LOCATION SPARKHULE               CA

Established Series
Rev. GAW/JWF/GWH/JJJ/ARW/
12/2015

SPARKHULE SERIES

The Sparkhule series consists of shallow to rock, well drained soils that formed in residuum from volcanic or granitic rocks. Sparkhule soils are on rock pediments and hills and have slopes of 5 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 63 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Lithic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Sparkhule gravelly sandy loam, on a 35 percent northeast facing slope under yucca, creosotebush and annual grasses at 3,500 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described the soil was dry throughout.)

A--0 to 2 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; upper 1/2 inch massive, below very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles (1/2 to 1 inch); slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bt1--2 to 8 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common thin clay films on peds and as bridges between mineral grains; 20 percent pebbles (1/2 to 3/4 inch); slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bt2--8 to 14 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and medium roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on peds, many moderately thick clay films as bridges between mineral grains and lining pores; 10 percent pebbles (1/4 to 1/2 inch); neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)

Bt3--14 to 18 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films on peds, common thin clay films as bridges between mineral grains and in pores; 25 percent pebbles (1/2 to 1 inch); neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)

R--18 inches; hard, shattered dark gray dacite.

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; approximately 10 miles northeast of Apple Valley on powerline road (Boulder Road); about 2510 feet south and 2265 feet east of the northwest corner of section 13, T.7 N., R.3 W., SBBM; Latitude 34 degrees, 41 minutes, 50 seconds north and Longitude 117 degrees, 8 minutes, 43 seconds west; Turtle Valley Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Depth to a lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches.
Mean annual soil temperature: 63 to 67 degrees F. and the soil temperature usually is not below 47 degrees F. at any time.
Soil moisture: The soil is usually dry and is not continuously moist for as long as 60 days.
Carbonates: None to violently effervescent, carbonates disseminated. Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.

A horizon--10YR 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 7/3 and 7.5YR 6/6, 6/8, 7/4 dry; 10YR 3/3, 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, 5/3 and 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/6 moist.
Texture: Gravelly sandy loam or very cobbly sandy loam.
Clay: 10 to 15 percent.

Bt horizon--7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 6/6 and 5YR 4/6, 5/6, 6/4 dry; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 5/6 and 5YR 3/4, 4/6, 5/4 moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, or gravelly clay loam.
Clay: 25 to 35 percent. There is a less than 20 percent (absolute) clay increase within 3 inches at the top of the horizon.
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These area the Aftaden and Zyplar soils. Aftaden soils have less than 18 percent clay in the argillic horizon and are intermittently moist during the summer. Zyplar soils have a hue of only 10YR in the B horizon and are intermittently moist during the summer.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sparkhule soils are on rock pediments and hills and have slopes of 5 to 50 percent. They formed in residuum from basalt, andesite, dacite or granite. Elevations are 2,300 to 4,500 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and cool, slightly moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 5 inches, most of the moisture falls as rain in the winter with a few inches occasionally as snow. The average January temperature is 46 degrees F.; the average July temperature is 84 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is 61 to 65 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 255 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hi Vista soils and the Cajon soils. Cajon soils are very deep sandy soils that formed in alluvium on alluvial fans. Hi Vista soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact on hills and pediments.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for wildlife habitat, military operations and recreation. Native vegetation is sparse stands of creosotebush, yucca species, annual grasses and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert, California. The soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Mojave River Area, 1978.

REMARKS: The soil has significant clay increases from the A horizon to the Bt horizon but does not qualify for the pale subgroups.

Runoff classes based on Ksat and slope as described in "Terminology Used in Soil Survey Data Entry or Manuscript Editing of: 9-23-94 MAV." Runoff changed from medium to rapid to high to very high.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 2/1997. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.