LOCATION LOUSIGHT CAEstablished Series
The Lousight series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources with a strong granitic influence. Lousight soils are on alluvial fans. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 350 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Aridic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lousight very gravelly loamy coarse sand --Rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 1 percent stones and less than 1 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 5 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 45 percent subangular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
A2--5 to 58 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 60 cm thick)
A3--58 to 107 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots and common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 35 percent subangular gravel and 5 percent subangular cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 50 cm thick)
C--107 to 152 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 35 percent subangular gravel, 20 percent subangular cobbles and 10 percent subangular stones; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; in Little Antelope Valley about 2.57 kilometers west of the town of Walker; Coleville USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 30 minutes 30.4 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 30 minutes 03.7 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section; moist fall, winter and spring; usually dry July through early October; aridic moisture regime, bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 61 to 117 cm.
Depth to bedrock: More than 152 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 3 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of rock fragments is dominantly granitic with additions of volcanic rock such as andesite.
A Horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
C Horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: Extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand or very cobbly loamy coarse sand
Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 70 percent, mainly cobbles
Structure: Massive, may be weak subangular blocky in some pedons
Reaction: Neutral
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Upville series. Upville soils have mollic epipedons 25 to 38 cm thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lousight soils are on alluvial fans. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources with a strong granitic influence. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,1,710 to 1,955 meters. The climate is semi-arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 70 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chrisflat, Dontwanna, Grabbler, Heenlake, and Lonecabin series. Chrisflat, Heenlake and Lonecabin soils have more than 10 percent clay in their particle size control section and have a xeric soil moisture regime. Dontwanna soils have more than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section and have a duripan within 100 cm of the soil surface. Grabbler soils have a xeric soil moisture regime and have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low surface runoff; rapid permeability; high saturated hyraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lousight soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, Thurber's neddlegrass, western neddlegrass and bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, east of the Sierra Nevada Range in the western part of the Great Basin. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 22.
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 107 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (lower A2 and upper A3 horizons).