LOCATION LUBKIN CA
Established Series
Rev. ET-MAV
06/2016
LUBKIN SERIES
The Lubkin series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in alluvium from dominantly granitic sources. Lubkin soils are on alluvial fans and fan terraces and have slopes of 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 13.9 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Lubkin stony loamy sand on an east northeast facing slope of 5 percent under allscale saltbush, bud sagebrush and white bursage at an elevation of 1,268 meters. (When described on September 25, 1985, the soil was dry throughout; colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 13 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) stony loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; carbonates coat rock fragments; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick).
Btk1--13 to 33 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very bouldery sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine, medium, coarse and very coarse roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; many prominent clay films in pores; carbonates coat rock fragments; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 8 percent stones and 7 percent boulders; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 33 cm thick).
Btk2--33 to 66 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very stony sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay films bridging sand grains; strongly effervescent with carbonates segregated as few medium and large soft masses, carbonates coat rock fragments; 15 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 15 percent stones, and 7 percent boulders; neutral (pH 7.2); diffuse smooth boundary. (18 to 36 cm thick).
Bk--66 to 117 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very bouldery loamy sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine through medium roots; many very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent carbonates segregated as common medium and large soft masses, carbonates coat rock fragments; 15 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones and 7 percent boulders; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (38 to 61 cm thick).
2C1--117 to 175 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, common very fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent carbonates segregated as few medium and large soft masses, carbonates coat rock fragments; 35 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (36 to 66 cm thick).
2C2--175 to 216 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; carbonates coat rock fragments; 35 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California; about 5 miles south of Independence, 800 feet south and 1,700 feet east of the NW corner of Sec. 16, T. 14 S., R. 35 E., Lone Pine quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 43 minutes 22 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 10 minutes 41 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 36.7227778 latitude, -118.1780556 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 51 to 127 cm. The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 17.8 degrees C. These soils are usually dry from about May 15 to December 1 and moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature is above 5 degrees C. from about February 15 to December 1. It is above 8.3 degrees C from about March 15 to November 1. The surface is covered with 20 to 35 percent rock fragments. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline. It is noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.
The A horizon color is 10YR 5/3, 6/3 or 6/4. Moist color is 10YR 4/2, 3/3, 4/3 or 4/4. It has 15 to 35 percent rock fragments with 15 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones and boulders. The clay content averages 5 to 10 percent.
The Bt horizon color is 2.5Y 7/2, 7/4 or 6/2; 10YR 6/4 or 5/4. Moist color is 2.5Y 4/4; 10YR 4/3, 3/4 or 4/4. It has 35 to 60 percent rock fragments with 15 to 25 percent gravel, 5 to 25 percent cobbles and 5 to 10 percent stones and boulders. The fine-earth fraction is loamy sand or sandy loam averaging 10 to 15 percent clay.
The Bk horizon color is 2.5Y 6/4 or 7/2; 10YR 5/4 or 6/4. Moist color is 2.5Y 4/4; 10YR 3/4 or 4/4. It has 35 to 60 percent rock fragments with 15 to 30 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent cobbles and 5 to 25 percent stones and boulders. The clay content averages 10 to 18 percent.
The C horizon color is 2.5Y 5/2, 6/2 or 7/2; 10YR 5/4 or 6/4. Moist color is 2.5Y 4/2 or 4/4; 10YR 3/4, 3/6 or 4/6. It has 35 to 60 percent rock fragments with 15 to 45 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent cobbles and 5 to 20 percent stones and boulders. The fine-earth fraction averages 5 to 10 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Tinemaha (T) series in the same family and the
Kayo series. The Tinemaha series has 18 to 35 percent clay in the control section. The Kayo series has an annual soil temperature of 8.3 to 15 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lubkin soils are on alluvial fans and fan terraces. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. They formed in mixed alluvium dominantly from granitic sources. Elevations are 1,160 to 1,650 meters. The climate is arid with hot dry summers, and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 150 to 250 mm. Mean January temperature is about 5.6 degrees C. Mean July temperature is about 28 degrees C; mean annual temperature is 12.8 to 16.1 degrees C. Frost-free season is 150 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Goodale,
Cartago and
Tinemaha soils. Goodale soils are sandy-skeletal, do not have an argillic horizon and are on recent alluvial fans and fan terraces. Cartago soils are sandy, do not have an argillic horizon and are on alluvial fans and fan terraces. Tinemaha soils have 18 to 35 percent clay within the control section and are on fan terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability over rapid in the lower part of the profile. Floods rarely in summer.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lubkin soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is shadscale, allscale saltbush, bud sagebrush, white bursage and desert needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Owens Valley of eastern California. The series is not extensive in MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Benton-Owens Valley Area, Inyo County, California, 1986. The name is from nearby Lubkin Creek.
REMARKS: Major diagnostic horizons and other soil characteristics recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 13 cm (A)
1.1 Colors have too high of value and are not thick enough for mollic epipedon
1.2 Organic carbon assumed less than 0.6 percent.
2. Argillic horizon -- 13 to 66 cm (Btk and BCtk)
2.1 Clay increases from 8 percent (A) to 13 percent (Btk) by field estimate.
2.2 Clay films observed
Other Soil Characteristics:
1. Xeric subgroup
1.1 Soil moisture control section is dry less than three fourths time that the soil temperature at 51 cm is above 5 degrees C. (Based on SCS moisture/temperature transect data).
2. Thermic soil temperature regime -- assumption based on preliminary SCS soil temperature transect, 55 years local climatic records and BLM data.
3. Mineralogy - assumed mixed; no indication otherwise.
4. Loamy-skeletal family -- The control section averages 11 percent clay and more than 35 percent rock fragments determined by field estimates and sieving.
5. Carbonates -- The Btk, BCtk and BCk horizons have disseminated and/or segregated carbonates.
6. Moisture regime - aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
6.1 The MCS is dry throughout from May 15 to December 1. It is moist throughout from January 1 to April 1.
6.2 The soil temperature exceeds 5 degrees C from February 15 to December 15 (300 days). Within this time period, the MCS is dry from May 15 to December 1 (200 days).
6.3 The soil temperature exceeds 8.3 degrees C. from March 1 to November 15 (260 days). Within this time period, the MCS is dry from May 15 to November 15 (185 days).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.