LOCATION NOAGUA CA

Tentative Series
CAH/ET
12/2015

NOAGUA SERIES

The Noagua series consists of moderately deep, well-drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium. The Noagua soils are on alluvial fans over fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 100 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 19 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Argidic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Noagua gravelly sand, on a linear, 6 percent slope under desert shrubs at an elevation of 984 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 55 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles.

A-- 0 to 3 centimeters; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 3 centimeters thick)

C-- 3 to 41 centimeters; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 38 centimeters thick)

2Btkqb-- 41 to 92 centimeters; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent medium, distinct, white (10YR 8/1) irregular, strongly cemented durinodes with clear boundary; 20 percent faint, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) oriented clay bridging sand grains; 2 percent faint, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on ped faces; 15 percent fine and medium, prominent, white (10YR 8/1) cylindrical and irregular calcium carbonate masses in matrix with clear boundary; 5 percent fine, prominent, white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate threads in matrix with clear boundary and 20 percent distinct, light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate films on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (19 to 51 centimeters thick)

2Bkqm-- 92 to 150 centimeters; white (10YR 8/1) strongly cemented duripan light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; hard, very firm, brittle; violently effervescent.

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; approximately 2 miles north and 1 mile east of Melville Dry Lake; 2 meters west and 366 meters south of the NE corner of section 27, T. 5 N., R. 4 E.; 34 degrees, 29 minutes and 46 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 32 minutes and 31 seconds west longitude; USGS Melville Lake 7.5 minute quadrangle; UTM 11S 542062e 3817248n (DTM: NAD-83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some parts for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 19 to 22 degrees C.

Depth to top of argillic: 25 to 50 centimeters

Depth to duripan: 50 to 100 centimeters

Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent

Surface rock fragments: ranges from 15 to 65 percent; with 15 to 60 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.

Control section -
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent, dominantly gravel
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 1 to 10 percent

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 5 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand or sandy loam
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent, dominantly gravel
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

C horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sand or loamy sand
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, dominantly gravel
Effervescence: noneffervescent or slightly effervescent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

2Btkqb or 2 Bkqb horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR, moist or dry
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6 moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent, dominantly gravel
Effervescence: slightly to violently effervescent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Durinodes: 1 to 10 percent

2Bkqm horizon
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Cementation: weakly to strongly cemented

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Popups (CA) series. Popups soils do not have sandy textures overlying the argillic horizon and do not contain durinodes above the duripan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Noagua soils are on alluvial fans over fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 8 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium. Elevations range from 792 to 1097 meters. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 75 to 125 millimeters; mean annual air temperature is 17 to 20 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 300 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Daisy (T), Gravesumit, Cajon, Silvermine (T) and Typic Haplocalcids (T) soils. Daisy soils are on similar landscape positions, have greater than 50 cm of sand overlying the argillic horizon, have a calcic horizon and do not have a duripan. Gravesumit soils are on similar landscape positions, have a calcic horizon and do not have a duripan. Cajon soils are sandy throughout the particle size control section and do not have an argillic horizon or a duripan. Silvermine soils are on similar landscape positions, but do not have an argillic horizon above the duripan. Typic Haplocalcids have a calcic horizon and do not have an argillic or a duripan.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; moderately rapid permeability above the duripan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Noagua soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush and white bursage.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. These soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: San Bernardino County, California, Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Open Area Soil Survey, 2002. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:

1. Ochric epipedon: 0 to 3 centimeters (A horizon)
2. Argillic horizon: 41 to 92 centimeters (2Btkqb horizon)
3. Duripan: 92 to 150 centimeters (2Bkqm horizon)
4. Particle size control section: 41 to 91 centimeters (part of 2Btkqb horizon)

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 2/2006. ET

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.