LOCATION SCODIE CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic, shallow Torripsammentic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Scodie gravelly loamy coarse sand - on a north facing slope of 30 percent under Pinion Pine with big sagebrush, green Mormon tea, bitterbrush and needlegrass at an elevation of 6,820 feet. (When described on July 25, 1990, the soil was dry throughout; Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A1--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse platy and weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common medium interstitial pores; 20 percent fine (2 - 5 mm) gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
A2--3 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, medium and common fine roots; common medium interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 25 percent fine (2 - 5 mm) gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
Cr--10 to 21 inches; partly decomposed granitic bedrock with few medium and coarse roots in fracture zones.
TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California; about 1.8 miles northeast of the Chimney Peak Fire Station; about 3,000 feet east-southeast of windmill in Scodie Meadow; about 2,000 feet east and 1700 feet south of northwest corner of Sec. 33, T.23 S, R. 37 E., Little Lake, Calif. quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 53 minutes 24 seconds N and long. 117 degrees 59 minutes 37 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Usually dry in all parts above the paralithic contact from about May 1 to November 30 and moist in some or all parts the remainder of the time. It is moist in all parts for 45 or more consecutive days between December and April, but the soil temperatures are below 41 degrees F during most of this time.
Soil Temperature : The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 58 degrees F.
Depth to decomposed granitic bedrock - 8 to 20 inches.
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 8 to 15 inches.
Particle size Control section -
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or gravelly loamy coarse sand with
greater than 30 percent coarse and very coarse sands
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent, dominantly fine (2-5 mm)
gravel, consisting of 10 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent
boulders and stones and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Reaction - Slightly acid to neutral.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 moist and dry.
Organic matter: 1 to 3 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Scodie soils are on mountain sideslopes commonly on northern aspects, but they also occur on other aspects. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. These soils formed in material weathered from granitic rocks. Elevations are 3,800 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches, much as snowfall.. The mean January temperature is about 35 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is about 70 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 58 degrees F. The frost-free season is 75 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canebrake (T) and Xyno (T) series. Canebrake soils lack a mollic epipedon. Xyno soils have thermic soil temperatures and occur on southern facing mountain sideslopes and hill slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium to rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Scodie soils are used for woodland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation includes Pinion Pine, big sagebrush, green Mormon tea, bitterbrush and needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California. The series is not extensive in MLRA-29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Tulare County, California, 1995. Kern County, Northeastern Part and Southeastern Part of Tulare County Soil Survey Area. The name is taken from the Scodie Mountains.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 10 inches (A1, A2)
Paralithic contact - The zone from 10 to 21 inches (Cr)