LOCATION BLINDSPRING CA

Established Series
Rev. DV-ET-JJJ-MAV
06/2016

BLINDSPRING SERIES

The Blindspring series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in ashy alluvium. Blindspring soils are on nearly level to gently sloping valley floors near upland volcanic formations with slopes of 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 130 to 200 mm and the mean annual temperature is 14 to 17 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, nonacid, thermic Vitrandic Torripsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Blindspring gravelly ashy loamy sand - on a 2 percent east slope at 1,465 meters elevation under Nevada dalea, fourwing saltbush, and Russian thistle vegetation. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described, August 12, 1979 the soil was dry throughout.

A1--0 to 3 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly ashy loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent fine and medium pumice gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3cm thick)

A2--3 to 8 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) ashy loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent fine pumice gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick).

C--8 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) ashy loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive parting to single grain; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent fine pumice gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California. About 1.75 miles west of Hammil, 30 feet west of dirt road; 1,400 feet north and 2,250 feet east of the southwest corner of Sec. 15, T. 3 S., R. 32 E., M.D.B.M., White Mountain peak quadrangle (15 minute series); latitude 37 degrees 41 minutes 03 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 26 minutes 11 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.6841667 latitude, -118.4363889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth of the soil is 152 cm or more. The soil between depths of 25 to 100 cm is usually dry from the end of April through November, and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time; typic aridic moisture regime. The soil temperature is above 8 degrees C. from March 1 to December 15, but is rarely below 5 degrees C. The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 18 degrees C. Ash content is 60 to 90 percent. The dry bulk density ranges from 1.10 to 1.25 g/cc and the moist bulk density is 1.30 to 1.45 g/cc. Soil reaction is neutral to slightly alkaline.

The A horizon color is 10YR 6/3, 7/2 or 7/3 and moist color is 10YR 4/3, 5/2 or 5/3. Textures are loamy sand and gravelly loamy sand. Up to 2 percent cobbles are present in some pedons. The A1 horizon contains 15 to 30 percent pumice gravel and the A2 horizon contains 5 to 15 percent pumice gravel.

The C horizon has colors similar to the A horizon. Textures are loamy sand or gravelly loamy sand with 10 to 25 percent pumice gravel. Up to 2 percent cobbles are present in some pedons. Stratification is present in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Chidago (T) series. Chidago soils have soft rhyolitic tuff at 50 to 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blindspring soils are in nearly level to gently sloping valley floors near upland volcanic formations. The parent material is predominantly rhyolitic ash alluvium, with granitic and metamorphic influence in some areas. The elevation range is 1,310 to 1,680 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 130 to 200 mm, some as snow, and the mean annual temperature is 14 to 17 degrees C. The mean January temperature is about 3 degrees C.; the mean July temperature is about 24 degrees C. The frost-free season is 140 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chidago (T) and Honova (T) soils. Chidago soils have soft rhyolitic tuff at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Honova soils are shallow over hard tuff.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very slow runoff; rapid permeability; subject to rare flooding during the summer.

USE AND VEGETATION: At present, used for grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly fourwing saltbush, shadscale, Fremont dalea, Indian ricegrass, and desert needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blindspring soils occur near volcanic formations in east-central California. They are of small extent in MLRA 29.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Mono County, California; Benton-Owens Valley Soil Survey. The series is named after a local spring.

REMARKS: Blindspring soils have an aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1 Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the C horizons).
2. The soil lacks subsurface diagnostic horizons because of massive structure, no clay films and loamy sand textures.
3. Mineralogy: It is ashy (verified by the NSSL, Lincoln Nebraska).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.