LOCATION PLEITO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Calcic Pachic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Pleito sandy clay loam, used for livestock grazing. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 6 inches (0 to 15 centimeters); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches [5 to 25 centimeters] thick)
A2--6 to 16 inches (15 to 41 centimeters); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches [18 to 38 centimeters] thick)
Bk1--16 to 23 inches (41 to 58 centimeters); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent, 2 to 75 millimeter gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates segregated as common threads; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches [15 to 25 centimeters] thick)
Bk2--23 to 60 inches (58 to 152 centimeters); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent, carbonates segregated as common irregular soft concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; in an area of the El Tejon Rancho land grant; approximately 3,800 feet (1158.2 meters) south and 200 feet (61.0 meters) west of the southeast corner of section 35, T. 32 S., R. 30 E., Mount Diablo Base and Meridian; Latitude 35 degrees, 05 minutes, 04 seconds north and Longitude 118 degrees, 43 minutes, 03 seconds west; USGS Tejon Ranch, California Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil between the depths of 7 to 18 inches (18 to 46 centimeters) becomes moist in late October or November and remains moist until late April or early May. The mean annual soil temperature is 60 to 67 degrees F. (15.6 to 19.4 degrees C.).
Surface cover consists of mixed mineralogy rock fragments, 2 to 30 percent, 2 to 75 millimeter gravel and 0 to 10 percent, 75 to 250 millimeter cobbles. Soft powdery carbonate concentrations are within a depth of 1.5 m.
A Horizon:
Hue=10YR or 7.5YR dry and 10YR moist
Value=4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma=1 to 3 dry and moist
Texture of the fine-earth fraction=loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content=15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content=1 to 2 percent
Reaction=neutral to moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent=0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments=0 to 25 percent, 2 to 75 millimeter gravel and 0 to 6 percent, 75 to 250 millimeter cobbles
Bk Horizon:
Hue=10YR or 7.5YR dry and moist
Value=3 to 7 dry and 3 to 6 moist
Chroma=2 to 4 dry and 2 to 6 moist
Texture of the fine-earth fraction=coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content=5 to 35 percent
Organic matter content=0.1 to 1.5 percent
Reaction=neutral to moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent=1 to 15 percent
Rock fragments=0 to 25 percent, 2 to 75 millimeter gravel and 0 to 6 percent, 75 to 250 millimeter cobbles
Some pedons have a 2Bk horizon. The 2Bk horizon has color of 10YR 5/4 or 7.5YR 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 4/4, 5/4 or 7.5YR 4/4. Texture is gravelly loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, very gravelly clay loam or gravelly clay loam. Clay content is 20 to 30 percent. Gravel content is 20 to 35 percent. Cobble content is 0 to 10 percent. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 2 to 7 percent.
Some pedons have a 2C horizon. The 2C horizon has color of 7.5YR 6/4, 6/6, 6/8, 7/6; 10YR 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/4, 7/6; 2.5Y 6/6 or 7/4. Moist color is 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6 or 2.5Y 5/4. Texture is sandy clay loam, gravelly clay loam, extremely gravelly clay loam or clay loam. Clay content is 27 to 35 percent. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 1 to 5 percent. It is slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent. Gravel content is 7 to 75 percent. Cobble content is 0 to 7 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Colpien (CA), Flamen (CA), San_Benito (CA), and Linne (CA) series. Colpien soils (MLRA 17), on fan remnants, are moderately well drained, do not have coarse fragments and have slope of 0 to 2 percent. Flamen soils (MLRA 17), on fan remnants, have a duripan at a depth of 40 to 60 inches. San Benito soils formed in residuum of sandstone and shale. Linne soils (MLRA 15, 20), on hills, has a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches (51 to 102 centimeters).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pleito soils are on old terraces, fan remnants, erosional remnants and alluvial fans. Slope is 2 to 60 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources. Elevation is 380 to 2,700 feet (115.8 to 823.0 meters). The climate is subhumid mesothermal with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches (20 to 36 centimeters). The mean January temperature is 39 degree F. (31.7 degrees C.); the mean July temperature is 78 degree F. (25.6 degrees C.) and the mean annual temperature is 59 to 66 degree F. (15.0 to 18.9 degrees C.). The frost-free season is 200 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arvin, Chanac, Friant, Havala, San Emigdio, Sheridan and Tehachapi soils. Arvin soils, on alluvial fans, stream flood plains and stream terraces, have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Chanac soils, on old dissected terraces, do not have a mollic epipedon. Friant soils, on mountainous uplands, have a lithic contact at a depth of 6 to 20 inches. Havala soils, on alluvial fans and old stream terraces, have an argillic horizon. San Emigdio soils, on fans and flood plains, have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. and Sheridan soils have less than 18 percent clay. Sheridan soils, on hills, have a paralithic contact at a depth of 25 to 40 inches. Tehachapi soils, on alluvial fans and terraces, have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low to very high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for irrigated row crops, orchards, grapes, dryland grain, field crops, livestock grazing, watershed and recreation. Vegetation is wild oats, ripgut brome, red brome, soft chess and other annual grasses, scattered perennial grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Near the base of the Tehachapi Mountains and the edge of the southern and central San Joaquin Valley. Series is moderately extensive. MLRA 17, 18.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, 1976.
REMARKS: Some of the areas mapped as Pleito series were formerly mapped as Kern, Delano and Caliente series in 1945.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
The Mollic epipedon extends into the B horizon and is at least 51 centimeters (20 inches) thick.
Runoff terminology updated from medium to rapid to read low to very high to comply with the Soil Survey Manual, 10/93.