LOCATION STEUBER                 CA

Established Series
Rev. HLH/KEW/RWK
01/2023

STEUBER SERIES

The Steuber series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed from mixed alluvium, principally of granitic origin. Steuber soils occur on alluvial fans and stream flood plains and have slopes of O to 9 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 61 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Mollic Xerofluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Steuber sandy loam, barley stubble. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure;-slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (O to 7 inches thick)

A12--6 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

C1--12 to 42 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (24 to 36 inches thick)

C2--42 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; in the Cummings Valley about ten-miles west of Tehachapi; in the SE 1/4 NW 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 36, T.32S., R.31E., MDB&M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil between depths of 8 to 24 inches becomes moist in some or all parts in November and remains moist until late May. Mean annual soil temperature is about 59 degrees to 65 degrees F. Organic matter content is less than 1 percent throughout, and decreases irregularly with depth. Base saturation of the profile is more than 75 percent. The profile includes 0 to 25 percent gravel throughout. Some pedons contain up to 20 percent cobbles and stones on the surface and throughout the profile. The soil is neutral to moderately alkaline throughout.

The A horizon is grayish brown, dark grayish brown, brown or dark brown (10YR 5/2, 4/2, 5/3, 4/3, 3/3). It is typically sandy loam but is gravelly sandy loam or light loam in some pedons.

The C horizon is grayish brown, brown, yellowish brown or dark brown (10YR 6/3, 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 4/2, 4/3). It is typically sandy loam but ranges from gravelly coarse sandy loam to light loam and has 45 to 75 percent sand and 5 to 18 percent clay. Some pedons ahve individual horizons with textures of loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, and sandy clay loam. Some pedons may have up to 10 percent cobbles.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arvin and Reiff series. Arvin soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 63 degrees to 67 degrees F. Reiff soils have more than 1 percent organic matter below depth of 10 inches but are hard and massive in some part.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Steuber soils are on alluvial fans and stream flood plains with gradients of 0 to 9 percent. They formed from mixed alluvium of primarily granitic origin. Elevations are 1,500 to 4,500 feet. The climate is subhumid mesothermal having warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 9 to 14 inches, some in the form of snow. Average January temperature is about 40 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 72 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is 56 degrees to 63 degrees F. Frost-free season is 150 to 225 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Edmundston, Havala, Sheridan, Tehachapi and Walong soils. Edmundston, Sheridan and Walong soils have a paralithic contact. Also, Edmundston soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 52 degrees to 59 degrees F. Havala and Tehachapi soils have a B2t horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for fruit and grain crops with limited acreage in range. Natural vegetation is annual grasses and forbs with scattered blue oak or valley oak trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alluvial fans and stream flood plains in mountain valleys of the Tehachapi and the southern Slerra Nevada mountains. The soils are of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kern County, California, Southeastern Part, 1977.

REMARKS: Abnormal weather may produce summer rains in the surrounding mountains, with high runoff, which causes rare floods of very brief duration in some bodies of Steuber soils.

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 12/76.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.