LOCATION SPELLACY CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Spellacy very gravelly sandy loam, on a southeast facing slope of 35 percent under annual grasses and shrubs at an elevation of 2,375 feet. (When described on September 10, 1990, the soil was dry throughout; Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)
C1--2 to 7 inches; white (10YR 8/2) sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak fine and medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, few fine and few medium roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
C2--7 to 26 inches; white (10YR 8/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (The C horizon is 17 to 38 inches thick.)
R--26 inches; fractured hard shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; in the Temblor Range about 2.75 miles southwest of Taft; 220 feet east and 700 feet north of the southwest corner of Sec. 31, T. 12 N., R. 24. W, SBB&M; 35 degrees, 4 minutes, 45 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees, 29 minutes, 19 seconds west longitude; Maricopa quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - Average annual: 62 to 67 degrees F and the soil temperature is never below 47 degrees F.
Soil moisture - dry throughout from mid-March to mid-December and are never moist more than 90 consecutive days.
Particle size control section:
Clay content: averages 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 50 to 90 percent
Depth to Bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry
Rock fragments: 25 to 45 percent gravel, 5 to 10 percent
cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones
C1 horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry
Texture: sandy loam
Rock fragments: ranges from 10 to 15 percent
C2 horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry
Texture: very gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravelly
sandy loam
Rock fragments: averages 50 to 90 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Canutio, Emot, Ogral and Yermo soils. Canutio, Emot and Ogral soils all receive summer rain. Yermo soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Spellacy soils are on south facing back slopes of hills and mountains. Slopes range from 30 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from shale. Elevations are 1,500 to 3,250 feet. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 79 degrees F., and mean January temperature is about 43 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 225 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beam, Cochora (T), Hillbrick, Kettleman and Panoza soils. Beam, Cochora and Hillbrick soils are shallow to bedrock. Kettleman and Panoza soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in their profiles and are underlain by soft rock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid or very rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, oil fields, and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is dominantly spinescale saltbush, winterfat, California buckwheat and red brome.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Temblor Range of Southern California. The series is not extensive. MLRA is 15.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Kern County, California, 1993. The name is from the nearby town of Spellacy.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 2 inches (A)
Particle size control section -- the zone from 10 to 26 inches