LOCATION SAGASER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sagaser loam, on a northeast-facing convex slope of 74 percent under blue oak, annual grasses and few perennial grasses at 2,760 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 4/19/78 the soil was moist throughout.)
A--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films in pores and on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 26 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; about 5 percent gravel-size hard shale fragments; many moderately thick clay films in pores and on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.1); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
Bt3--26 to 34 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and many fine roots; common fine tubular pores; about 10 percent gravel-size hard shale fragments; many moderately thick clay films in pores; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
C--34 to 42 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; about 20 percent gravel-size hard shale fragments; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Cr1--42 to 50 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) thin weathered coating over light gray (5Y 7/2) highly fractured noncalcareous shale with fractures 0.5 to 2.0 cm apart and no rotational displacement. When soaked in water or sodium hexametaphosphate, breaks down under moderate pressure or upon shaking to a moderately sticky and moderately plastic clay loam; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Cr2--50 to 52 inches; hard fractured noncalcareous shale with fractures 10 to 15 cm apart
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California; about 3.5 (air line) miles west, northwest of Garza Peak and 0.5 mile east of Fresno County line; on jeep trail, 50 feet south and 100 feet west of the northeast corner of section 8, T. 23 S., R. 16 E.; MDB&M; Latitude 36 degrees, 57 minutes, 01 seconds north and Longitude 120 degrees, 15 minutes, 10 seconds west; USGS The Dark Hole Topographic Quadrangle, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is 32 to 48 inches thick. Depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to 60 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 55 degrees to 58 degrees F. The soil between the depths of 4 to 16 inches is usually moist in all parts from about January 1 to April 30. It is usually dry in all parts from about July 1 to September 1.
The A horizon has color of 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 5/3 or 5/3. Moist color is 10YR 3/1, 3/2 or 3/3. Organic matter is 2 to 4 percent. Clay content is 17 to 27 percent. Gravel content is 0 to 3 percent.
The B horizon has color of 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 5/3, 5/4, 6/4; 7.5YR 4/4 or 5/6. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 3/4, 4/4, 5/6; 7.5YR 3/2 or 4/4. Color values of 4 or 5 and moist values and/or chromas of 3 or less occur in the upper 6 inches of the B horizon. Organic matter decreases regularly with depth and is 1 to 2 percent in the top part and 0.2 to 0.8 percent in the bottom part. Clay content is 27 to 35 percent. Clay films are few to many, thin or moderately thick in tubular pores or on peds. Gravel contentis 2 to 15 percent, mainly concentrated in lower B horizons. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The C horizon has color of 2.5Y 7/2; 10YR 6/4, 7/4 or 7.5YR 6/6. Moist color is 10YR 4/4, 5/4 or 7.5YR 4/4. Clay content is 27 to 35 percent. Rock fragment contentis 15 to 25 percent. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline. The C horizon is not present in all pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ahsahka, Buckbay, Currymountain, Elkheights, Foehlin, Jauriga, Picketpin and Tweedy series. Ahsahka soils (MLRA 43) are very deep soils on benches, hills, canyon sideslopes and footslopes and lack a paralithic contact. Buckbay soils (MLRA 21) are on hills and are 20 to 40 inches deep to paralithic contact and are formed in colluvium and residuum from andesite. Currymountain soils (MLRA 15) are on mountains and are 20 to 40 inches deep to paralithic contact. Elkheights soils (MLRA 44) are very deep soils on hillslopes formed in loess and alluvium over glacial till. Foehlin soils (MLRA 5) are very deep soils on alluvial fans and low terraces and are formed in alluvium from metamorphic, granitic and ultramafic rocks. Jauriga soils (MLRA 21) are on mountain sideslopes and toeslopes and formed in material weathered from andesite or basalt and have mean annual soil temperature from 47 to 52 degrees F. Picketpin soils (MLRA 10) are on foothills and lack a paralithic contact, are very deep and have an E and B horizon with lamellae in the subsoil. Tweedy soils (MLRA 18, 26) are moderately deep soils on uplands formed in material weathered from mica schist and igneous rocks
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sagaser soils are on mountains and are on northern aspects. Slope is 30 to 75 percent. The soils formed inmaterial weathered from sandstone or shale. Elevations are 1370 to 3860 feet. The climate is dry subhumid mesothermal with hot dry summers and cool moist
winters. Average annual precipitation varies from 10 to 18 inches. Mean January temperature is 45 degrees F., mean July temperature is 78 degrees F., and the
mean annual temperature is 54 to 58 degrees F. Frost-free season is 190 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gaviota, Henneke, and Millsholm soils. Gaviota, Henneke, and Millsholm soils are on mountains and have a lithic contact within 20 inches of the surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Natural vegetation is blue oak, wild oats and a few perennial grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Diablo Range. Series is of small extent. MLRA 15.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, California, 1980.
REMARKS: The soil temperature regime was originally classified as thermic.
The soil temperature regime was changed to mesic in 1998. This was
done as a result of soil temperature studies on the Fresno County, California,
Western Part Soil Survey.
The original competing series before taxonomy change were the Ballard, Chualar, Gilroy, Pinto, Shimmon, Soper and Tehachapi series in the same family. Ballard soils lack a paralithic contact and have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Chualar soils lack a paralithic contact and have more than 20 percent coarse and very coarse angular sand. Gilroy soils have a lithic contact of basic igneous and metamorphic rock at 20 to 40 inches. Pinto soils lack a paralithic contact and reaction is neutral to medium acid in the surface and decrease, with depth to medium to strongly acid in C horizon. Shimmon soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches and lack coarse fragments below the A horizon. Soper soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Tehachapi soils lack a paralithic contact and have hue of 5YR in the B2t horizon.
Major Diagnostics Horizons:
1. Mollic Epipedon--0 to 16 inches (A, Bt1)
2. Argillic Horizon--16 to 34 inches (Bt2, Bt3)
3. Paralithic Contact--50 to 52 inches (Cr2)