LOCATION SORRELL CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sorrell bouldery coarse sandy loam, on a northwest facing mountain slope of 35 percent under big sagebrush, scrub oak, ceonothus, and annual and perennial grasses at an elevation of 4,960 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on March 6, 1990 the soil was moist throughout.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) bouldery coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 6 percent boulders, 2 percent cobbles, 11 percent gravel; slightly acid (6.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
ABt--4 to 11 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) bouldery coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 6 percent boulders, 3 percent cobbles, and 8 percent gravel; sligthly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) bouldery coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and medium and common coarse roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 6 percent boulders, 2 percent cobbles, and 8 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 18 inches thick)
Bt2--26 to 36 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) bouldery coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films bridging and coating mineral grains, and few moderately thick clay films on peds; 6 percent boulders, 4 percent cobbles, and 7 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--36 to 40 inches; partly decomposed granodiorite with few roots in cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 3 miles south of Sorrell Peak and 1 mile south of the Sequoia National Forest boundary and Thornton Meadow; about 100 feet south and 2,600 feet east of the northwest corner of Section 3, T.30S., R.34E., MDB&M, Emerald Mt., Calif. Quadrangle; lat. 35 degrees 21 minutes 42 seconds N and long. 118 degrees 18 minutes 55 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: Average annual: 47 to 58 degrees F.
Soil moisture: moist throughout from November 15 to May 1
dry throughout from June 1 to November1
Mollic epipedon thickness: 10 to 20 inches
Particle size control section:
Textures: Bouldery coarse sandy loam
Percent clay: 8 to 18
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent throughout, consisting
of 0 to 10 percent boulders, 0 to 5
percent stones, 0 to 10 percent
cobbles, and 10 to 20 percent gravel.
Depth to weathered bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: bouldery coarse sandy loam, bouldery loamy
coarse sand, gravelly loamy coarse sand and
gravelly coarse sandy loam
with 5 to 14 percent clay.
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Organic Matter: 1.0 to 3.0 percent
B horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4 dry, 2, 3, or 4 moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam or sandy loam with 10 to 18
percent clay. Most areas are bouldery or
gravelly. Some areas have a sandy clay loam
layer just above the weathered bedrock
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Barton series. Barton soils are 18 to 30 inches deep to very cobbly material and they have texture of loam or fine sandy loam in the Bt horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sorrell soils are on mountain slopes of 30 to 75 percent slope. These soils formed in material weathered mainly from granitic rocks with veins and outcrops of volcanic and metamorphic rocks included. Elevations are 3,500 to 7,700 feet. The climate is characterized by having warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 20 inches, some in the form of snow. The mean January temperature is 38 to 45 degrees F., mean July temperature is 62 to 72 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature is 46 to 57 degrees F. The frost-free season is 80 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Edmundston, Martee (T), Tollhouse, Tunis and Tweedy soils. Edmundston soils are deep and lack an argillic horizon. They occur near some ridges and near drainages. Martee soils are shallow and sandy-skeletal. They commonly occur near ridge tops and Rock outcrops. Tollhouse soils are shallow and coarse-loamy. They occur on mountain slopes, and near Rock outcrop. Tunis soils are shallow and they occur on south slopes at lower elevations. Tweedy soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. A few areas are used for homesites. The vegetation is mostly big sagebrush, scrub oak, ceanothus, pine bluegrass, cheatgrass and pinyon pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Sierra Nevada Range in California. The series is not extensive in MLRA 18.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Kern County, California 1994; Kern County, Northeastern Part and Southeastern Part of Tulare County Soil Survey. The series name is taken from Sorrell Peak.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 11 inches (A, ABt).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 11 to 36 inches (Bt1, Bt2)