LOCATION FISHERDIG               CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB-JVC-JBF
03/2017

FISHERDIG SERIES

The Fisherdig series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived mainly from volcanic rocks with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. Fisherdig soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 350 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid, shallow Vitritorrandic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Fisherdig very gravelly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 3 percent stones.

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bt1--13 to 20 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt2--20 to 41 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very cobbly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; strong fine prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common prominent pressure cutans on faces of peds; 20 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Btq--41 to 48 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) very gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent of peds are brittle with thin silica coats on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bkqm--48 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) cemented material, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very thick platy structure; very rigid, rigid, strongly cemented by silica with discontinuous 1 to 2 mm thick indurated laminar cap; very few very fine roots in fractures; 15 percent fine black (10YR 2/1) masses of manganese in the matrix; secondary carbonates segregated as 5 percent filaments in the matrix; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 38 cm thick)

Bqm1--76 to 117 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cemented material, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak very thick platy structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, moderately cemented by silica; 10 percent silica coats on rock fragments and 25 percent silica coats on faces of peds; gradual wavy boundary. (30 to 50 cm thick)

Bqm2--117 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cemented extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; continuous weak silica cementation; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent silica coats on faces of peds; 60 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; and 2 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2 miles east of the Bridgeport Reservoir dam; approximately 2,450 feet south and 350 feet east of the northeast corner of section 36, T. 6 N., R. 25 E.; USGS Bridgeport 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 19 minutes 30.3 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 10 minutes 26.9 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.3250833 latitude, -119.1741389 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry from July through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature; 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 30 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to duripan: 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock - More than 200 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 45 percent. Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles. Lithology of rock fragments is mainly volcanic rocks such as andesite.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry; value 6 only occurs in the A1 horizon and is 5 when the upper 18 cm of the soil is mixed.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 60 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.

Bt1 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Texture: Very gravelly ashy clay loam, very cobbly ashy sandy loam, or very gravelly ashy sandy loam.
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 10 to 35 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Oxalate aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

Bt2 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very cobbly clay or very gravelly clay.
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Btq horizon (when present)
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly clay loam or very cobbly clay loam.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bkqm horizon
Cementation: Continuous strongly silica cemented matrix with discontinuous 1 to 4 mm thick indurated laminar cap of silica on upper surface.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent, dominantly gravel and cobbles.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: 2 to 10 percent filaments.

Bqm1 horizon
Cementation: Continuous moderately silica cemented matrix.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent, dominantly gravel and cobbles.

Bqm2 horizon
Cementation: Continuous weakly silica cemented matrix.
Texture: Cemented extremely gravelly sandy loam or cemented very gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fisherdig soils are on fan remnants. They typically occur on summit and shoulder positions. They formed in alluvium derived mainly from volcanic rocks such as andesite with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. The probable sources of the volcanic ash are the Mono Craters and Long Valley Caldera in eastern California. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,950 to 2,530 meters. The climate is semi-arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 8 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brokenhoe, Hardnut, and Ocashe soils. Brokenhoe soils are loamy-skeletal and are moderately deep to duripans. Hardnut and Ocashe soils are shallow to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; slow permeability; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity in the upper part and very slow permeability; low saturated hydraulic conductivity in the duripan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Fisherdig soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, and Thurber's needlegrass with widely scattered singleleaf pinyon.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, in the western part of the Great Basin. These soils are not extensive with about 900 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono 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 20 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 48 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Btq horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 48 to 152 cm (Bkqm, Bqm1, and Bqm2 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 13 to 48 cm (Bkqm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 48 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Btq horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass content determined locally by optical grain count with a polarizing petrographic microscope.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.