LOCATION WHIPPLE                 CA

Established Series
Rev: JG/LJL/ET
12/2015

WHIPPLE SERIES

The Whipple series consists of very shallow and shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from granite. Whipple soils are on backslopes of hills. Slopes range from 8 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 100 millimeters (4 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 24 degrees C (75 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Lithic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Whipple gravelly fine sandy loam on a northwest-facing, smooth, 9 percent slope at an elevation of 396 meters (about 1300 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 85 percent gravel and 8 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inch); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 centimeters thick)

Btk--3 to 24 centimeters (1 to 9 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) extremely gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent, distinct, brown (7.5YR 5/4), clay films on ped faces and 5 percent, faint, brown (7.5YR 5/4), clay films between sand grains and 15 percent, distinct, brown (7.5YR 5/4), clay films on rock fragments; 5 percent, medium to coarse, distinct, irregular, very pale brown (10YR 8/2), calcium carbonate masses in matrix with clear boundaries and 15 percent, distinct, very pale brown (10YR 8/2), carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; 70 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 32 centimeters thick)

R--24 to 49 centimeters (9 to 20 inches); granitic bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 34 miles south of Needles, California; approximately 1.5 miles east and 3.3 miles north of Pyramid Butte located on the south side of Chemehuevi Valley; 1,400 feet north and 150 feet west of the southeast corner of tentative section 7, T. 3 N., R. 23 E.; 34 degrees, 21 minutes, 30.5 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 35 minutes, 48.7 seconds west longitude; USGS Savahia Peak, CA. 7.5 minute quadrangle; UTM 11S 0721011e 3804517n (DATUM: NAD83).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: usually dry throughout, rarely moist in some part during summer or winter. The soils have a typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 22 to 26.7 degrees C (72 to 80 degrees ).

Depth to argillic horizon: 2 to 4 centimeters.

Depth to bedrock: 13 to 36 centimeters.

Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.

Control section -
Clay content: averages 12 to 18 percent.

A horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Clay content: 8 to 12 percent.
Structure: weak or fine, thin or medium, platy or subangular blocky structure.
Consistence: soft or slightly hard, nonsticky or slightly sticky.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, 0 to 5 percent cobbles or stones.
Effervescence: slightly or strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalence of the fine earth: 0 to 5 percent.

Btk or Btkq horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Chroma: 4 or 6.
Clay content: 12 to 20 percent.
Texture of the fine earth fraction: Loam or sandy loam.
Structure: massive or subangular blocky structure.
Consistence: soft through moderately hard, nonsticky or slightly sticky, and nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Rock fragments: 60 to 85 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles or stones.
Effervescence: strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalence of the fine earth: 0 to 5 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Gachado (AZ), Marbolite (CA) and Vaiva (AZ) series. The Gachado, Marbolite, and Vaiva soils are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July through September with Gachado soils being moist for more than 20 days cumulative in the soil moisture control section.In addition, Gachado soils are formed in alluvium from volcanic rocks. Marbolite soils are 36 to 50 centimeters to the lithic contact, while Vaiva soils have a paralithic contact on top of the lithic material.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whipple soils are on backslopes of hills. Slopes range from 8 to 50 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from granite. Elevations are 390 to 490 meters (1280 to 1600 feet). The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, dry winters. The mean annual precipitation is 75 to 125 millimeters (3 to 5 inches); mean annual air temperature is 21 to 25 degrees C (70 to 77 degrees F)., and the frost-free season is 325 to 365 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Stormjade soil. Stormjade soils are on similar landscape positions and have a paralithic contact and do not have an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very high runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity above the bedrock and moderately low within the bedrock.

USE AND VEGETATION: Whipple soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly burrobush, brittlebush and creosote bush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Colorado Desert of southeastern California, U.S.A.; MLRA 31. These soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Chemehuevi Wash OHV Area, Part of the Colorado Desert Area, 2012. The name is from the Whipple Mountains located to the west and south.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inch) (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - from a depth of 3 to 24 centimeters (1 to 9 inches) (Btk horizon).
Particle-size control section - from a depth of 0 to 24 centimeters (0 to 9 inches) (A and Btk horizons).
Lithic contact - the zone beginning at 24 centimeters (~10 inches) (R horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Pedon ID: 6799-18-7JG.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2012. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.