LOCATION DAWGBUFFER CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, frigid, shallow Vitrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Dawgbuffer very gravelly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A1--0 to 1 inch; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) crushed very gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) crushed moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--1 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) crushed very gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) crushed moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) crushed extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) crushed moist; 18 percent clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 60 percent pebbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) crushed extremely gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) crushed moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 70 percent pebbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.5); clear irregular boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Cr--13 to 15 inches, weathered, fractured andesite.
TYPE LOCATION: Modoc County, California; on the Modoc National Forest in the Warner Mountains; 250 feet south and 950 feet west of the northeast corner of section 22, T39N., R16E.; Emerson Peak USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 14 minutes 23.0 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees 8 minutes 18 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - These soils are usually moist in winter, spring, and early summer, dry later in summer and fall; xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 41 to 47 degrees F.
Oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
Volcanic glass content - 50 to 80 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 14 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 7 to 14 inches to soft bedrock. The weathered materials below the contact are andesitic tuff.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 15 to 25 percent, (field estimates).
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.
Profile reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
A horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loam, ashy sandy loam, or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent.
Structure: Weak to strong, fine to coarse subangular blocky.
Organic matter content: 1 to 2 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crazybird and Epvip soils. Crazybird and Epvip soils have bedrock at 14 to 20 inches. In addition, Epvip soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dawgbuffer soils are on mountains. They formed in volcanic ash and colluvium over residuum derived from andesitic tuff. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 5,200 to 8,260 feet. The climate is subhumid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 36 inches, most of which comes as snow. The mean annual temperature is 38 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Paynepeak and Warnermount series. Paynepeak and Warnermount soils have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Dawgbuffer soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat, and livestock grazing. The vegetation consists of curlleaf mountainmahogany, mountain big sagebrush, snowberry, needlegrass, mountain brome, bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California and Nevada, 2005.
REMARKS: The name is coined.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the mineral soil surface to 13 inches (A and Bt horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature -- High volcanic glass content in the .02 to 2mm fraction from the mineral soil surface to 13 inches (A and the Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 13 inches (Bt horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 13 inches to underlying soft weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the surface to 13 inches (A and Bt horizons).