LOCATION MORENOGULCH CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: clayey, smectitic, acid, thermic, shallow Xerertic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Morenogulch parachannery silty clay, on a west-facing convex slope of 78 percent under soft chess, rattail fescue, and buckwheat at 1,040 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated. When described on November 18, 1987, the soil was moist throughout.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) parachannery silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky and moderate fine granular; loose, slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 4.7 parts per million total selenium; 25 percent 2 to 8 millimeters shale fragments; 4 percent 1 to 3 centimeters gypsum crystals; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--3 to 6 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) very parachannery silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 7.3 parts per million total selenium; 40 percent 2 to 10 millimeters shale fragments; 8 percent 3 to 40 millimeters gypsum crystals in the soil matrix; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Cy--6 to 10 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) extremely parachannery silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; massive; friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots concentrated near the top of the horizon; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5.9 parts per million total selenium; 65 percent 2 to 20 millimeters shale fragments; 4 percent 3 to 20 millimeters gypsum crystals in the soil matrix; extremely acid (pH 4.4); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)
Cr1--10 to 15 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), and reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) mudstone shale; 50 percent brown (7.5YR 4/2), 35 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and 15 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; few very fine and fine roots; few fine threads and seams of gypsum occur between shale layers; extremely acid (pH 4.2); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Cr2--15 to 26 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) mudstone shale with (two) 2 cm thick bands of white (N 8/0) diatomaceous rock; 70 percent brown (7.5YR 4/2), 10 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), 10 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4), and 10 percent white (N 8/0) moist; few very fine and fine roots; very few threads and seams and 1 cm thick 30 to 90 cm long channels of gypsum oriented on shale layers; common sulfur deposits on upper side of gypsum fragments; extremely acid (pH 4.1); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)
Cr3--26 to 33 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mudstone shale; 80 percent brown (7.5YR 4/2) and 20 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6); very few very fine roots; very few threads and seams and 1 cm thick 30 to 90 cm long channels of gypsum oriented on shale layers; extremely acid (pH 4.1).
TYPE LOCATION: Fresno County, California; approximately 200 feet west of Panoche Mountain Road; approximately 1,450 feet west and 225 feet south of the northeast corner of section 3, T. 14 S., R. 11 E., MDB&M; Latitude 36 degrees, 44 minutes, 54 seconds north and Longitude 120 degrees, 45 minutes, 05 seconds; USGS Mercey Hot Springs Topographic Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of marine mudstone and/or diatomaceous acid shale is 6 to 15 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 62 to 66 degrees F. Linear extensibility percent is 6 to 9. Electrical conductivity is 0 to 4 decisiemens per meter. Selenium content is 4 to 13 parts per million.
The A horizon has color of 7/5YR 6/2, 6/3; 10YR 5/2, 5/3 or 6/3. Moist color is 7.5Y 4/2, 4/3; 10YR 3/2, 4/3, 5/2 or 5/3. Organic matter content is 0.8 to 2 percent. Texture is very parachannery silty clay loam, very parachannery silty clay or parachannery silty clay. Clay content is 35 to 55 percent. Gypsum content is 0 to 5 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Cy horizon has color of 7/5YR 6/2, 6/3; 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 6/3 or 6/4. Moist color is 7.5Y 4/2, 4/3; 10YR 4/3, 5/3 or 5/4. Organic matter content is 0.3 to 0.8 percent. Texture is very extremely parachannery silty clay loam, very parachannery silty clay loam, extremely parachannery silty clay or very parachannery silty clay. Clay content is 35 to 55 percent. Gypsum content is 2 to 5 percent. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
The Cr horizon reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Morenogulch soils are on mountains. Slope is 30 to 80 percent. Elevation is 550 to 3,130 feet. These soils formed in mass movement deposits derived from marine mudstone and/or diatomaceous acid shale, high in selenium. They are closely associated with the Moreno Formation. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 13 inches. Mean January temperature is 46 degrees F; mean July temperature is 81 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 59 to 64 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 270 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Belgarra and Exclose soils. Belgarra soils, on erosional fan remnants on mountains, are very deep and have a fine particle-size control section. Exclose soils, on mountains, are very deep and have a fine-loamy particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are mainly used as wildlife habitat. The vegetation is sparse and consists primarily of desert trumpet, with some areas of Temblor buckwheat, red brome, soft chess and rattail fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern edge of the Diablo Range in the California Coast Ranges. They are not extensive. MLRA 15.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fresno County, California, 2002.
REMARKS: These soils were previously mapped as Badland. They are considered a major source of selenium to certain alluvial fans in the Central Valley of California. This soil has soft, highly fractured 2 to 20 mm sized shale fragments that easily breakdown to clay-sized particles. Although 4 percent gypsum crystals are described in the A1 horizon, no calcium sulfate as gypsum was detected in the lab data because it was removed by sieving previous to lab analysis.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL lab data is available for the Typical Pedon from soil sample S87CA-019-017 (88P1507-88P1512). Additional lab data is available for soil sample S86CA019-042 (taxadjunct, 1208) and S86CA019-043 (taxadjunct, 1209-1212).