LOCATION BARASCO CA

Established Series
Rev. DV-VB-ET-MAV-JVC
05/2016

BARASCO SERIES

The Barasco series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Barasco soils are on valley floors. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Paleargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Barasco loamy fine sand--under black greasewood, shadscale, and Wyoming big sagebrush at 1,660 meters elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on August 12, 1979 the soil was dry throughout.)

A--0 to 18 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 25 cm thick)

2Btk--18 to 51 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; violently effervescent, secondary carbonates segregated as common fine filaments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (33 to 41 cm thick)

3Ab--51 to 56 cm; white (10YR 8/1) fine sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

3Btb--56 to 81 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium prismatic parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint and distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 6.6); diffuse wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

3C--81 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; about 2.5 miles northwest of Benton and 25 yards east of dirt road; about 1,700 feet north and 100 feet east of the southwest corner of section 18, T. 1 S., R. 32 E.; latitude 37 degrees 51 minutes 32 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 36 minutes 42 seconds W; USGS Benton 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.8586111 latitude, -118.6000000 longitude..

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is usually dry from early May through November, and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature is above 5 degrees C. from early March to December 1; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.

Mean annual soil temperature - 11 to 14 degrees C.

Ochric epipedon thickness - 18 to 25 cm.

Abrupt textural change - An abrupt horizon boundary is normally present between the A horizon and the 2Btk horizon accompanied by an increase in clay content of more than 20 percent.

Depth to base of buried argillic horizon - 75 to 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.

Other features - Volcanic glass content is less than 15 percent and the oxalate aluminum plus half the oxalate iron percentage is less than 0.1.

A horizon
Dry color: 10YR 6/3 or 5/3.
Moist color: 10YR 3/3 or 4/3.
Clay content: 2 to 5 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 2 to 4 mmhos/cm.

2Btk horizon
Dry color: 10YR 5/3 or 6/3.
Moist color: 10YR 3/3 or 4/3.
Texture: Silty clay loam or loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

3Ab horizon (when present)
Dry color: 10YR 7/1 or 8/1.
Moist color: 10YR 6/2 or 7/2.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

3Btb horizon
Dry color: 10YR 5/3, 6/4, or 7/3.
Moist color: 10YR 4/3 or 4/4.
Texture: Silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay.
Clay content: 40 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.

3C horizon
Dry color: 10YR 5/3, 6/4 or 6/3.
Moist color: 10YR 4/3 or 4/4.
Texture: Silt loam, with strata of loamy sand and loamy fine sand present in some pedons.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.

COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Barasco soils are on valley floors. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources and are influenced by eolian volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,610 to 1,710 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, some as snow. The mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C. The mean January temperature is about 1 degrees C. and the mean July temperature is about 21 degrees C. The frost-free period is 125 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brantel, Montezuma, and Rovana soils. Brantel and Montezuma soils are ashy, have glassy mineralogy, and do not have buried argillic horizons. Rovana soils are sandy and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; slow permeability. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Barasco soils are used for livestock grazing, hayland, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, Wyoming big sagebrush, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central California. These soils are not extensive with about 1,400 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 29.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono County, California, Benton-Owens Valley Soil Survey, 1997.

REMARKS: This revision of November 2001 updates the taxonomic class from Fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Xeric Haplargids and adds suffix b to the two buried genetic horizons.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 50 cm (2Btk horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 18 to 50 cm (2Btk horizon).
Abrupt textural change and Paleargid great group feature - The abrupt clay increase at 18 cm (between the A and 2Btk horizons).
Buried horizons - The zone from 50 to 81 cm (2Ab and 2Btb horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 50 cm (2Btk horizon).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.