LOCATION PITCO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Fluvaquentic Vertic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Pitco clay, on slopes of less than 1 percent under barley at 205 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 12/20/77 the soil was moist below 10 inches and had a water table at 60 inches.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay, very dark (5Y 3/1) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; common fine gypsum crystals; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
Ayz--10 to 16 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay, black (5Y 2.5/2) moist; strong very coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; common fine gypsum crystals; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Ayzg--16 to 23 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; few fine prominent pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) mottles, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; common fine gypsum crystals in tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 7 inches thick)
2Byzg1--23 to 30 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay loam, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; common fine prominent pink (7.5YR 7/4) mottles, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist and common medium faint black (5Y 2.5/1) mottles dry and moist; massive; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstital pores; gypsum crystals in tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
3Byzg2--30 to 42 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; many medium distinct olive (5Y 5/4) mottles, olive (5Y 4/3) moist and many medium faint black (5Y 2.5/1) mottles dry and moist; massive; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine tubular pores; gypsum crystals in tubular pores; common pressure faces; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
3Byzg3--42 to 60 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; many medium distinct olive (5Y 5/4) mottles, olive (5Y 4/2) moist and many medium faint black (5Y 2.5/1) mottles dry and moist; massive; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine tubular pores; gypsum crystals in tubular pores; common pressure faces; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California; about 1.7 miles northwest of Stratford; approximately 1.4 miles north of Laurel Avenue and 0.4 miles west of the Kings River levee; about 300 feet east of canal in section 12, T.20 S., R.19 E., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is 60 inches or more deep and is weakly stratified. The mean annual soil temperature is 61 degrees to 62 degrees F. The soil is saturated in a reduced state at some time of the year. Organic matter is 1 to 2 percent in the surface horizon and decreases to about 0.5 percent at 23 inches, but the decrease is irregular with increasing depth. The soil ranges from slightly saline-alkali to strongly saline-alkali and is noneffervescent.
The A horizon has dry color of 5Y 4/1, 5/1 or 5/2 and moist color of 5Y 2.5/2, 3/1 or 3/2. Faint to prominent mottles are in the lower part of the A horizon and have color of 7.5YR 5/6 or 5Y 5/6. Gypsum crystals are present in pores and on faces of peds. This horizon is neutral to strongly alkaline.
The C horizon has dry color of 5Y 4/1, 4/2, 5/1, 5/2 or 6/1 and moist color of 5Y 3/1, 3/2, 4/1, 4/2 or 5/1. There are faint, distinct, or prominent mottles that have color of 7.5YR 5/6; 5Y 2.5/1, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 or 5/6. This horizon is clay loam or clay and averages more than 35 percent clay. It is mildly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Eagleville series in the same family and the Egbert, Merced, Omni, and Tulare series. Eagleville soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Egbert soils have a mollic epipedon more than 24 inches thick and have mixed mineralogy. Merced soils have a regular decrease in organic carbon. Omni and Tulare soils are effervescent throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pitco soils are on flood plains or basin rims. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. The soils formed in alluvium from igneous and sedimentary rocks. Elevations are 190 to 210 feet. The climate is arid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 6 to 7 inches. Mean January temperature is about 45 degrees F.; mean July temperature is about 82 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is about 64 degrees F. Frost-free season is 250 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Merced and Tulare soils and the Grangeville and Lethent soils. Grangeville soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Lethent soils have a fine textured natric horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; very slow permeability. A perched water table occurs at a depth of 48 to 60 inches January through December. The soil is usually wet during the period of December through March. The soil remains moist below a depth of 8 inches April through November.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for irrigated crops such as barley and cotton.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: San Joaquin Valley. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, California, 1980.
Series reclassified 5/95. Competing series not updated at that time.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Pedon S84CA-031-001 (appears to be type location however sample depths vary a little). LE of data 5.84 (not quite vertic) and mineralogy appears to be mixed. CEC/clay not very high for smectitic.