LOCATION KAI CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Natric Durixeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Kai loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes in a hummocky dryland pasture at 285 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; electrical conductivity 0.4 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 13; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick).
E--5 to 6 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong fine and medium columnar structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; electrical conductivity 1.6 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 16; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick).
Btkn1--6 to 12 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine to coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many thin and few moderately thick dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay films on ped faces and bridging sand grains, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; tongues of material from above horizon extend into this horizon up to 2 inches; common very fine bleached sand grains; violently effervescent, carbonates segregated as common very fine soft masses; electrical conductivity 1.6 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 16; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick).
Btkn2--12 to 18 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; many thin and few moderately thick dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay films on ped faces and lining pores, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and violently effervescent, carbonates segregated as common very fine soft masses; electrical conductivity 3.1 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 34; very strongly alkaline (pH 10.3); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick).
Btkn3--18 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and medium tubular pores; few thin clay films on ped faces and lining pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and violently effervescent, carbonates segregated as common fine soft masses and filaments; electrical conductivity 5.0 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 58; very strongly alkaline (pH 10.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick).
Bkn--32 to 39 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; carbonates disseminated and segregated as common fine soft masses and filaments; electrical conductivity 5.5 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 52; very strongly alkaline (10.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick).
Bqkm--39 to 46 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) strongly silica cemented duripan, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; strong medium platy structure parting to moderate very thin platy; extremely hard, extremely firm; few very fine tubular pores; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist iron masses which are relict redoximorphic features; violently effervescent, carbonates segregated as common fine soft masses and filaments of carbonates; brittle when wet; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick).
Btq--46 to 65 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) continuously weakly silica cemented loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm; common very tubular pores; many thin and moderately thick yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on ped faces and lining pores, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; common very thin black (10YR 2/1) manganese stains on ped faces which are relict redoximorphic feature; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity 0.5 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 8; brittle when wet; 10 percent pockets of material that is the same as the matrix except that it is non-cemented and slightly lighter in color value; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 26 inches thick).
Bqkm'--65 inches; indurated duripan that is undiggable with a backhoe, extremely hard and extremely firm.
TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California; about 4 miles north of Visalia; about 1950 feet north and 400 feet west of the southeast corner of Section 1, T. 18 S., R. 24 E., MDB&M; latitude 36 degrees, 23 minutes, 27 seconds north and longitude 119 degrees, 19 minutes, 4 seconds west; Monson Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 64 to 67 degrees F.
Depth to Natric horizon: 4 to 8 inches.
Depth to Duripan: 20 to 40 inches.
A Horizon--Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
E Horizon--Texture: Silt loam or loam.
Clay: 8 to 18 percent.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Btkn and Bkn Horizons--10YR 5/2, 5/3, 6/2; 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/3 moist.
Texture: Silt loam, loam or clay loam.
Clay: 18 to 35 percent, with the clay increase from the above horizon always greater than 20 percent (relative).
Carbonates: Non-effervescent to violently effervescent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Electrical conductivity: 1 to 16 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 80.
Other features: The Bkn horizon is absent in some pedons.
Btq Horizon--Texture: Stratified sandy loam to silt loam.
Clay: 10 to 27 percent. Cementation: 50 to 100 percent weak silica cementation.
Carbonates: Non-effervescent to violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Other features: This horizon is absent in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Fresno series. Fresno is listed as having the same classification, but the typical profile is less than 20 inches to the duripan. Fresno soils also lack an E horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kai soils are on terraces that formed in alluvium derived dominantly from granitic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 225 to 400 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and cool, somewhat moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches, the mean annual temperature is 62 to 65 degrees F., and the frost free season is 250 to 300 days. This soil only occurs on native, relatively undisturbed, never before farmed landscapes.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calgro (T), Exeter, Lewis, Remnoy and Youd soils. Calgro, Exeter and Youd soils lack natric horizons. Lewis soils have fine particle-size families. Remnoy soils are shallow to the duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; runoff is medium or high; moderately slow permeability above the duripan and very slow in the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for dryland pasture. It is also used for dairy and cattle production and building site development.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The soil is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tulare County, West Part, California, 1999.
REMARKS: The name is coined.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
1.0 Ochric Epipedon--The zone from the surface to a depth of about 5 inches (A Horizon).
2.0 Eluvial Horizon--The zone from a depth of 5 inches to a depth of about 6 inches (E Horizon).
3.0 Natric Horizon--The zone from a depth of 6 inches to a depth of about 32 inches (Btkn1, Btkn2, Btkn3 Horizons).
4.0 Duripan--The zone from a depth of 39 inches to a depth of about 46 inches (Bqkm Horizon).