LOCATION BARERANCH CA NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bareranch very stony ashy sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partly covered with 15 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones.
A1--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and many fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; noneffervescent; 15 percent igneous gravel and 15 percent cobbles and 15 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and thick platy structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; noneffervescent; 15 percent igneous gravel and 15 percent cobbles and 15 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine to coarse roots; many very fine tubular and common fine tubular pores; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3), dry, clay films on faces of peds and in pores; noneffervescent; 20 percent igneous gravel and 20 percent cobbles and 15 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--14 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly ashy sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine tubular and common fine tubular pores; common distinct brown (10YR 4/3), dry, clay films on faces of peds and in pores; noneffervescent; 25 percent igneous gravel and 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt3--20 to 29 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine to medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; few distinct brown (10YR 4/3), dry, clay films on faces of peds and in pores; noneffervescent; 25 percent igneous gravel and 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
C--29 to 42 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent igneous gravel and 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt wavy boundary.
Cr--42 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and very pale brown (10YR 8/4) soft volcanic pyroclastic tuff, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; at the south end of Surprise Valley; about 1 mile south of Nevada HWY 447 and about 0.75 mile west of the California-Nevada state line; about 700 feet east and 1200 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 23, T. 38 N., R. 17 E; 41 degrees, 8 minutes, 46.7 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees, 00 minutes, 58.7 seconds west longitude. NAD 27 Datum. USGS Snake Lake 7.5 minute quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring; dry June through October. Soil moisture regime is aridic bordering xeric.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches, includes the upper part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to paralithic contact - 40 to 60 inches.
Depth to base of the Bt horizons - 25 to 35 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 16 to 23 percent.
Rock Fragments: 45 to 55 percent mostly cobbles and pebbles. Lithology of rock fragments is hard volcanic basalt or andesite.
Mineralogy: 40 to 60 percent volcanic glass in the 0.2 to 2.0 millimeter fraction.
A horizon - Value: 2 or 3 moist. The average value of the upper 7 inches is less than 5.5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Weak through strong, fine through coarse subangular blocky or angular blocky.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Rock Fragments: 45 to 55 percent mostly cobbles and pebbles. Lithology of rock fragments is hard volcanic basalt or andesite.
C horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock Fragments: 40 to 55 percent mostly cobbles and pebbles. Lithology of rock fragments is hard volcanic basalt or andesite.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bareranch soils are on beach terraces on hills. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from volcanic rocks, high in pyroclastic materials. Slopes are 8 to 30 percent. Elevations are 4,500 to 5,500 feet. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Devada, Coppersmith (T NV), Nevadash (T NV) and Saraph. Devada soils are shallow to hard volcanic rock. Coppersmith soils have durinodes and have ashy particle-size class. Nevadash soils are very deep, lack a mollic epipedon and have durinodes. Saraph soils are shallow over tuff.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber's needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Washoe County, Nevada and eastern Lassen County, California. MLRA 23. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California and Nevada, 2000. The name is from the nearby Bare Creek and Bare Ranch.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 14 inches (The A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon- The zone from about 9 to 29 inches (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 9 to 29 inches (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Mineralogy - Glass content of the 0.2 to 2 millimeter fraction is more than 30 percent.