LOCATION WESTCAMP CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Fluvaquentic Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Westcamp loam, on an east facing slope of 1 percent under irrigated safflower at 197 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described 3/22/73 the soil was moist from 0 to 26 inches and was saturated below.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots. Many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent) carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity 3.0 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 4; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
A--7 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; few very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent) carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity 2.7 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 8; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bg--10 to 14 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; few very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity 3.8 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 11; common fine distinct light gray (5Y 7/1) and few fine distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) iron depletions, gray (5Y 5/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bng--14 to 20 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silt loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity 3.1 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 32; many medium distinct light gray (5Y 7/1) iron depletions, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bkng--20 to 26 inches; variegated light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and light gray (5Y 7/1) silty clay loam, with many thin strata of silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates disseminated and segregated as common fine soft masses; electrical conductivity 4.7 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 52; many medium distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) iron depletions, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 30 inches thick)
Bzng--26 to 37 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; slightly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates disseminated; electrical conductivity 27 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 99; many fine distinct light gray (5Y 7/1) iron depletions, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2Bkzng--37 to 58 inches; variegated light gray (2.5Y 7/2), white (5Y 8/1), and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silty clay; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), gray (5Y 5/1), and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; violently effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates disseminated and segregated in common medium soft masses; electrical conductivity 19 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 77, strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 21 inches thick)
3Bznyg--58 to 72 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) clay, bluish gray (5B 5/1) moist which quickly oxidizes to gray (N 6/) moist when exposed to air, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive, extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; slightly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates segregated as few fine soft masses; common fine crystalline gypsum; electrical conductivity 22 decisiemens per meter; sodium adsorption ratio 91; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron depletions; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Kings County, California; about 100 feet north of Quail Avenue and 0.2 mile west of Hwy 41; about 1,650 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner of section 6, T. 22 S., R. 19 E, MDB&M; Latitude 36 degrees, 02 minutes, 12 seconds north and Longitude 119 degrees, 57 minutes, 42 seconds west; USGS Kettleman City Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is more than 60 inches deep and is very stratified. Organic matter is less than 1 percent at the surface and decreases irregularly with increasing depth. Electrical conductivity is 2 to 16 decisiemens per meter throughout the profile. Sodium adsorption ratio is 2 to 100 usually increasing with depth. The electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio and profile reaction are highly variable due to the soil amendments added to the soil by farmers, such as gypsum, which effect these values, as well as the addition of large amounts of irrigation water. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 64 degrees to 67 degrees F.
The A horizon has dry color of 2.5Y 5/2, 6/2, 7/2; or 5Y 6/2 and moist color of 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2, 5/2; 5Y 4/1, or 4/2. It is clay loam, loam or silt loam. It is slightly alkaline to very strongly alkaline. It is slightly effervescent to violently effervescent. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 1 to 3 percent.
The B horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/2 or 7/3; 2.5Y 4/2, 5/2, 5/4, 6/2, 7/2, 7/4, N 4/0, 8/0, 8/2; 5Y 4/1, 6/2, 8/1, 8/2, 7/1 or 8/1, and moist color of 10YR 4/3; 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2, 4/4, 5/2, 6/2, 6/4, 7/2; 5Y 3/1, 3/2, 4/1, 4/2, 4/3, 5/1, 5/2; 5GY 5/1; N 3/0, 6/0; or 5B 5/1. Iron depletions and accumulations have moist color of 5YR 3/4, 4/4; 7.5YR 4/4, 5/8; 10YR 3/3, 4/4, 5/4, 5/8, 2.5Y 6/4, 7/2, 7/6; 5Y 3/1, 4/1, 5/1; or N 3/0, 5/0; 5GY 5/1. More than 40 percent of moist matrix colors at depths of 10 to 30 inches have chroma of 3 or more when iron depletions occur in the substratum. When there are no iron depletions the matrix chroma is 2 or 3. It ranges from fine sandy loam to silty clay and the particle-size control section is 18 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. This horizon is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 1 to 14 percent. Carbonates are disseminated and segregated in soft masses, nodules, and filaments. Gypsum is present in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Westcamp soils are on basin rims and flood plains at elevations of 190 to 220 feet. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in mixed alluvium weathered from sedimentary and/or igneous rocks. The climate is arid and has hot, dry summers and mild, somewhat moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 7 inches. The mean January temperature is 47 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is 85 degrees F.; the mean annual temperature is 62 to 65 degrees F. The frost-free season is 260 to 275 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Armona, Boggs, Houser, Kimberlina, Tulare, Wasco, and Westhaven series. Armona and Tulare soils have a mollic epipedon. Boggs soils have a salic horizon. Houser soils have a fine particle-size control section. Kimberlina and Wasco soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Westhaven soils have a torric moisture regime and are not artificially drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium or high runoff; very slow permeability. Most areas of this soil are now artificially drained because of dams and drainage ditches in the area. The previous water table was at a depth of 1 to 2 feet. A water table now occurs at a depth of 4 to 6 feet. The frequency of flooding is none to rare and the duration of flooding is more than one month.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for irrigated cropland to produce barley, cotton and safflower. It is also used for livestock grazing and building site development.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: San Joaquin Valley. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA 17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kings County, California, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic Horizons and Features Recognized in this Pedon are:
1.0 Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 10 inches (Ap and A horizons).
2.0 Calcic horizon: The zone from a depth of 20 to 26 inches (Bkng horizon).