LOCATION LECRAG CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Haploxererts
TYPICAL PEDON: Lecrag clay - on a north facing slope of 43 percent under blue oak and California buckeye overstory and an understory of soft chess, wild oats, ripgut brome, burclover, golden bush and other grasses and forbs. The elevation is 2,130 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described June 6, l982, the soil was dry to 4 inches and moist below.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure parting to strong medium granular; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 45 percent clay content; common thick pressure faces; 1.4 percent organic matter; neutral (pH 7.0) clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
A2--4 to 15 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay both dry and moist; strong coarse and very coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many thick pressure faces; few intersecting slickensides and sphenoids; 1.1 percent organic matter; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
A3--15 to 26 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; few very fine and common fine, medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 51 percent clay content; many thick pressure faces; 0.3 percent organic matter; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick)
AC--26 to 35 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium angular blocky and prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
C--35 to 46 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 24 percent clay content; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary.
Cr--46 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) strongly weathered andesitic flow material that crushes to sandy clay loam; slightly acid (pH 6.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Merced County, California; about 21 miles west southwest of the city of Los Banos, 2,400 feet east and 1,500 feet south of the NW corner of Section 3 of T. 12 S., R. 7 E., Mariposa Peak Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 57 degrees to 59 degrees F. The soil temperature is below 47 degrees F from December 15 to March 15. The soil between 6 and 18 inches is moist throughout from about November 15 to June 1 and dry throughout from about July 1 to October 15 in most years. Depth to a paralithic contact ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Cracks 1 to 2 cm wide extend to a depth of 20 to 40 inches when the soil is dry. These cracks are 2.5 to 8 cm wide at the surface. It is medium acid to neutral throughout.
The A horizon is 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2 or 4/3. Moist colors are 10YR 2/2, 3/2 or 3/3. It has 40 to 55 percent clay content.
The C horizon is 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 5/4, 5/6 or 6/4. Moist colors are 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4 or 5/6. It has 20 to 35 percent clay content and up to 10 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aikman, Gerlach, Jenny, Lassen, Montague and Peasley series in the same family and the Altamont series. The Aikman, Lassen and Montague soils have a petrocalcic horizon. Gerlach and Jenny soils lack a paralithic contact. Peasley soils have a duripan. Altamont soils have a thermic temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lecrag soils are on hillslopes of mountains and have slopes of 30 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,100 to 3,200 feet. These soils formed in material weathered from desitic flows and agglomerate of the Quien Sabe formation. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is about 15 to 24 inches. Mean January temperature is 42 degrees F; mean July temperature is 71 degrees; mean annual temperature is about 59 degrees F. Frost-free season is 190 to 230 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ararat, Hytop, Laveaga, Peckham and Quinto soils. Ararat, Hytop, Peckham and Quinto soils have the thermic temperature regimes. In addition Ararat and Peckham soils are loamy-skeletal, Hytop soils have an argillic horizon and Quinto soils are loamy and less than 20 inches deep. Laveaga soils have an argillic horizon and lack wide cracks.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland and upland wildlife habitat. The vegetation is blue oak, California buckeye overstory with an understory of soft chess, wild oats, ripgut brome, burclover, pine bluegrass, golden bush and other grasses and forbs. The tree canopy is typically more than 50 percent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Merced County, California 1984. Name is coined.
REMARKS: These soils were mapped as Rough Stony Land in the Los Banos Area, Series 1939 report. They are being differentiated by being deep, lacking stones and having tree and grass cover. pH determined by colormetric method using Hellige-Truog Triplex indicators. Base saturation determined by sum of the cations using KC1-triethanolamine extract. Texture determined by hydrometer method. Organic matter determined by Walkley-Black digestion method.