LOCATION GRABBLER                CA

Established Series
Rev. AMB-EWB-TM-JBF
03/2017

GRABBLER SERIES

The Grabbler series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Grabbler soils are on alluvial fan remnants. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aquic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Grabbler mucky loam -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) mucky loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent subangular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots and common medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 3 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of iron accumulation; 15 percent subangular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--23 to 36 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3), moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine to medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 3 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of iron accumulation; 20 percent subangular gravel dominantly 2 to 5 millimeter; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--36 to 53 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3), moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains and 5 percent faint clay films on surfaces along pores and 5 percent faint clay films on all faces of peds; 1 percent dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist, zones of iron depletions and 2 percent black (7.5YR 2/1) moist, masses of manganese accumulation; 15 percent subangular gravel dominantly 2 to 5 mm; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 30 cm thick)

Bt3--53 to 74 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3), moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 2 percent dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist, masses of iron accumulation and 5 percent dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist, zones of iron depletions; 30 percent subangular gravel dominantly 2 to 5 mm; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bt4--74 to 117 cm; pale olive (5Y 6/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular and few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 2 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist, masses of iron accumulation and 5 percent dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist, zones of iron depletions; 35 percent subangular gravel 2 to 5 millimeter in size and 10 percent subangular gravel 5 to 76 millimeter in size; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

Bt5--117 to 152 cm; 70 percent pale olive (5Y 6/3) and 30 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) very cobbly sandy clay loam, 70 percent olive (5Y 5/3) moist and 30 percent dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular and few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 5 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist, masses of iron accumulation; 10 percent subangular stones, 20 percent subangular cobbles and 25 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; in Little Antelope Valley about 2.57 kilometers west of the town of Walker; about 1,100 feet north and 200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 19, T. 8 N., R. 23 E.; Risue Canyon USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 31 minutes 10.4 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 30 minutes 07.0 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.5195556 latitude, -119.5019444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section; moist fall, winter and spring; usually dry July through early October; xeric moisture regime, bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 50 to 76 cm.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: more than 152 cm.
Depth to bedrock: More than 200 cm.
Depth to iron concentrations and depletions: 5 to 25 cm.
Depth to saturation: 50 to 76 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A1 horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent when averaged.
Reaction: Slightly acid to neutral.
Redoximorphic features: None to few fine zones of iron accumulation either lining pores or channels within the lower part of the A horizons.

Bt1 horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly coarse sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid to neutral.
Redoximorphic features: Few, fine zones of iron accumulation either lining pores or channels.

Bt2 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy clay loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid to neutral.
Redoximorphic features: Few to common, fine to coarse zones of iron or manganese accumulation either lining pores or channels or as masses within the matrix. Zones of iron depletion may also be present.

Bt3 Horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy clay loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 5 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid to neutral.
Redoximorphic features: Few to common, fine to coarse zones of iron or manganese accumulation either lining pores or channels or as masses within the matrix. Zones of iron depletion may also be present.

Bt4 and Bt5 Horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: Very gravelly sandy clay loam, very stony sandy loam, very cobbly sandy clay loam or very cobbly sandy loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
Reaction: Neutral
Redoximorphic features: Few to common, fine to coarse zones of iron accumulation as masses within the matrix. Zones of iron depletion may also be present.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grabbler soils are on alluvial fan remnants. They typically occur on summit positions. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,524 to 1,829 meters. The climate is semi-arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 350 to 400 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 70 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lonecabin, Lousight and Toejom soils. Lonecabin soils have 60 to 80 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section. Lousight soils have an aridic soil moisture regime, less than 10 percent clay in the particle size control section and have no argillic horizon. Toejom soils have less than 10 percent clay in their particle size control section, an ochric epipedon and paralithic contact at depths of 36 to 50 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 50 and 76 cm (moderately deep free water occurrence class) between March and July. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods between December and September.

USE AND VEGETATION: Grabbler soils are used for livestock grazing, watershed and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly Nevada bluegrass, sedge, meadow barley, rush and perennial forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, east of the Sierra Nevada Range and in the western part of the Great Basin. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono County (Coleville-Bridgeport Area), California, 2010.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from soil surface to 53 cm (A1, A2, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 23 to 152 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 and Bt5 horizons).
Aquic conditions - The conditions of endosaturation and redoximorphic features in a horizon between 50 and 150 cm for some time in normal years. (A2, Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 and Bt5 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 23 to 73 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.