LOCATION BAGVAL                  CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB/JVC/JBF
02/2017

BAGVAL SERIES

The Bagval series consists of very deep, well drained and moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from altered tuff, tuff-breccia, and andesite. Bagval soils are on fan remnants and low stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 510 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 5.6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Haploxererts

TYPICAL PEDON: Bagval clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 25 percent gravel.

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Bt--5 to 23 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; prominent pressure cutans on faces of peds; 1 to 2 cm wide vertical cracks; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Btss--23 to 76 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent intersecting slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds; 1 to 2 cm wide vertical cracks; 10 percent gravel; neutral(pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (36 to 76 cm thick)

Btkss1--76 to 114 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine through medium roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; many (40 percent) intersecting slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds; 1 to 2 cm wide vertical cracks; 10 percent gravel; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine and medium masses; noneffervescent matrix and strongly effervescent carbonate masses; neutral(pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 50 cm thick)

Btkss2--114 to 152 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common intersecting slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds; 10 percent gravel; secondary carbonates segregated as many fine and medium masses; noneffervescent matrix and strongly effervescent carbonate masses; slightly alkaline(pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2.2 miles south of Heenan Lake; approximately 1,900 feet north and 500 feet west of the southeast corner of section 22, T. 9 N., R. 21 E.; USGS Wolf Creek 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 36 minutes 39.1 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 39 minutes 2.0 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.6108333 latitude, -119.6505556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during fall, winter, and spring; usually dry from July through early October; adjacent soils have Xeric moisture regimes.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6.7 to 8.3 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 16.7 to 18.3 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 75 to 152 cm.
Depth to horizons with secondary carbonates: 75 to 100 cm.
Cracks: 1 to 2 cm wide vertical cracks are present in the upper 75 to 114 cm and are open from July to October in most years.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 45 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages less than 15 percent, mainly pebbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff, tuff-breccia, and andesite.

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Btss horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Btkss horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few to many masses or filaments.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Frenchollow, Hawkins, Obnot, and Obray series.

Frenchollow soils have mollic epipedons less than 76 cm thick, have cambic horizons, and have secondary carbonates at depths greater than 100 cm. Hawkins soils do not have argillic horizons and have lower subhorizons with hue of 10YR or 2.5Y. Obnot soils do not have argillic horizons and have mollic epipedons 30 to 58 cm thick. Obray soils do not have argillic horizons and have mean summer soil temperature of 18.3 to 20 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bagval soils are on fan remnants and low stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from altered tuff, tuff-breccia, and andesite. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,830 to 2,135 meters. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 400 to 600 mm, mean annual temperature is 4.4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 40 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Heenlake, Loope, and Wetbag soils. Heenlake and Loope soils are loamy-skeletal. Wetbag soils have aquic conditions within the upper part of the profile during part of the growing season.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained and moderately well drained; medium surface runoff; very slow permeability; low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Endosaturation is present in the moderately well drained phase with an apparent seasonal high water table between 80 and 150 cm (deep free water occurrence class) between November and July. Cumulative annual duration class is Persistent. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for extremely brief periods year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Bagval soils are used for rangeland, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and bluegrass. The vegetative phase on low stream terraces is dominated by silver sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 180 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 22A and 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alpine County (Toiyabe National Forest Area), California, 2006.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 152 inches (A, Bt, Btss, Btkss1, and Btkss2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 152 cm (Bt, Btss, Btkss1, and Btkss2 horizons).
Slickensides - The zone from 23 to 152 cm (Btss, Btkss1, and Btkss2 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 75 to 152 cm (Btkss1 and Btkss2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (parts of the Btss and Btkss1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.