LOCATION ALAMEDAWELL CA

Established Series
Rev. ET/MAV/JVC/JBF
02/2017

ALAMEDAWELL SERIES

The Alamedawell series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium and eolian sand over lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic ash. Alamedawell soils are on lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, calcareous, mesic Vitrandic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Alamedawell ashy loamy sand, on a 3 percent northeast- facing slope at 2,015 meters elevation under a plant community of big sagebrush, little horsebrush, and black greasewood--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 30, 1980 the soil was dry throughout). The soil surface is partially covered with 5 percent fine pumice gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent fine pumice gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 or 8 cm thick)

C--8 to 81 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (46 to 97 cm thick)

2Bqn--81 to 97 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) ashy silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; discontinuous 3 mm silica-cemented laminar capping present, violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

2Cn1--97 to 99 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy silt loam, gray (10YR 6/1) moist; strong medium platy structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 or 5 cm thick)

2Cn2--99 to 107 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) ashy silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

2Cn3--107 to 114 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy silt loam, gray (10YR 6/1) moist; with bands of light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; strong medium platy structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 or 10 cm thick)

2Cn4--114 to 117 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) ashy sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; few fine distinct yellow (2.5Y 7/6) masses of iron accumulation which are relict redoximorphic features, olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) moist; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 or 5 cm thick)

2Cn5--117 to 152 cm; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) ashy silt loam, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; in the Mono Valley about 14 miles east-northeast of Lee Vining, about 0.2 miles west of the prominent drainageway in section 36, and 20 feet north of the jeep trail between two sand dunes; 2,300 feet north and 1,250 feet west of the southeast corner of section 36, T. 3 N., R. 28 E.; USGS Alameda Well 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 04 minutes 28 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 50 minutes 05 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.0744444 latitude, -118.8347222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil between depths of 30 and 91 cm is usually dry from mid-May until mid-November and is moist in some part the rest of the time. The soil temperature is above 5 degrees C. from April 1 to December 20, and is above 8.3 degrees C. from April 15 to November 30. Summer thunderstorms occur, but are spotty and usually do not wet the moisture control section; aridic (or torric) moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Soil temperature: 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C.
Depth to the stratified lacustrine deposits: 50 to 100 cm.
Volcanic glass content: 60 to 80 percent in the A horizon and upper C horizons and 30 to 50 percent in the lower C horizon formed in lake sediments; Sands are glassy shards of rhyolitic volcanic ash
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Other features: The soil surface is covered with 5 to 10 percent pumice gravel.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 1 to 5 percent in the upper part of the profile and 1 to 20 percent in the lower part.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 5 to 10 percent fine pumice gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

C horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy sand or ashy loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent fine pumice gravel.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 13.

2Bqn and 2Cn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified ashy silt loam, ashy loam, ashy sandy loam, or ashy sand. Typically the strata ranges from 2 to 18 cm thick but some may be as thick as 38 cm. Gravelly substratum soils are recognized with textures of stratified very gravelly ashy loamy sand through gravelly ashy sand.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Other features: Thin 3 to 6 mm thick discontinuous silica-cemented zones are present in some pedons; Masses of iron accumulation with high chroma, which are relict redoximorphic features, are present in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lakash series. Lakash soils have a typic aridic (torric) moisture regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alamedawell soils are on lake terraces with hummocky microrelief. Dunes are associated with these soils in most areas. They formed in rhyolitic volcanic ash that was deposited by wind over finer-textured lacustrine sediments. The ash has since been reworked by wind and water. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,955 to 2,170 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, much of it as snow. The mean annual temperature is 7.2 to 10 degrees C, the mean January temperature is about 2.2 degrees C, and the mean July temperature is about 18.9 degrees C. The frost-free period is 100 to 135 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brantel and Deepwell soils. These soils do not have loamy strata in the particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low surface runoff; rapid over moderate or moderately slow permeability; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. This soil is stratified and has underlying sodic lacustrine sediments.

USE AND VEGETATION: Alamedawell soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is big sagebrush, horsebrush, black greasewood, rubber rabbitbrush, annual forbs, Indian ricegrass, needleandthread, and inland saltgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Mono Valley in eastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono County, California (Benton-Owens Valley Area), 1996.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the C horizons).
Particle-size control section and substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (2Bqn and 2Cn1 horizons and parts of the C and 2Cn2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.