LOCATION POTTINGER          CA
Established Series
Rev. DEV/KKC/TDC/ET
03/2003

POTTINGER SERIES


The Pottinger series consists of deep, well drained soils formed in shaly alluvium from sedimentary rock sources. Pottinger soils are on alluvial fans and terraces and have slopes of 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 9 inches, and the mean annual air temperature is 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Pachic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Pottinger very shaly clay loam, on a north face of a gently sloping valley of about 4 percent under dry land wheat at 2,175 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 6/25/75 the soil was dry from 0 to 5 inches and moist below 5 inches.)

Ap--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very shaly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 45 percent shale fragments, 2 mm to 4 cm in diameter; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

A12--5 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very shaly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent shale fragments, 2 mm to 4 cm in diameter; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 20 inches thick)

C1--23 to 38 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very shaly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few fine fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent shale fragments, 2 mm to 4 cm in diameter; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)

C2--38 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very shaly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; 45 percent shale fragments, 2 mm to 4 cm in diameter; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; in little Santa Maria Valley on a right south corner of a T intersection, 1/2 mile south of Hwy. 58 and about 30 feet from either dirt road in the NW1/4, SE1/4, NW1/2 of sec. 17, T.30S., R.21E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil between the depths of about 11 to 33 inches is usually moist in some part from November through april and moist in all parts at least January and February. It is dry the rest of the year. Organic matter is 1.0 to 3.0 percent to 20 inches and decreases regularly with depth. Shale fragments occupy 35 to 60 percent of the soil profile. Mean annual soil temperature is 64 degrees to 66 degrees F. Clay content of the soil ranges from 25 to 35 percent. The moisture regime is xeric but borders on aridic.

The A horizon has dry colors of 10YR 5/3, 5/2 or 4/2, moist colors are 10YR 2/2 or 3/2. It is very shaly clay loam or very shaly sandy clay loam.

The C horizon has dry colors of 10YR 6/2 or 6/3, moist colors are 10YR 4/2 or 4/3. it is very shaly clay loam or very shaly sandy clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aramburu and Millrace series in the same family and the Anaheim, Agueda, Conejo, Gamboa, Gazos, and Reward series in other families. Anaheim, Agueda, Conejo, Gazos and Reward soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments. Aramburu soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Gamboa soils are mesic. Millrace soils are developed from stratified coarse alluvium from basalt and andesite and have clay contents less than 18 percent.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pottinger soils are on terraces and alluvial fans. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The soils formed in alluvium weathered mainly from diatomaceous shales. Elevations are 1,500 to 3,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 0 to 11 inches. Mean January temperature is 46 degrees F.; mean July temperature is 83 degrees F.; mean annual temperature varies from 62 degrees to 64 degrees F. Frost-free is 200 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Aramburu and Reward soils and the Temblor soil. Temblor soils have lithic contact at depths of 10 to 20 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for dry-farmed grain. Natural vegetation is annual grasses and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Temblor Range of the Eastern Coast Range of Southern California. The soils are not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, Northwestern Part, 1982.

REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.