LOCATION NOROB                   CA

Established Series
Rev. JCW/HLH/RWK/ARW/KJO
12/2015

NOROB SERIES

The Norob series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed from mixed alluvium, with many areas having eolian deposits on the soil surface. Norob soils are on alluvial plains and alluvial flats in the Mojave Desert. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Norob sand, desert range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 6 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 20 inches thick)

2Btn--6 to 13 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure capped by a 1/16 inch thick light gray (10YR 7/1) E horizon; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)

2Btkn1--13 to 22 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots on the sides of prisms; few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and bridging mineral grains; strongly
effervescent, carbonates segregated in seams and as few fine irregular soft masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)

2Btkn2--22 to 40 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; slightly effervescent, carbonates disseminated and segregated in few fine seams and threads; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

3Bk--40 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium interstitial pores; estimated 16 percent by volume 2 to 5 mm rounded pebbles; strongly effervescent, carbonates segregated as few fine and medium irregular soft masses, and in seams; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 4 miles east of North Edwards and about one half mile north of highway 58; 2,300 feet south and about 600 feet west of east boundary line section 31, in the SW1/4 of NE1/4 of section 31, T. 11 N., R. 8 W., SBB&M; Latitude 35 degrees, 00 minutes, 33 seconds north and Longitude 117 degrees, 45 minutes, 26 seconds west; North Edwards Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mean annual soil temperature: 62 to 66 degrees F.
Soil moisture: Unless irrigated, the soil is usually dry in all parts between depths of 7 and 20 inches more than 1/2 of the time in most years.

A Horizon--7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/6, 6/4 and 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6 dry; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/6, 5/4 and 10YR 3/4, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4 moist.

Texture: Sand, loamy sand or fine sand where deposited by wind; otherwise sandy loam in the upper part, and loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam in the lower part. These soils have had the silts and clays removed from the surface layers and often also have a windblown sand deposition on the soil surface. Where this occurs an abrupt boundary between the A and B horizons exists.

Clay: 2 to 7 percent in the sand, loamy sand or fine sands. 8 to 16 percent in the sandy loam, and 10 to 25 percent in the loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loams.
Carbonates: Typically noneffervescent in the sand, loamy sand, and fine sand; very slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent in the sandy loam, loam and sandy clay loams.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 5 to 13.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravels.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.

E horizon--Caps the columns of the Btn horizon. This band is 1/16 to 1 inch thick and has colors of 10YR 7/1, 7/2 dry. This horizon is absent in some pedons.

Btn horizon--7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/6 and 10YR 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/6 dry; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/6 and 10YR 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6 moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or clay loam.
Clay: 20 to 35 percent.
Carbonates: Noneffervescent to strongly effervescent with carbonates disseminated and segregated as thin filaments, threads, seams or soft masses.
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 16 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 100.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravels.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.

Bk horizon--7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/6 and 10YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6 dry; 7.5YR 4/4 and 10YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6 moist.
Texture: Stratified gravelly loamy sandy to sandy clay loam.
Clay: 10 to 20 percent.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 decisiemens per meter.
Sodium adsorption ratio: 1 to 13.
Coarse fragments: 2 to 30 percent gravels.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Casaga, Garces, Gothard, Leuhman, and Polvadero series. Casaga are well drained, have appreciable summer soil moisture, and have 40 to 60 percent rock fragments in the substratum. Garces soils always have an E horizon that is 2 to 10 inches thick, and are well drained. Gothard soils have appreciable summer soil moisture, and always have an E horizon that is 2 to 7 inches thick. Leuhman soils typically have 2.5Y and 5Y colors in the profile, and have electrical conductivities of 16 to 32 decisiemens per meter and sodium adsorption ratios of 13 to 50 in the substratum. Polvadero soils are well drained and have calcic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Norob soils are on alluvial plains and alluvial flats. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. They formed in mixed alluvium. Elevations are 2,300 to 3,200 feet. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, slightly moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches. The average January temperature is 44 degrees F.; the average July temperature is 87 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is 62 to 65 degrees F. The frost free season is 200 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Garlock and Neuralia soils and the Cajon, Rosamond and Sunrise soils. All of these soils lack a natric horizon. Also, Cajon soils have sandy particle-size families and Sunrise soils are carbonatic.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; negligible to medium runoff with some ponding during occasional heavy rainstorms; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing, military operations, and recreation. Vegetation is atriplex, creosotebush, and scattered annual grasses and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern edge of Kern County near the town of Boron in the high desert area of the Mojave Desert. These soils are moderately extensive

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, Southeastern Part, 1976.

REMARKS: Runoff classes based on Ksat and slope as described in "Terminology Used in Soil Survey Data Entry or Manuscript Editing of: 9-23-94 MAV." Runoff changed from slow to medium to negligible to medium.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 2/1997. ET

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.