LOCATION PIPEFLAT CA
Established Series
Rev. SES/JCR/LJL/ET
12/2015
PIPEFLAT SERIES
The Pipeflat series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in eolian sand over alluvium derived from granite. The Pipeflat soils are on sand sheets over fan remnants and have slopes of 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 67 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Arenic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Pipeflat sand on a north-facing, smooth, 1 percent slope at an elevation of 2300 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 10 percent gravel.
A1--0 to 1 inch; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary.
A2--1 to 12 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common coarse and very coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 8 to 15 inches.)
C--12 to 28 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 7 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
2Btk1--28 to 34 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong coarse subangular blocky; very hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots between peds; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay bridging between sand grains; 2 percent very fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft carbonate threads; 1 percent very fine irregular very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft masses of calcium carbonate; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary.
2Btk2--34 to 46 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong coarse subangular blocky; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; many very fine tubular pores; few faint brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay bridging between sand grains; 3 percent very fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft carbonate threads; 8 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Btk horizons is 12 to 22 inches.)
2C--46 to 59 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 8 percent gravel; strongly effervescent matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1) clear wavy boundary.
2Ck--59 to 66 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 2 percent coarse irregular very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft masses of calcium carbonate; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 15 miles north of Joshua Tree, California; about 2600 feet west and 1600 feet north of the southeast corner of section 13, T. 3 N., R. 6 E; 34 degrees, 20 minutes, 49 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 18 minutes, 10 seconds west longitude; Goat Mountain quadrangle; UTM 11S, 0564131e 3800842n; NAS-C.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry, moist in some part 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: 66 to 71 degrees F.
Depth to argillic horizon: 20 to 35 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, dominantly 2 to 5 millimeters in size.
A horizons - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Clay content: 0 to 6 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, dominantly 2 to 5 millimeters in size.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to slightly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 0 to 3 percent.
C horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist.
Clay content: 0 to 6 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, dominantly 2 to 5 millimeters in size.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 0 to 5 percent.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
2Btk horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 0 to 5 percent.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 2 dS/m
Sodium adsorption ratio: 0 to 5
2C and 2Ck horizons - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist.
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, dominantly 2 to 5 millimeters in size.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 0 to 5 percent.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 2 dS/m
Sodium adsorption ratio: 0 to 5
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Maljamar (NM) and
Olympus (CA) series. Maljamar and Olympus soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pipeflat soils are on sand sheets over fan remnants. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. These soils formed in eolian sands over alluvium derived from granite. Elevations are 1,900 to 2,800 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 2 to 6 inches; the mean annual air temperature is 64 to 69 degrees F., and the frost free season is 240 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bluepoint and
Cajon soils. Bluepoint and Cajon soils have sandy particle-size control sections and do not have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; negligible to low runoff; moderately rapid over rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Pipeflat soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly big galleta, Indian ricegrass and creosotebush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave desert of southeastern California, U.S.A.; MLRA 30. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center Soil Survey Area, 2000. The name is coined from nearby Pipes Wash.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 12 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
2. Argillic horizon -- 28 to 46 inches (2Btk1 and 2Btk2 horizons).
3. Particle-size control section -- 28 to 46 inches (2Btk1 and 2Btk2 horizons).
Adjacent area sampled by National Lab #S97CA-071-012
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2000. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.