LOCATION JOENCHRIS CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB-JVC
03/2017

JOENCHRIS SERIES

The Joenchris series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian volcanic ash over alluvium derived from volcanic and metavolcanic rocks. Joenchris soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 5.6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Palexerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Joenchris gravelly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent gravel and 10 percent stones.

A--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and common fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

AE--5 to 15 cm; 80 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) with 20 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular and few fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

2Bt--15 to 36 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 20 cm thick)

2Btss--36 to 66 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common 5 to 10 mm wide reversible trans-horizon cracks; common distinct slickensides on bottoms of prisms; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 46 cm thick)

2Btk--66 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very cobbly clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; secondary carbonates segregated as few coarse coats on the bottoms of rock fragments; 15 percent gravel, 35 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest east of the Sweetwater Mountains on Wedertz Flat; in a nonsectionized township in the projected northwest 1/4 of the southeast 1/4 of section 10, T. 6 N., R. 25 E.; USGS Sweetwater Creek 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 22 minutes 47.3 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 12 minutes 58.5 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.3798056 latitude, -119.2162500 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from July through early October for 75 to 90 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; xeric soil moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 4 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 41 cm; includes the 2Bt horizon.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 114 to more than 152 cm.
Depth to horizons with secondary carbonates: 64 to 89 cm.
Linear extensibility (LE): 6 to 10 cm (estimated).

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 45 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as andesite, tuff, and tuff-breccia or metavolcanic rocks.

A and AE horizons
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Volcanic glass content: 15 to 30 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

2Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay loam or gravelly clay.
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

2Btss horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 40 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Structure: Prismatic parting either to angular blocky or wedge structure.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Vertic features: Slickensides occur as few or common grooved surfaces on bases of prisms or wedges; Few or common, 5 to 10 mm wide, reversible trans-horizon cracks.

2Btk horizon
Hue: 2.5Y through 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very cobbly clay loam or very gravelly clay loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occur as few coats on rock fragments, lining pores, or faces of peds.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent matrix.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Booth, Campcreek, Carryback, Crowcamp, Golars , Hankins, Jesh, Lacrol, Longbarn, Tippett, Warpaint, and Zumwalt series.

Booth soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Campcreek soils have Bw horizons above the Bt horizon, have the upper boundary of the argillic horizon at depths of 25 to 50 cm from the soil surface, and have 10 to 25 percent rock fragments in horizons below the argillic horizon. Carryback, Golars, and Zumwalt soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Crowcamp soils have mollic epipedons that are 50 to 75 cm thick, endosaturation within 100 cm of the soil surface, and a firm, brittle, silica-enriched horizon within 40 inches of the soil surface. Hankins soils are deep to paralithic contacts and have mollic epipedons that are 50 to 100 cm thick. Jesh soils have less than 30 percent rock fragments in the 2Btk horizons. Lacrol soils have episaturation within 50 cm of the soil surface between March and May and have less than 30 percent rock fragments in the 2Btk horizons. Longbarn soils are deep to lithic contacts. Tippett soils have albic horizons and less than 30 percent rock fragments in the 2Btk horizons. Warpaint soils have an aridic moisture regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Joenchris soils are on fan remnants. They typically occur on summit positions. They formed in eolian volcanic ash over alluvium derived from volcanic and metavolcanic rocks. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,895 to 2,380 meters. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 360 to 410 mm, the mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nohelp and Ocashe soils. Nohelp soils are clayey-skeletal and have thick mollic epipedons. Ocashe soils are ashy-skeletal, very shallow and shallow to lithic contacts, and have a mesic temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability, moderately low or moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Joenchris soils are used for rangeland, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly low sagebrush and Thurber's needlegrass with some scattered singleleaf pinyon.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, along the boundary between the Sierra Nevada Range and the western Great Basin. These soils are not extensive with about 730 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 36 cm (A, AE, and 2Bt horizons).
Palexerolls great group feature - The abrupt clay increase of more than 20 percent at 15 cm (between the AE and 2Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 15 to 152 cm (2Bt, 2Btss, and 2Btk horizons).
Slickensides and cracks - The zone from 36 to 66 cm (2Btss horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 66 to 152 cm (2Btk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 15 to 65 cm (2Bt and part of the 2Btss horizons).

The revision of December 2004 updated the series concept based on volcanic glass count data for adjacent soils. Volcanic glass and oxalate aluminum and iron contents are estimated.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.