LOCATION MANZANAR CA

Established Series
Rev. ET-PWB-CEJ-MAV
06/2016

MANZANAR SERIES

The Manzanar series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine sediments from mixed sources. Manzanar soils are on stream terraces and lacustrine terraces and have slopes of 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 130 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 15 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Manzanar silt loam--on a level stream terrace under salt grass, alkali sacaton and juncus at an elevation of 1,146 meters (when described on 4/18/84, the soil was moist to 81 cm and saturated below; colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

A--0 to 20 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium and coarse granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine 5tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary (15 to 36 cm thick).

BAt--20 to 43 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films in pores and few faint clay films on peds; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary (13 to 38 cm thick).

Btk--43 to 61 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on peds and in pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary (13 to 46 cm thick).

Btkg--61 to 84 cm; light gray (5Y 7/1) clay loam, variegated olive gray (5Y 4/2) and pale olive (5Y 6/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint and distinct clay films on peds and in pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates segregated as common fine soft masses; common fine distinct greenish gray (5GY 6/1); dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) moist, redox depletions; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary (15 to 36 cm thick).

Btg--84 to 104 cm; variegated light gray (5Y 7/1), and gray (5Y 6/1) clay loam, variegated dark gray (5Y 4/1) and very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint and distinct clay films on peds and in pores; slightly effervescent; common fine distinct greenish gray (5GY 6/1); dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) moist, redox depletions ; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary (15 to 41 cm thick).

2BCtg--104 to 117 cm; light gray (5Y 7/1) sandy clay loam, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films in pores; many large distinct light greenish gray (5GY 7/1) redox depletions and common fine prominent yellow (2.5Y 7/6) masses of iron accumulations lining pores and surrounding roots, dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary (0 to 25 cm thick).

2Cg--117 to 157 cm; light gray (5Y 7/1) very fine sandy loam, gray (5Y 5/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many large distinct greenish gray (5GY 6/1) greenish gray (5GY 5/1) moist, redox depletions; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California; 4.5 miles southeast of Independence; 350 feet east of Stevens Canal; 2,500 feet east and 2,000 feet north of the SW corner of Sec. 35, T. 13 S., R. 35 E.; USGS Independence 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 45 minutes 34 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 08 minutes 20 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 36.7594444 latitude, -118.1388889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum is 76 to 165 cm. The mean annual soil temperature is 12.8 to 14.4 degrees C. The soil temperature is below 8.3 degrees C from about December 1 to March 1 and is rarely below 5 degrees C. The soil between the depths of 13 and 41 cm is moist in some or all parts for 265 to 275 days from about December 1 to September 1. It is dry in all parts for 85 to 95 days from about September 1 to December 1. A water table is at a depth of 102 to 152 cm from February 1 to May 15. Aquic moisture regime bordering on aridic. It has less than 5 percent gravel throughout except in the substratum where there may be lenses with up to 15 percent.

The A horizon color is 2.5Y 6/2; 10YR 5/1, 6/1 or 6/2. Moist color is 2.5Y 3/2, 4/2; 10YR 3/1, 3/2, 3/3 or 3/4. Textures are silt loam or loam averaging 10 to 22 percent clay. It is strongly to violently effervescent with disseminated carbonates. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 15 to 40 percent. Electrical conductivity ranges from 8 to 75 dS/m and sodium adsorption ratio is 13 to 30. Organic carbon is 1 to 5 percent. Reaction is strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

The BAt horizon color is 5Y 7/1; 2.5Y 7/2; 10YR 6/1, 6/2 or 7/1. Moist color is 5Y 4/1, 4/4; 2.5Y 4/2, 4/4; or 10YR 4/2. Textures are silt loam or loam. It is slightly to violently effervescent. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 15 to 40 percent. Electrical conductivity ranges from 8 to 16 dS/m and sodium adsorption ratio is 13 to 25. Reaction is strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

