LOCATION ARDEP CA

Established Series
Rev. SES-SJB-JVC
02/2017

ARDEP SERIES

The Ardep series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Ardep soils are on lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10.6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ardep sandy loam--on a 1 percent slope under basin big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, and bud sagebrush at 1,230 meters elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on August 15, 1983, the soil was dry throughout.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very thin and thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine vesicular and interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.

A2--5 to 13 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine vesicular and interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 13 to 28 cm).

Bkq1--13 to 28 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent 5 to 15 mm hard firm durinodes; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine filaments; 19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.

Bkq2--28 to 64 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard and hard, very friable and friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 50 percent 10 to 25 mm hard firm durinodes; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine filaments; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkq horizons is 30 to 94 cm).

Ck1--64 to 86 cm; pale yellow (5Y 8/3) loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (23 to 46 cm thick)

Ck2--86 to 152 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) stratified fine sandy loam and fine sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; no roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common fine prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) relict masses of iron accumulation, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; violently effervescent; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; electrical conductivity is 11 mmhos/cm; SAR is 29; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; in Honey Lake Valley about 0.75 miles east of the Sierra Army Depot; found by going about 0.3 miles north of the Union Pacific railroad tracks, 0.25 mile southeast along trail from its intersection with north-south trail, and south of the trail; 1,470 feet west and 2,370 feet north of the southeast corner of section 33, T. 27 N., R. 17 E.; USGS Calneva Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 08 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees 03 minutes 45 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1494444 latitude, -120.0625000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: These soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section (9 to 22 inches) from June 1 to November 15 (167 days) and moist in all parts from December 1 to April 15; The soil temperature exceeds 5 degrees C from March 1 to December 1 (275 days) and exceeds 8.3 degrees C from April 15 to November 15; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11.7 to 13.3 degrees C.
Depth to secondary carbonates and durinodes: 13 to 56 cm.
Reaction - Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 15 percent; Sand content: 45 to 65 percent.

A horizons
Dry color: 10YR 6/2 or 6/3.
Moist color: 10YR 3/2, 3/3 or 4/3.
Texture: Loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or very fine sand.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 8 mmhos/cm.

Bkq horizons
Dry color: 2.5Y 6/2, 7/2, 8/2, 8/3 or 5Y 7/3.
Moist color: 2.5Y 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, or 5Y 4/3.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Durinodes: 20 to 50 percent.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 4 to 13.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 22 percent.

Ck horizons - Dry color: 2.5Y 7/4 or 5Y 8/3.
Moist color: 2.5Y 4/4, 5/4, or 5Y 4/3.
Texture: Loam in the upper 12 to 25 cm(Ck1 horizon); stratified sand to fine sandy loam in the Ck2 horizon.
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 10 to 100.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 22 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Biblesprings, Ilton, Kunzler, and Triplen series.
Biblesprings and Kunzler soils are moist in some part of the moisture control section during summer months. Ilton soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Triplen soils have more than 15 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the particle-size control section and have mean annual soil temperature of 8.3 to 10 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ardep soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits and some reworked eolian beach deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 1,220 to 1,260 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 11.1 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Mazuma, Modoc, and Wespac soils. Mazuma soils do not have calcic horizons or durinodes. Modoc soils are fine-loamy and have duripans. Wespac soils are fine-loamy and have natric horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Moderately well drained wet phases are recognized that have a perched water table due to proximity below irrigation canals.

USE AND VEGETATION: Ardep soils are used mainly for rangeland and irrigated alfalfa hay. The vegetation in rangeland is basin big sagebrush, shadscale, spiny hopsage, black greasewood, and annual forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 26, 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lassen County (Susanville Area Soil Survey), California, 2000.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 A2 and part of the Bkq1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 13 to 64 cm (Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).
Durinodes - The zone from 13 to 64 cm (Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bkq2 and Ck1 horizons and parts of the Bkq1 and Ck2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.