REIFF SERIES

The Reiff is a very simple profile, A over C. The only change to the original parent material is a small accumulation of organic matter that has darkened the A horizons compared to the C. Note that the A horizons are just slightly darker (lower chroma and lower value) than the C. The first A is an Ap because it has been cultivated.

The second A horizon has structureless, massive condition. This was used to separate it from the overlying A horizon.

The third horizon could be an A but in this case the soil scientist making the description called it a transitional horizon between the A and the C horizons. Note that it looks nearly identical to the A.

The C1 horizon is slightly lighter (higher chroma dry and moist) than the overlying horizons. The lighter color indicates less organic matter. The assumption is that the entire profile looked like this prior to the initiation of soil formation.

The C2 horizon is slightly lighter colored (dry chroma one unit higher than that above). Note that the pH of the two C horizons is higher than the A. This indicates that the A has been leached (it is an eluvial horizon) and helps support the designation of the A and C horizons. There is often stratification in the Reiff profile at this depth, which adds more evidence that it is a C horizon. Neither of the C horizons is an R horizon because each is unconsolidated, not hard rock.

Ap--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure parting to granular; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse and common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

A--3 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and coarse and many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; colloid stains on mineral grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)

AC--16 to 24 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; colloid stains on mineral grains; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear irregular boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

C1--24 to 43 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; colloid stains on mineral grains; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); diffuse smooth boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)

C2--43 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common medium and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; colloid stains on mineral grains; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Reiff soils are on flood plains, or alluvial fans and are nearly level to moderately sloping. The soils formed in material weathered from mixed sources. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation varies from 10 to 20 inches. Mean annual temperature varies from 60 to 63 degrees F.

BARNES SERIES

This is a slightly better developed soil than the Reiff. The Ap is clearly much darker than the underlying horizon or the C horizon, which has a yellow hue. The second two horizons are Bw horizons. These horizons are slightly darker than the C and most importantly they have structure that the C does not have. They have not accumulated sufficient clay to be called Bt horizons, but they have accumulated some clay and some organic matter. These have resulted in some structure. Thus, the soil scientist was uncomfortable calling these C horizons. Also note that these horizons have been leached sufficiently that the carbonate which is part of the parent material has been removed. Hence, two horizons of pedogenic change that need to be recognized as Bw horizons.

The Bk has accumulated some of the carbonate leached from above. Note that it is violently effervescent while below in the C it is only strongly effervescent. The presence of so much calcium carbonate makes the color of this horizon quite light but it is too deep in the profile to be an E and it is accumulating material not having material eluviating from it.

Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined A horizons 4 to 11 inches thick)

Bw1--7 to 11 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium pores; patches of clay on vertical faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--11 to 19 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium pores; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined Bw horizons 4 to 23 inches thick)

Bk--19 to 37 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium pores; few masses of carbonates; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)

C--37 to 60 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Barnes soils are on level to hilly till plains and moraines. Slope gradients typically are 2 to 6 percent, but range from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in loamy till. The climate is cool subhumid with a mean annual air temperature of 36 to 48 degrees F and mean annual precipitation of 15 to 25 inches.

COMETA SERIES

This soil exhibits more B horizon character than the previous two. The first horizon is darker than the underlying horizons, including the C, indicating organic matter accumulation. Note that it is massive, in part because of the low clay content. Apparently, more organic matter is required to create stable aggregates than the amount this soil has. It is not unusual in California to find soils with massive A horizons.

The second horizon is an AB because it has properties of both the A and the B. It has the texture of the A but the color of the B. It is redder than the overlying horizon indicating some addition of iron oxides

The third horizon has redder colors and more clay than either the overlying or underlying horizon. It is the horizon of maximum clay accumulation. The blocky structure, clay films and red colors support this.

The last horizon is a C horizon because the clay content is lower, the red color is gone, the clay films are gone, the structure is gone and it shows some of the weak stratification of the original alluvium.

A--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

AB--7 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)

Bt--17 to 27 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; strong coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm, plastic and slightly sticky; few fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)

C--27 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) weakly stratified sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; weak stratification is visible; neutral (pH 7.2).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Cometa soils are on gently sloping and undulating, slightly dissected older stream terraces with slopes of 0 to 15 percent. They occur at elevations of 20 to 600 feet in a subhumid climate with mean annual rainfall of 10 to 23 inches, with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual temperature is 58 to 64 degrees F, average January temperature is 44 degrees F, and average July temperature is 79 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 260 to 300 days.

WHITEROCK SERIES

The Whiterock series is a shallow soil formed on bedrock. The parent material gets an R designation because it is consolidated. The two overlying horizons have the same texture and similar colors. The colors are brown (moist) indicating a small amount of organic matter has accumulated. The platy structure of the A1 may be due to compaction by grazing animals. The A2 is light colored when dry, but the moist color is too dark to qualify for an E horizon. E horizons are rather rare and the A2 does not qualify as a strongly leached horizon. One question to ask yourself: If the second horizon is a strongly eluviated horizon, where is the illuvial horizon that has collected the downward moving material? It is not here. Perhaps, everything was moved completely from the profile. Yes, but with E horizons, we typically find subsoil illuvial horizons. In this case none exists.

A1--0 to 1 inch; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist, weak fine platy structure, slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; many fine and common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and common very fine and fine tubular pores; 1/4 inch thick mat of decomposed litter at surface; 10 percent angular pebbles, strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

A2--1 to 8 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent angular pebbles, medium acid (pH 5.9); abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)

R--8 to 12 inches; highly fractured and vertically tilted metasedimentary rock; common very fine roots between fractures, fractures 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches apart.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Whiterock soils are on foothills at elevations of 160 to 2,500 feet. Slopes are 3 to 60 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from slate and partially metamorphosed sandstone. The climate is subhumid with hot dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 30 inches. Mean annual temperature is about 60 to 63 degrees F.