LOCATION MENDI CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Xerorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Mendi loam, on a slope of 40 percent under red brome, meadow barley, filaree and fiddleneck, at an elevation of 950 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated. When described on 5/10/78 the soil was dry from 0 to 10 inches and moist below 10 inches.)
A11--0 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; violently effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
A12--7 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; moderate very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores, few medium tubular pores; violently effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 13 inches thick)
C1ca--20 to 40 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pore;s many fine and few medium tubular pores; common pressure faces; violently effervescent, disseminated and segregated lime as fine irregular filaments or soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual irregular boundary. (13 to 25 inches thick)
C2--40 to 72 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; violently effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (15 to 40 inches thick)
Cr--72 to 75 inches; weathered, calcareous fine grained sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; a NE facing road cut about 530 feet N. and 460 feet E. of SW corner of sec. 26, T. 27 D., R. 18 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to paralithic contact is greater than 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 63 degrees F. The soil between depth of 8 to 18 inches is moist is all parts from about December 31 to about March 1 and is dry in all parts from April 15 to the latter part of November. The moisture regime is xeric bordering on aridic.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/3 or 6/4, and moist color of 10YR 4/3, 4/4, or 5/3. It is loam or clay loam and averages 20 to 35 percent clay. It is strongly or violently effervescent with disseminated lime. The EC is less than 2.0 mmhos. Gravel content is less than 5 percent.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/3, 6/4, 7/2, 7/3, or 8/2 and moist color of 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 6/2, or 6/3. It is loam, silt loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam. Clay content ranges from 18 to 35 percent. It is violently effervescent with disseminated and segregated lime ranging from few to many fine irregular filaments, threads, seas or soft masses. A few gypsum crystals are present in some pedons. Gravel content ranges from 5 to 10 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arburua and Kilmer series in the same family and the Garretson, Hillbrick, Kettleman, San Emigdio, San Timoteo, and Shedd series in other families. Arburua soils are dry for 90 to 120 days and have a lithic contact at a depth of 24 to 40 inches. Garretson soils are nonacid and have a lithic contact at a depth of 40 inches. Hillbrick soils have a lithic contact depth of 10 to 20 inches. Kettleman soils are aridic. Kilmer soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. San Emigdio and San Timoteo soils are coarse-loamy. Shedd soils are fine-silty and have a paralithic contact at 24 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mendi soils are on hills. Slopes of 9 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from sandstone or shale. Elevations are 1,400 to 2,000 feet. The climate is dry, semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. Mean January temperature is 45 degrees F.; mean July temperature is 81 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is 60 degrees F. Frost-free season is 200 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hillbrick and Kilmar soils and the Aido and Bluestone. Aido soils are fine and have cracks extending to more than 20 inches deep. Bluestone soils have a lithic contact at depths of 10 to 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland grazing by cattle and sheep, as wildlife habitat and as watershed. Native vegetation is red brome, meadow barley, filaree, fiddleneck, and scattered shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern slopes of the Temblor ranges. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, Northwestern Part, California, 1982.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET