LOCATION LILTEN CA

Established Series
Rev. PGN/KDA/MAV
01/2023

LILTEN SERIES

The Lilten series consist of deep, well drained soils that have formed in material weathered from clay shale. Lilten soils are on slopes of 30 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, thermic Typic Xerorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Lilten silty clay - on a north facing slope of 52 percent under soft chess, red brome, pine bluegrass, wild oat, cheatgrass, California sagebrush, goldenbush, blue oak and California juniper. The elevation is 1,640 to 4,220 feet. (Color is for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described July 9, 1984 the soil was slightly moist below 10 inches.)

A1--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong very coarse platy structure; extremely hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine, fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 42 percent clay content; cracks 1/4 inch wide; slightly effervescent, disseminated lime; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick).

A2--2 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial, common fine tubular and few very fine tubular pores; 46 percent clay content; common moderately thick pressure faces; cracks 1/4 inch wide; slightly effervescent, disseminated lime; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.

A3--8 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong fine and medium prismatic structure; very hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and few medium roots; many fine interstitial and common very fine, fine tubular pores; 48 percent clay content; common moderately thick pressure faces; cracks 1/8 inch wide; slightly effervescent, disseminated lime; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A2 and A3 is 10 to 25 inches).

C1--18 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine, fine, medium tubular pores; 47 percent clay content; many moderately thick pressure faces; cracks 1/8 inch wide to 23 inches; slightly effervescent, disseminated lime; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary.

C2--28 to 41 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong fine and medium prismatic structure; very hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and common medium, coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine, fine, medium tubular pores; 47 percent clay content; many moderately thick pressure faces; slightly effervescent, disseminated lime; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the C is 15 to 35 inches).

Cr--41 to 60 inches; soft calcareous shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Fresno County, California; 4,420 feet north northwest of Salt Creek. About 1,100 feet south and 300 feet east of the northwest corner of section 12, T. 18S, R. 13E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of soft shale ranges from 40 to 60 inches. The moisture control section of 7 to 20 inches is moist from January 1 to May 1 and dry from June 1 to October 15 in most years. The soil temperature is above 47 degrees F from February 15 to December 15. The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 65 degrees F. Surface crack range to 2 1/2 inch but are less than 1/8 inch within 20 inches. Organic matter is less than 1 percent.

The A horizon is 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4; or 2.5Y 6/2. Moist colors are 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 4/4; 2.5Y 4/2 or 4/4. It is silty clay or clay. The clay content ranges from 40 to 48 percent. Effervescence ranges from none to slight. The reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline.

The C horizon is 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/4; or 2.5Y 6/4. Moist colors are 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/4; or 2.5Y 4/4. It is silty clay or clay textured. The clay content ranges from 42 to 50 percent. It is slightly to violently effervescent. The reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family. A similar soil is the Choice series. Choice soils have mixed mineralogy, are strongly to violently effervescent and moderately alkaline throughout. They are moist from January 1 to March 1 and dry from June 1 to December 15.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lilten soils are on backslopes of foothills and have slopes of 30 to 65 percent. Elevations range from 1,640 to 4,220 feet. These soils have formed in material weathered from soft shales of the Panoche formation. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches. Mean January temperature is 46 degrees F; mean July temperature is 81 degrees F. The frost-free season is 220 to 245 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Domengine (T), Getrail (T) and Vernado (T) soils. Domengine soils are shallower than 40 inches and are fine-loamy. Getrail soils are mesic, have wide cracks upon drying and does not effervesce. Vernado soils are pachic, coarse-loamy, and have a lithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, rapid to very rapid runoff, slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as annual rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is soft chess, red brome, pine bluegrass, wild oat, cheatgrass, foxtail fescue, California sagebrush, blue oak and California juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in the Coast Range of California. They are not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES PROPOSED: Fresno County, California, 1985. Name is coined.

REMARKS: These were formerly mapped as Rockland in the unpublished report, Soil Survey of Western Fresno, 1967. They are being differentiated by being classified and mapped. The pH is determined by colorimetric method using Thymol Blue and Hellige-Truog Triplex indicators. Texture determined by hydrometer method. Presence of lime determined by 10 percent hydrochloric acid. Organic matter estimated from nearby soil with Walkley-Black digestion method data.

MAJOR DIAGNOSTIC HORIZONS:

1. OCHRIC EPIPEDON--0 to 18 inches

1.2 Moist value 4
1.3 Organic matter less than 1 percent. (estimated from nearby soil with Walkley-Black digestion method data)

OTHER DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS:

1. XERIC SUBGROUP

1.1 Moisture control section (7 to 20 inches) moist from 1/1 to 5/1, dry from 6/1 to 10/15. Interpolation from Panoche Junction and Idria Stations, USDC-NOAA and from soil moisture, temperature sites.

2. FINE TEXTURE FAMILY

2.1 Texture control section is 40 to 50 percent clay content. (hydrometer method)

3. THERMIC TEMPERATURE REGIME

3.1 Mean annual temperature 62 degrees F, January temperature 46 degrees F, July temperature 81 degrees F.

3.2 Soil temperature 59 to 65 degrees F. Interpolation from Panoche Junction and Idria Station, USDC-NOAA and soil moisture and temperature sites.

4. CALCAREOUS FAMILY

4.1 Typical pedon effervescent in whole profile

5. MONTMORILLONITIC MINERALOGY FAMILY

5.1 NSSL determinations.

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data is available from sample S84CA-653-14.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.