The Bt horizon color is 5Y 6/1, 6/2, 7/1, 7/2; or 2.5Y 6/2, 6/4, 7/2. Moist color is 5Y 3/1, 4/1, 4/2, 4/3, 5/2, 5/3, 6/3; or 5Y 4/2. Below a depth of 51 cm there are common fine distinct 5GY 6/1, 7/1 or 5G 6/1 redox depletions. Moist colors are 5GY 4/1 or 5G 4/1. Textures are loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam or clay. The particle size control section averages 25 to 35 percent clay. Some pedons have thin strata of sandy loam. It is slightly to strongly effervescent. Some pedons do not have secondary carbonate accumulation. Electrical conductivity ranges from 2 to 16 dS/m and sodium adsorption ratio is 5 to 12. Reaction is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

The 2Cg horizon color is 5Y 6/2, 7/1, 7/2, 7/3 or 7/4. Moist color is 5Y 4/2, 4/4, 5/1, 5/2, 5/3 or 5/4. It has many large distinct 5GY 6/1, 7/1 or 5G 6/1 redox depletions. Moist colors are 5GY 4/1, 5/1; 5G 4/1 or 5/1. Textures are stratified coarse sand to sandy clay loam averaging 15 to 30 percent clay. It is noneffervescent or slightly effervescent. Electrical conductivity ranges from 0 to 8 dS/m and sodium absorption ratio is 1 to 5. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES:

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Manzanar soils are on stream terraces and lacustrine terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine sediments from mixed sources. Elevations are 1,130 to 1,220 meters. The climate is arid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm. The mean annual temperature us 13.9 to 16.1 degrees C. Mean July temperature is about 26.7 degrees C, and mean January temperature is about 4.4 degrees C. The frost-free season is 150 to 220 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Eclipse, Mazourka and Winnedumah (T) soils. Eclipse soils have a cambic horizon and are somewhat excessively drained. Mazourka soils have a natric horizon and are well drained. Winnedumah soils have an aridic moisture regime and are somewhat poorly drained. All of these soils are on stream terraces or lacustrine terraces of nearby landscapes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability. A water table is at a depth of 100 to 150 cm from February 1 to May 15.

USE AND VEGETATION: Manzanar soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is inland saltgrass, alkali sacaton, Baltic rush and other saline-sodic tolerant plants.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Owens Valley of eastern California. The series is not extensive in MLRA 29.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Benton-Owens Valley Area, Inyo County, California, 1984. Name from nearby Manzanar Relocation Center.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:

1. Ochric epipedon--0 to 20 cm (A)

1.1 Organic carbon content ranges from 1 to 5 percent but dry color values are 6 (Walkley-Black digestion method).

1.2 Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 15 to 40 percent (calcium carboante percent by field kit).

2. Argillic horizon--20 to 117 cm (BAt, Btk, Btkg, Btg, BCtg).

2.1 Clay content increase greater than 1.2 times that of A horizon (hydrometer method).

2.2 Common faint and distinct clay films on peds and in pores.

2.3 Strong and moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure (no evidence of prismatic or columnar structure in control section).

The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.

OTHER SOIL CHARACTERISTICS:

1. Aquic Subgroup

1.1 Water table at 102 to 152 cm from February 1 through May 15.

1.2 Gleyed colors and mottles below 61 cm.

2. Mesic temperature regime -- MAST 12.8 to 14.4 degrees C; high water table cools the soil, air temperature would indicate a thermic temperature regime, this and other climatic characteristics are from available local climatic data and preliminary SCS data.

3. Mineralogy -- assumed mixed, no indication otherwise.

4. Particle size class -- fine-loamy based on hydrometer and field estimate of 43 to 94 cm control section.

5. Xeric moisture regime -- assumption based on vegetation indicators and preliminary SCS moisture data.

5.1 The MCS is dry throughout from September 1 to December 1. It is moist throughout from January 15 to July 15.

5.2 The soil temperature exceeds 5 degrees C. January 1 to December 31 (365 days). Within this time period, the MCS is moist in some parts from February 1 to September 1 and from December 1 to January 1 (240 days).

5.3 The soil temperature exceeds 8.3 degrees C. from March 1 to December 1. Within this time period, the MCS is moist in some part from March 1 to September 1 (180 days).

ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon was sampled in July, 1986 for characterization at the NSSL. Sample number S86CA-27-3.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.