LOCATION TIEFORT CA

Inactive Series
Rev: PBF/ET
12/2015

TIEFORT SERIES

The Tiefort series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from dominantly extrusive volcanic rock. The Tiefort soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 63 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: On Newdeal-Tiefort-Rock Outcrop association, 30 to 60 percent slopes, at an elevation of 3,730 feet. (When described on June 11, 1996 the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

The soil surface is covered by 30 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones.

A1 -- 0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; few faint patchy clay films on rock fragments; noneffervescent; 25 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary.

A2 -- 2 to 5 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; few faint patchy clay films on rock fragments; noneffervescent; 20 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); diffuse wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 3 to 6 inches)

Btk1 -- 5 to 15 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common distinct carbonate coats on lower surfaces of peds or rock fragments; few faint patchy clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; slightly effervescent; 30 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.

Btk2 -- 15 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common medium roots; fine irregular threads of carbonate throughout; many distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly effervescent; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 14 to 24 inches)

R -- 28+ inches; unweathered, fractured basaltic bedrock with pockets of weathered bedrock material of moderate excavation difficulty.

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 2,375 feet west and 3,050 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 11, T. 14 N., R. 1 E; 35 degrees,19 minutes, 21 seconds north latitude, and 116 degrees, 50 minutes, 39 seconds west longitude; East of Goldstone 7.5 minute quadrangle. (UTM 11S 0514162e 3908801n)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 61 to 68 degrees F.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent
The depth to bedrock: 20 to 30 inches
The soil surface is covered with 30 to 60 percent gravel, 5 to 40 percent cobbles, 0 to 30 percent stones, and 0 to 20 percent boulders.

A Horizon
-Value: 5 to 8 dry and 3 to 5 moist
-Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
-Texture: very gravelly sandy loam, very cobbly sandy
loam, extremely cobbly sandy loam, or very gravelly loam
-Clay: 10 to 20 percent
-Coarse fragments: 20 to 35 percent gravel, 5 to 35
percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones; range is
from 40 to 70 percent
-Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent
-Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Btk Horizon
-Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
-Value: 5 to 8 dry and 4 to 6 moist
-Chroma: 3 to 6 moist or dry
-Texture: very gravelly loam, very gravelly sandy clay
loam, very cobbly sandy clay loam, or extremely cobbly
sandy clay loam
-Clay: 18 to 35 percent
-Coarse fragments: 20 to 45 percent gravel, 10 to 35
percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones; range is
from 40 to 70 percent
-Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
-Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashmed (T), Bitter, Blind (T), Bluebird (T), Highland (T), Nellake (T), Peskah (T), Pinaleno, Soledad, Timosea (T), and Topawa series. Blind (T), Bluebird (T), Pinaleno, Soledad, and Topawa soils receive summer precipitation. Ashmed soils have control sections characterized by more than 60 percent rock fragments. Bitter, Nellake and Timosea soils are deep and very deep, respectively. In addition Bitter soils have C horizons of very gravelly loamy sand, or very gravelly or very cobbly sand. Highland soils are deeper to a lithic contact, and have a layer characterized by secondary silica accumulation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tiefort soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 60 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from dominantly extrusive volcanic rock. Elevations are 3,000 to 5,000 feet. The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm winters. Most precipitation comes in the winter but in some areas it is sporadic. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 8 inches. The mean annual temperature is 59 to 66 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 78 degrees F. and mean January temperature is about 42 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 220 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fourcorners (T), Newdeal (T), and Yermo soils. Fourcorners, Newdeal, and Spripar soils are on similar landscape positions. Fourcorners soils are shallow and have a duripan. Newdeal and Spripar soils have a lithic contact within 20 inches. Yermo soils do not have an argillic horizon. In addition, Yermo soils are deep and are on associated alluvial fans at the base of the mountains.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Tiefort soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly annual grasses and perennial shrubs such as white bursage, creosotebush, California buckwheat, turpentine broom, and bush encilia.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert. The series is of small extent in MLRA 30.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: San Bernardino County, California, Fort Irwin Soil Survey Area, 1996. The name is from a mountain range.

REMARKS: CEC/Clay ratio estimated from local data.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 5 inches (A1 and A2)
2. Argillic horizon -- 5 to 28 inches (Btk1, Btk2)
3. Lithic contact -- The zone at 28 inches (R)

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.