LOCATION WADESPRINGS CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, magnesic, thermic Pachic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wadesprings stony loam, on a south facing slope of
33 percent under wild oat and blue oak at 2,020 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described 5/15/78 the soil was dry throughout.) The surface is covered by 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones by volume.
A--0 to 1 inch; gray (10YR 5/1) stony loam, very dark gray
(10YR 3/1) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral
(pH 7.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--1 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay loam, very dark gray
(10YR 3/1) moist; strong subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many
very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common thin clay films
in pores and on peds; 5 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles;
mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--7 to 18 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay loam, very dark
gray (10YR 3/1) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very
fine interstitial and many very fine and common fine tubular
pores; common thin clay films in pores and on peds; 5 percent
pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
BCt--18 to 31 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) cobbly clay loam, very
dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, friable,
sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films in pores; 10 percent pebbles and 20 percent angular cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (9 to
13 inches thick)
Cr--31 inches; variegated light bluish gray (5B 7/1), gray
(10YR 5/1) and yellow (10YR 7/6) highly weathered and fractured
talc and asbestos surrounding 30 percent serpentine cobbles by volume; common very fine roots in fractures; strongly
effervescent, lime disseminated and in few fine seams; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California, cutback in a roadbank
about 0.2 mile east of the Dawson Mine and 1 mile northeast of the Monterey County line, about 1,200 feet east and 100 feet south of
the center of section 28, T.23 S., R.16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact composed
of talc, asbestos and serpentine ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Organic matter ranges from 1 to 3 percent to depths greater than
20 inches. The soil moisture control section is about 5 to 13 inches. The soil between the depths of 5 and 13 inches is moist
in some part from mid-December through May. The soil temperature
is above 47 degrees F. from March through December. The soil is usually dry in all parts from June 1 to November 1. The mean
annual soil temperature is 59 degrees to 63 degrees F.
The A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons have dry color of 10YR 5/1 or 4/1. Rock fragments range from 5 to 15 percent.
The BCt horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/1 or 4/1 and moist color
of 10YR 3/1 or 3/2. Rock fragments range from 15 to 35 percent by volume. It is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar series are the
Arujo,
Botella,
Corona,
Elkhorn,
Havala,
Lockwood and
McCoy in other families. All of these
soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wadesprings soils are on uplands of
elevations at 1,400 to 3,200 feet. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent.
The soils formed in material weathered from serpentinized rocks.
The bedrock contains a high amount of serpentine, talc and
asbestos. The climate is dry subhumid, mesothermal, with hot, dry summers and cool moist winters. Average annual precipitation is
15 to 18 inches. Mean January temperature is 45 degrees F.; mean July temperature is 78 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is 59 degrees to 61 degrees F. The frost-free season is 200 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Altamont,
Gaviota,
Henneke,
Kreyenhagen,
Millsholm, and
Vaquero soils. Altamount and Vaquero soils have a fine textured particle-size control section. Gaviota, Henneke and Millsholm soils have a lithic contact within
a depth of 20 inches. Kreyenhagen soils have an ochric epipedon
and a fine-silty particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for rangeland. Natural vegetation is wild oats, other annual grasses and blue oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Diablo Range. Series is of
small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, California, 1980.
REMARKS: Because of the high content of asbestos in this soil,
there is a possibility of health hazards when the soil is dry.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 31 inches.
Argillic horizon - 1 to 18 inches.
Paralithic contact - at 31 inches.
Particle-size control section - upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon.