LOCATION ZALVIDEA CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, gypsic, thermic Typic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Zalvidea sandy loam, partially drained, in a leveled plowed field, at an elevation of 285 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on March 16, 1989, the soil was dry from 0 to 23 inches and slightly moist below).
The soil surface is cloddy.
Ap--0 to 8 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky and granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
By1--8 to 23 inches; pale yellow (5Y 7/3) sandy loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; few yellow (2.5Y 7/8) fine prominent mottles, olive yellow (2.5Y 6/8) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common fine and medium masses of gypsum crystals (53 percent gypsum); mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
By2--23 to 27 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent (less than 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common fine and medium masses and filaments of gypsum crystals (44 percent gypsum); mildly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary.
By3--27 to 37 inches; pale yellow (5Y 7/3) sandy loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent (less than 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common fine and medium masses and filaments of gypsum crystals (34 percent gypsum); mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the By horizons is 25 to 48 inches)
BCy--37 to 52 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) fine sandy loam, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; many yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine and medium prominent mottles, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent, lime segregated as common fine and medium soft masses (less than 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); few fine and medium masses and filaments of gypsum crystals (10 percent gypsum); mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C--52 to 65 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) stratified sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; common brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) fine and medium and few dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine prominent mottles, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; about 18 miles southwest of downtown Bakersfield; one mile south and one mile west of the J.G. Boswell Buena Vista Ranch office; 300 feet east and 75 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 36, T. 31 S., R. 25 E., MDB&M; 119 degrees, 15 minutes, 3 seconds west latitude and 35 degrees, 11 minutes, 38 seconds north longitude; Mouth of Kern quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - Average annual: 62 to 67 degrees F and the soil temperature is never below 47 degrees F.
Soil moisture - dry throughout from mid April to mid December and is never moist more than 90 consecutive days.
Particle size control section:
Rock fragments: less than 5 percent gravel
Gypsum: averages 40 to 50 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Electrical conductivity: 2 to 8 mmhos/cm
Sodium absorption ratio: less than 5
A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: sandy loam or sandy clay loam with 8 to 35 percent clay
Organic matter: less than 1 percent
Effervescence: slightly to violently
By horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: sandy loam or fine sandy loam with 8 to 18 percent clay. Gypsum: ranges 5 to 45 percent
Effervescence: slightly to violently in the upper part, noneffervescent to slightly in the lower part (calcium carbonate equivalent is less than 5 percent).
C horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4
Texture: stratified with textures ranging from sand to silt loam and averages 8 to 18 percent clay.
Gypsum: less than 5 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alamogordo and Yesum series. Both of these soils are moist for brief periods during the summer. Alamogordo soils have 15 to 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the gypsic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Zalvidea soils are on relict basin floors. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources. Elevations are 275 to 300 feet. The climate is arid with hot dry summers and cool, somewhat moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 6 inches. The mean annual temperature is 62 to 67 degrees F. Mean January temperature is about 47 degrees F. and mean July temperature is about 85 degrees F. The frost-free season is 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buttonwillow, Copus (T), Fages (T), Garces, and Tennco (T) soils. Buttonwillow soils are in basins, are clayey over loamy, and have an irregular decrease in organic carbon. Copus soils are in basins and are fine textured. Fages soils are on similar landforms, are fine, and have an SAR of 45 to 120. Garces and Tennco soils are on similar landforms and have a natric horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability. Zalvidea soils have been artificially drained by dams and levees. The soil now has a water table at a depth of 5 feet or more. The soils are still subject to rare flooding. Some areas of this soil are subject to occasional very long periods of flooding between January and July when floodwaters from the Sierra Nevada mountains are diverted to designated basins. During these times much of the area, in which these Zalvidea soils occur, is used as a temporary reservoir.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for irrigated crops such as cotton, alfalfa, safflower, and wheat. Native vegetation includes allscale saltbush, iodine bush, fillaree, red brome, and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern San Joaquin Valley of California. The series is not extensive. MLRA is 17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Kern County, California, 1990. The name is taken from the Fages-Zalvidea trails marker.
REMARKS: Reference samples from this soil (S89CA-029-002 (1-5)) were analyzed at the National Soil Survey Laboratory.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
Ochric epipedon -- the zone from the soil surface to 8 inches (Ap).
Gypsic horizon -- the zone from about 8 to 37 inches (By1, By2, By3).
Typic Subgroup -- The product of the thickness (in centimeters) of the gypsic horizon within 1.5 meters and the percentage of gypsum is 3198 at the type location. A product of 3000 is required for the soil to be a Typic Gypsiorthid.
Particle size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.