LOCATION SHEEPHOLE               CA

Established Series
Rev: PBF/CAH/ET
12/2015

SHEEPHOLE SERIES

The Sheephole series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in eolian material over alluvium from granitoid or other igneous rocks. Sheephole soils are on thin sand sheets overlying fan remnants, fan aprons, and alluvial fans. Slopes range from 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 100 millimeters (4 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 21.5 degrees C (71 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, hyperthermic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Sheephole fine sand, on a northwest-facing, convex, 5 percent slope under desert shrubs at an elevation of 473 meters (1,152 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 10 percent fine gravel.

A -- 0 to 4 centimeters (0 to 1.5 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 2 percent fine gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 centimeters)

Bw -- 4 to 15 centimeters (1.5 to 6 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; 2 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters)

Bk1 -- 15 to 55 centimeters (6 to 22 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 1 percent distinct, light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; 3 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary.

Bk2 -- 55 to 74 centimeters (22 to 29 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; 1 percent distinct, light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; 3 percent fine gravel, 5 percent medium and coarse gravel, and 2 percent cobbles; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 20 to 60 centimeters)

2Ckq -- 74 to 107 centimeters (29 to 42 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium roots; 2 percent distinct, light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 2 percent distinct, light gray (10YR 7/2) silica coats on rock fragments; very 10 percent fine gravel, 15 percent medium and coarse gravel, and 35 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (30 to 50 centimeters)

3C -- 107 to 150 centimeters (42 to 59 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent fine gravel; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; approximately 3.6 kilometers east and 650 feet south of the junction of Highway 62 and Iron Age Road along Highway 62; 2,330 meters (7,644 feet) south and 218 meters (715 feet) east of the SW corner of section 32, T. 1 N., R. 13 E. San Bernardino Base and Meridian; 34 degrees, 6 minutes and 3.0 seconds north latitude, and 115 degrees, 38 minutes and 52.9 seconds west longitude, USGS New Dale 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S 0624710e 3774162n (DATUM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: usually dry, moist in some parts for short
periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative
between July and September following convection storms. The soils have a
typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 22 to 25 degrees C (72 to 77 F).
Surface rock fragments: 5 to 70 percent; with 5 to 70 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.

Control section -
Rock fragments: averages 8 to 35 percent, ranges from 0 to 15 percent in the
eolian deposits and from 10 to 75 percent in the alluvial deposits with
one or more horizons having 35 to 75 percent rock fragments.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5, moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: fine sand or loamy fine sand.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 2 to 25 percent; with 0 to 25 percent gravel and 0 to 5
percent cobbles.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

Bw horizon (where present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, and 5 or 6, moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture of the fine earth: fine sand, very fine sand or loamy fine sand.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

Bk horizon
Value: 5 or 6, dry.
Chroma: 5 or 6, dry.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; with 0 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 5
percent cobbles.
Reaction: neutral to strongly alkaline.

2Ckq horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, and 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry, and 3 or 4 moist.
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sand, sand, fine sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: ranges from 35 to 75 percent; with 10 to 50 percent gravel
and 0 to 35 percent cobbles.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline.

3C horizon (where present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, and 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry, and 3 or 4 moist.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.
Effervescence: very slightly to strongly effervescent.
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bristolake (CA) and Goldrose (CA) series. Both soils formed dominantly in alluvium. Bristolake soils are at least slightly effervescent and moderately alkaline in the surface horizon and have an electrical conductivity (EC) of 4 to 16 dS/m and an SAR of 5 to 12 somewhere throughout most of the particle-size control section. Goldrose soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 25 to 28 degrees C. and are dry throughout the soil profile for most of the year. Both soils have coarser than fine sands throughout the profile.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sheephole soils are on thin sand sheets overlying fan remnants, fan aprons, and alluvial fans. Slopes range from 2 to 8 percent. These soils formed in eolian material over alluvium from granitoid or other igneous rocks. Elevations range from 260 to 670 meters (850 to 2,200 feet). The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 75 to 125 millimeters (3 to 5 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 20 to 23 degrees C (68 to 73.5 degrees F). The frost-free season is 300 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dalelake, Pintobasin, and Carrizo soils. Dalelake soils are on identical landforms as well as adjacent dunes but do not have an alluvial layer or more than 7 percent rock fragments anywhere within the particle-size control section. Pintobasin and Carrizo soils are formed in alluvium and are found on fan aprons and channels of drainageways, respectively. Pintobasin and Carrizo soils have sandy and sandy-skeletal particle-size control sections, respectively. In addition, Pintobasin soils do not have a layer within the particle-size control section that averages more than 35 percent rock fragments.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Sheephole soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosote bush and big galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. These soils are of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California; Soil Survey of Joshua Tree National Park, California, 2012. The name is from the Sheephole Wilderness Area located to the north of the survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:

Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 4 centimeters (A horizon).
Particle-size control section - from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters (the
lower part of the Bk1 horizon, the Bk2 horizon and the upper part of the
2Ckq horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 12476050-B.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2012. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.