LOCATION MADELINE NV+CA OR

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
05/2016

MADELINE SERIES

The Madeline series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from basalt, tuff and andesite. Madeline soils are on plateaus, hills, and mountains. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, frigid Aridic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Madeline very cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent cobbles and 30 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent cobbles and 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

A2--5 to 15 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--15 to 36 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--36 to 48 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

R--48 cm; hard basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; west of Long Valley; about 400 feet east and 2,350 feet south of the northwest corner of section 18, T. 43 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Carter Reservoir 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 38 minutes 56 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 54 minutes 20 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.6488889 latitude, -119.904444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry from July through October; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 38 cm; includes part or all of the argillic horizon.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 50 cm to a lithic contact; the upper 2.5 or 5 cm in some pedons is slightly weathered.
Other features: Some pedons have 10 to 20 cm thick transitional BA horizons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist. A thin subhorizon may be 6 dry and 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.

Bt horizons
Hue: 5YR through 10YR.
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay, sandy clay, or clay loam; subhorizons in the upper part are sandy clay loam in some pedons.
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent clay; thin upper subhorizons are 25 to 35 percent in some pedons.
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent, cobbles, stones and gravel.
Structure: Weak to strong, prismatic, subangular or angular blocky.
Consistence: slightly hard to extremely hard dry, very friable to very firm moist; slightly hard and very friable consistence typically in upper subhorizons only.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Crocan series.

Crocan soils have A horizons with 3 to 10 percent organic matter and argillic horizons with slickensides.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Madeline soils are plateaus, hills, and mountains. They typically occur on summit, shoulder, and backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from basalt, tuff, and andesite. Slopes are 0 to 70 percent. Elevations range from 1,340 to 2,134 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 360 mm, the mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Karlo and Mendeboure soils and the competing Ninemile soil. Karlo soils have more than 60 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are more moderately deep to lithic contacts. Mendeboure soils are clayey-skeletal and moderately deep to lithic contacts.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Madeline soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Idaho fescue.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada, northeastern California, and southeastern Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 23, while other acreage occurs in MLRAs 21, 24, 25 and 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lassen County (Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area), California, 1971.

REMARKS: The type location was moved to Washoe County, Nevada, North Part, in 2002 to better represent the series. Taxonomic classification and range of characteristics were not affected by the move.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 36 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 15 to 48 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 48 cm to underlying hard, unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 15 to 48 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

Classification was updated to 11th edition on 07/2011 changed from Lithic Argixerolls to Aridic Lithic Argixerolls.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include GAM-DD-TM.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.