LOCATION RAMBLA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over clayey, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Fluvaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Rambla loamy sand, on a slope of less than 1 percent under irrigated barley at 197 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 5/24/76 the soil was moist below 15 inches.)
Ap1--0 to 5 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) loamy sand, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; single grained; loose; few fine and many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Ap2--5 to 15 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) loamy sand, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; single grained; loose; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C1--15 to 19 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) loamy fine sand, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 20 inches thick)
IIC2gca--19 to 27 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, gray (5Y 5/1) moist; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) mottles, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, common medium segregated lime in irregularly shaped soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
IIC3gca--27 to 35 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist, many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, common medium segregated lime irregularly shaped soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); a abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
IIC4g--35 to 45 inches; variegated gray (5Y 6/1) and very pale brown (10YR 8/3) clay, olive gray (5Y 5/2) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
IIIC5g--45 to 60 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) loamy sand, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; massive; loose, many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California; 100 feet south of Utica Avenue; 1,370 feet west and 100 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 17, T.23S. R.20E., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is more than 60 inches deep and is strongly stratified. The organic matter is less than 1 percent at the surface and decreases irregularly with increasing depth. The soil is typically nonsaline-nonalkali at the surface and saline-alkali below a depth of 19 inches. The soil is slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent. The lime is disseminated in soft masses. Mean annual soil temperature is 64 degrees to 67 degrees F. This soil would have an aquic moisture regime but is now artificially drained. Depth to the IIC horizon is 19 to 36 inches.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 4/3, 5/3, 5/2; or 2.5Y 6/4 and moist color of 10YR 3/3, 4/3, 4/2; or 2.5Y 4/4. In some pedons the surface horizon has value of 3 moist, but it is less than 2 inches thick. The A horizon has strong fine or medium granular, strong coarse or very coarse prismatic, or moderate or strong medium or coarse subangular blocky structure. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has dry color of 5Y 6/1 or 7/1; 10YR 7/2 or 8/3 and moist color of 5Y 4/1, 5/1, 5/2; 10YR 6/2 or 7/3. There are few to many fine or medium, distinct or prominent mottles that have color of 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4; or 10YR 4/4. This horizon is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The C1 horizon is loamy sand or sandy loam and averages 2 to 10 percent clay. In the upper part of the C horizon moist chroma is 1 or less and if there are mottles the moist chroma is 1 or 2.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Camarillo, Columbia, Hueneme, and Laugenour series in other families. All of these soils lack a contrasting particle-size control section. Camarillo soils have less than 40 percent clay throughout the profile. Columbia, Hueneme, and Laugenour soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rambla soils occur on basin rims. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in alluvium from igneous and sedimentary rocks. Elevations are 190 to 235 feet. The climate is arid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 6 to 7 inches. The mean January temperature is about 47 degrees F. and the mean July temperature is about 85 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 65 degrees F. The frost-free season is 260 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Homeland, Houser Milham, Panoche, Tulare, Twisselman, and Wasco soils. Homeland soils lack a contrasting particle-size control section. Milham soils have an argillic horizon. Panoche soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Tulare soils have a mollic epipedon. Houser and Twisselman soils have a fine particle-size control section. Wasco soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the upper 19 inches and very slow in the underlying material. The soil is artificially drained and the water table is at a depth of more than 6 feet.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for irrigated barley and cotton.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: San Joaquin Valley. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, California, 1980.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET