LOCATION LEUHMAN CA

Established Series
IRD: PWB-MAV-ARW-KJO
09/2015

LEUHMAN SERIES

The Leuhman series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in lacustrine sediments with influence from eolian materials. Leuhman soils are on alluvial flats. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Leuhman fine sandy loam, under shadscale, watersage saltbush, spinescale, Mojave seablite, inland saltgrass, and alkali sacaton, with a slope of 0 to 2 percent at an elevation of 2,285 feet. (When described on February 9, 1988, the soil was moist from 0 to 18 inches and dry below. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

A--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; very slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity is 2.4 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 8; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 16 inches thick)

2Btkn1--2 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common thin clay films as bridges between mineral grains and few thin clay films in pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity is 3.1 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 13; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)

2Btkn2--8 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on peds and in pores, and common thin clay films as bridges between mineral grains; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as few fine and medium soft masses; electrical conductivity is 4.1 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 13; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)

2Btkn3--18 to 24 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine interstitial pores, and few very fine and fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on peds and in pores, and common thin clay films as bridges between mineral grains; violently effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as common fine and medium soft masses; electrical conductivity is 4.8 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 28; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.3); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

2Bkn1--24 to 47 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores, and common very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as many fine, medium, and large soft masses; electrical conductivity is 7.0 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 35; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 32 inches thick)

3Bkn2--47 to 52 inches; pale yellow (5Y 7/3) fine sandy loam, pale olive (5Y 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular and very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated as common medium and large soft masses; electrical conductivity is 12.0 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 27; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

3Bn--52 to 60 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) loamy sand, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; very slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity is 16.5 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio is 20; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 2.7 miles south of Edwards AFB headquarters; 90 feet north of Hospital Road; 1,200 feet east and 750 feet north of the southwest corner of Sec. 12, T. 9 N., R. 10 W., SBBM; Latitude 34 degrees, 53 minutes, 1 second north and Longitude 117 degrees, 53 minutes, 35 seconds west; Edwards Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mean annual soil temperature: 62 to 66 degrees F.

A horizon--10YR 6/3 or 7/3 dry; 10YR 4/3, 4/4 or 5/3 moist.
Texture: Loamy sand, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. An eroded phase with a clay loam surface is also recognized.
Clay: 5 to 15 percent; 28 to 35 percent in the eroded phase.
Carbonates: Noneffervescent to slightly effervescent with carbonates disseminated.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 5 to 12.

2Btkn and 2Bkn horizons--10YR 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/4; 2.5Y 5/4, 6/2, 6/4; 5Y 7/3 dry; 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4; or 2.5Y 4/2, 4/4, 5/2, 5/4; 5Y 6/3 moist.
Texture: Clay loam, loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay: 20 to 35 percent.
Carbonates: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent with carbonates both disseminated and segregated.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Electrical conductivity: 2 to 8 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 50.

3Bkn and 3Bn horizon--2.5Y 6/2 or 5Y 6/3, 7/3 dry. 2.5Y 4/2, 5/2 or 5Y 5/3, 6/3 moist.
Texture: Stratified loamy sand to fine sandy loam.
Clay: 5 to 20 percent.
Carbonates: Very slightly effervescent to violently effervescent with carbonates both disseminated and segregated.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline. Electrical conductivity is 8 to 32 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 30.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Casaga, Garces, Gothard, Norob, and Polvadero (T) series. Casaga soils have a strong varnished desert pavement and 30 to 75 percent gravel in the substratum. Garces have E horizons, lack lithologic discontinuities above the substratum, and have substratums that are stratified sandy loam to clay loam. Gothard soils have appreciable moisture in the soil moisture control section in the summer. Norob soils have 7.5YR colors in the profile, lack 2.5Y and 5Y colors in the profile, and have an abrupt textural change between the A and B horizons. Polvadero soils are well drained and have calcic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leuhman soils are on alluvial flats. The soils formed in lacustrine sediments with influence from eolian materials. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 2,270 to 2,375 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and cool, slightly moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches. The mean annual temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Challenger (T), Voyager (T), the competing Norob soils, and Wherry (T) soils. Challenger soils have sandy particle-size control sections and are on sand dunes. Voyager soils are on alluvial flats and have a cambic horizon underlain by a lithologic discontinuity. Wherry soils are on playas, have a fine particle-size control sections, and do not have a natric horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; negligible to low runoff; very slow permeability. The soils are ponded after rain storms very briefly in December through March. The soils are subject to occasional flooding.

USE AND VEGETATION: Leuhman soils are used for military operations, building sites, limited recreation, and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is dominantly shadscale, watersage saltbush, spinescale, Mojave seablite, inland saltgrass, and alkali sacaton.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of California. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, 1989. Named after nearby Leuhman Ridge.

REMARKS: The Leuhman series is in MLRA 30.

Runoff classes based on Ksat and slope as described in "Terminology Used in Soil Survey Data Entry or Manuscript Editing of:" 9-23-94 MAV. Runoff changed from ponded or very slow to medium.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 2 inches (A)

2. Natric horizon -- 2 to 24 inches (2Btkn1, 2Btkn2, 2Btkn3).

4. Particle Size Family -- Fine-loamy. The 2 to 22 inch particle-size control section averages 30 percent clay based on field estimates.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 9/2015. The last revision to the series was 2/1988. ET

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.