San Joaquin (soil)

The San Joaquin series became the official state soil on August 20, 1997,[1] the result of efforts by students and teachers from Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Madera, natural resource professionals, the Professional Soil Scientists Association of California, legislators, and various state universities.

These soils are used for irrigated crops, such as wheat, rice, figs, almonds, oranges, and grapes, and for pasture and urban development.

A cemented hardpan a few feet beneath the surface restricts roots and water percolation.

The energy that propelled the San Joaquin Soil to being formally designated the "Official State Soil" -- was that of Alex Lehman, who saw an opportunity to provide his Madera, California Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School students with a meaningful endeavor which allowed an integrated curriculum approach.

Mr. Lehman solicited the assistance of a State Senator, the Honorable Dick Monteith, as well as the Professional Soil Scientists Association of California (PSSAC).

Mr. Lehman and his students approached Senator Monteith with PSSAC's documentation, including appropriate maps and soil description.

With proper management, this soil has produced many billions of dollars of food wealth for the state's economy.

Knowledge of the San Joaquin soil's properties and characteristics has become increasingly important in suburban and urban development.

With these features, plus defined ranges of other surface and subsoil properties such as color, soil texture, structure, consistence, pH, organic matter content, and inherent temperature and moisture characteristics, USDA soil taxonomy now places the San Joaquin series in a fine, mixed, thermic family of Abruptic Durixeralfs.

The cementing agent for the hard pan was thought to be ferric hydrate with some lime carbonates and probably silica.

For a period of time, a very similar soil was recognized as the Rocklin series which differed from the San Joaquin series only in having thick, consolidated sediments beneath its hardpan, opposed to looser sediments beneath the San Joaquin hardpan.

The character of the materials beneath the hardpans of either soil was no longer a differentiating feature since consistent determination in mapping was not feasible.

Reddish brown topsoil over heavier (finer textured) subsoil containing an iron-cemented hardpan.

The concept was similar to that used by the Eleventh Farm Credit District except that the subsoil was described as a sandy clay with an abrupt upper and lower boundary.

Subsequent field and laboratory studies have led to further revisions and to the present concept given in the 1996 series description.In 1983, the type location for the San Joaquin soil was relocated to a site north of Lodi, California, in San Joaquin county.

Valley Fever is a common term for this fungal infection caused by C. immitis through the inhalation of airborne dust or dirt.