LOCATION COPPERSMITH CA NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Coppersmith ashy sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure parting to strong fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine and few medium interstitial pores; noneffervescent; 5 percent igneous gravel and 1 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thick platy; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few very fine and fine tubular pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine to medium roots and and coarse roots in mat at top of horizon; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films between sand grains and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 16 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, brown (10YR 4/3), crushed, moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; many distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bq1--16 to 24 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), rubbed, moist; massive; very hard, firm, brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 50 percent 10 to 50 millimeter hard very firm durinodes; few faint clay films between sand grains; noneffervescent; 5 percent tuff gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bq2--24 to 30 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent 10 to 50 millimeter, hard, firm durinodes; noneffervescent; 5 percent tuff gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bq3--30 to 39 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) ashy fine sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent 10 to 25 millimeter durinodes; noneffervescent; 3 percent tuff gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick) (8 to 12 inches thick)
2Bqk--39 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) ashy loamy sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent 5 to 25 millimeter durinodes; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
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 2400 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 23, T. 38 N., R. 17 E; 41 degrees, 8 minutes, 37.2 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees, 01 minutes, 03.8 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 - 8 to 16 inches, includes the upper part of the Bt horizon.
Depth to base of the Bt horizons - 12 to 24 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 20 to 27 percent.
Mineralogy: 40 to 60 percent volcanic glass in the 0.2 to 2.0 millimeter fraction.
A horizon - Value: 2 or 3 moist. Chroma: 2 or 3.
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: Up to 5 percent pebbles.
Bq horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent paragravel. Lithology of the gravel is mostly andesite and basalt.
Consistence: Subhorizons more than 6 inches thick have hard or very hard, firm and brittle consistence.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Other features: 20 to 70 percent durinodes. Some pedons have few very thin (< 2 mm thick) discontinuous and unoriented silica laminae. The durinodes are hard or very hard, firm or very firm, and include some durinodes that are extremely hard and extremely firm.
2Bqk horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent paragravel. Lithology of the gravel is mostly andesite and basalt.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent. None to few fine or medium soft masses of lime
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashone, Bidwell, Ponyspring and Simpson series. Ashone soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to paralithic material. Ashone, Bidwell and Simpson soils lack a Bq horizon with durinodes. Ponyspring soils have secondary calcium carbonate within 6 to 14 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Coppersmith soils are on beach terraces. These soils formed in eolian material, beach deposits,alluvium from volcanic rocks, and volcanic ash. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 4,500 to 5,490 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 Bareranch (T NV), Devada, Nevadash (T NV) and Saraph. Bareranch soils are ashy-skeletal and are deep to pyroclastic tuff. Devada soils are shallow to hard volcanic rock. Nevadash soils lack a mollic epipedon and are on fan piedmonts. Saraph soils are shallow over tuff.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, Thurber's needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass and squawapple.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: : Western Washoe County, Nevada and eastern Lassen County, California Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area. 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 Coppersmith Mountains.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 11 inches (The A1, A2 and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon- The zone from about 5 to 16 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from about 16 to 39 inches (Bq1, Bq2 and Bq3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 5 to 16 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Mineralogy - Glass content of the 0.2 to 2 millimeter fraction is more than 30 percent.