses and forbs at an elevation of 890 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 29, 1981, the soil was slightly moist below 14 inches)
A1--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel 2 to 25 mm in size; 1.9 percent organic matter; 15 percent clay content; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--7 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand clay loam, dark yellowish (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 1.0 percent organic matter; 26 percent clay content; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary.
A3--11 to 14 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films line pores and bridge sand grains; 30 percent clay content; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 4 to 23 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 21 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) clay, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; strong medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick pressure faces; 48 percent clay content; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--21 to 28 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) clay, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; no pores; many moderately thick pressure faces; 10 percent angular gravel 2 to 5 mm in size; 42 percent clay content; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
C--28 to 38 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and plastic few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent angular gravel 2 to 5 mm in size; 38 percent clay content; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
R--38 inches; slightly weathered sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Merced County, California; about 14 miles west of the city of Los Banos, 3200 feet north of Highway 152, 90 feet south of firebreak road, 3,600 feet south and 2,100 feet east of the SW corner of section 34, T. 9 S., R 7 E. (projected section lines in old land grant)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. The moisture control section of 8 to 13 inches is moist throughout from about November 15 to May 15 and dry throughout from about June 15 to October 15 in most years. The soil temperature is below 47 degrees F. from January 1 to February 15. The mean annual soil temperature is 64 degrees to 70 degrees F. Organic matter content is greater than 1.1 percent at a depth of 4 inches and drops to less than 1.1 percent below 7 inches. When the solum is less than 21 inches thick, the color value, dry, is 6, and the chroma, moist, is 4 or more. Some pedons have up to 5 percent cobbles on the surface. The clay content of the Bt horizon is 15 to 30 percent (absolute) more than A horizon with an abrupt or very abrupt A/B2t boundary.
The A1 horizon is 5YR 4/3; 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/2, 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, 5/3, 5/4, or 5/6. Moist colors are 7.5YR 3/2, 3/4; 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 3/4, or 3/6. Clay content is 10 to 20 percent with 0 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The A2 and A3 horizon is 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4; 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, or 6/6. Moist colors are 7.5YR 3/3, 3/4, 3/6, 4/4, 4/6; 10YR 3/3, 3/4, 3/6, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, or 4/6. Texture is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or loam with 20 to 35 percent clay content. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent gravel and cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral. Some pedons do not have the A3 horizon.
The Bt horizon is 2.5YR 4/6, 5/4, 5/6, 6/4, 6/6; 5YR 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 5/8, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6; 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/4, or 6/6. Moist colors are 2.5YR 4/4, 4/6; 5YR 3/3, 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, 5/6, 5/8; 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6, or 5/8. Texture is clay, sandy clay or clay loam with 35 to 55 percent clay content. Rock fragments range from 0 to 30 percent angular gravel and cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The C horizon is 7.5YR 5/4, 6/2, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4; 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 7/3, or 7/4. Moist colors are 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/6, 6/4; 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3, or 6/4. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay with 35 to 45 percent clay content. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent angular gravel and cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bapos (CA), Benridge (CA), Hellman (CA) and Kimball (CA) series. Bapos soils are greater than 60 inches deep. Benridge soils are greater that 60 inches deep and have mineralogy dominated by amorphous material. Hellman soils are greater than 60 inches deep and become more acid with depth. Kimball soils are very deep or have duripans below 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Honker soils are on mountains and have slopes of 30 to 75 percent. These soils typically occur on southern exposures. Elevations range from 500 to 3,300 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from sedimentary rock of the Franciscan Formation. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 to 22 inches. Mean January temperature is 45 degrees F; mean July temperature is 75 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 59 to 62 degrees F. Frost-free period is 190 to 260 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Contra Costa, Gonzaga and Orognen soils and the Fifield, Franciscan, Millsholm, Quiensabe, Quinto and Sehorn soils. Fifield soils are loamy-skeletal and have a mollic epipedon. Franciscan soils are fine-loamy and have a mollic epipedon. Millsholm and Quinto soils less than 20 inches deep. Quiensabe soils have a mollic epipedon and lack an abrupt A/Bt2 boundary. Sehorn soils lack an argillic horizon and develop deep, wide cracks when dry.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and upland wildlife habitat. The vegetation is wild oats, soft chess, red brome, filaree, burclover, foxtail and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in the Coast Range of California. They are moderately extensive in MLRA-15.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Merced County, California, 1984.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly mapped as Rough stony land and Vallecitos stony clay loam in the Los Banos Area, series report. They are being differentiated from the Vallecitos series by being moderately deep.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 14 inches (A1,A2,A3)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 14 to 28 inches (Bt1,Bt2)
CEC/Clay ratio estimated from similar soils with laboratory data in the W. Stanislaus Soil Survey Area.
Rapid runoff adjusted 9/96 to very high, new terminology of the Soil Survey Manual, 10/93.
Last review and transmission of file 5/98.