LOCATION MENDEBOURE CA+NVInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid Pachic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Mendeboure very stony loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine vesicular and interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very stony clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and many fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bt3--15 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and many faint clay films lining pores; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt4--25 to 31 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains and common faint clay films lining pores; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt irregular boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
2R--31 inches; andesite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Modoc County, California; west of Surprise Valley between the Coppersmith Hills and the Warner Mountains and about 0.75 mile east of Sworinger Reservoir; 2,840 feet south and 1,400 feet west of the northeast corner of section 6, T. 38 N., R. 17 E.; USGS Snake Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 43 to 46 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 61 to 64 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 20 to 35 inches; includes all or part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact.
Control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent; Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent, mainly stones and cobbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as andesite and basalt.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very stony clay, very cobbly clay, or very stony clay loam.
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate fine to coarse subangular blocky or angular blocky, or prismatic.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bt4 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very stony clay, very stony clay, or very stony clay loam.
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate fine to coarse subangular blocky or angular blocky, or prismatic.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 2 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Longbranch, Menbo, Royst, Snell, and Winterim series. All of these soils have xeric moisture regime. In addition, Longbranch soils are deep to lithic contacts, Menbo soils have less than 20 percent stones in the particle-size control section, Royst soils are moderately deep to thin paralithic contacts, Snell soils are usually moist, and Winterim soils are deep to paralithic contacts.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mendeboure soils are on plateaus. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium derived from basalt and andesite. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 6,200 to 7,500 feet. The climate is semiarid with cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches, mean annual temperature is 41 to 44 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Karlo, Madeline, and Newlands soils. The miscellaneous land type Rubble land, is also directly adjacent to Mendeboure soils. Karlo soils are very-fine and churn on wetting and drying. Madeline soils are clayey and shallow to lithic contacts. Newlands soils are fine-loamy, deep to lithic contacts, have mollic epipedons 12 to 16 inches thick, and have a cryic temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mendeboure soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, needlegrass, mountain big sagebrush, and widely spaced antelope bitterbrush and western juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California and northwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 23.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Modoc County (Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area), California, 1999. This series was first correlated in 1971, but was overlooked for establishment.
REMARKS: This series was inactivated in 2007 as a result of the update and recorrelation of the Soil Survey of Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California and Nevada in 2006.
The revision of 1999 moved the type location from the Susanville Area soil survey in part of Lassen County to the Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area soil survey in part of Modoc County and also changed the series status to established.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 25 inches (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 31 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 31 inches to underlying hard bedrock (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 23 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and a part of the Bt3 horizon).