LOCATION MARSITE                 CA

Established Series
Rev: LJL/PBF/ET
11/2015

MARSITE SERIES

The Marsite series consists of shallow, and very shallow somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from basalt, andesite, rhyolite, breccia, or tuff. Marsite soils are on hills and mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: On Marsite-Haleburu complex, 15 to 50 percent slopes at an elevation of 3,429 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by 50 percent gravel, 35 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones.

A1 -- 0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine roots throughout; many very fine vesicular pores, few very fine and fine tubular pores; noneffervescent; 50 percent gravel, 35 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary.

A2 -- 2 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, very few fine and medium roots throughout; few very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; strongly effervescent; 5 percent cobbles and 60 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 2 to 8 inches.)

Bkqm -- 8 to 15 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moderately cemented duripan, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; very hard, extremely firm, brittle; thin laminar cap (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) slightly fractured; few very fine and fine roots in cracks; violently effervescent.

R -- 15 inches; hard, slightly fractured rhyolite.

TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 2,850 feet east and 1,500 feet north of the SW corner of sec. 31, T. 15 N., R. 1 E., 35 degrees, 21 minutes, and 07 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 55 minutes, and 02 seconds west longitude, Goldstone quadrangle; UTM 11S, 0507523e 3911876n (Datum: NAS-C).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 63 to 68 degrees F.

Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent

Surface rock fragments: 60 to 90 percent gravel, cobbles, and stones


Control section-
Depth to duripan: 4 to 14 inches

Depth to bedrock: 6 to 20 inches

Rock fragments: 50 to 90 percent.

Clay content: 8 to 12 percent.


A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist

Texture of the fine earth: fine sandy loam, sandy loam,
or loam

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent

Effervescence: noneffervescent to strongly effervescent

Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline


Bkqm horizon
Value: 6 to 8, dry or moist

Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist

Effervescence: strongly or violently effervescent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cline (T), Crosgrain (T), Gotchell (T), Greyeagle, Longjim and Tumarion (T) series. Cline, Gotchell, and Tumarion soils receive summer moisture, and the moisture control section is moist in some part for at least 20 days cumulative. Crosgrain, Greyeagle and Longjim soils do not have a duripan underlain by bedrock. In addition, Crosgrain and Greyeagle soils have an indurated layer greater than 10 and 16 inches thick, respectively; and Longjim soils are 14 to 20 inches to a duripan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Marsite soils are on hills and mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in residuum and colluvium from basalt, andesite, rhyolite, breccia, or tuff. Elevations are 3,000 to 4,500 feet. The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. Most precipitation comes in the winter but a significant portion is received following convection storms from July through September. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 7 inches. The mean annual temperature is 61 to 66 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 78 degrees F., and mean January temperature is about 42 degrees F. The frost-free season is 240 to 300 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Haleburu soils on similar landscape positions. Haleburu soils do not have a duripan.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very high runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Marsite soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, desert needlegrass, range ratney, shadscale, Anderson wolfberry and cottontop cactus.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Fort Irwin Soil Survey Area, 2000. The name is from a dish communications facility on NASA/JPL's Goldstone complex.

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

1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 8 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)

2. Duripan -- 8 to 15 inches (Bkqm horizon)

3. Lithic contact -- the zone beginning at 15 inches (R)

4. Particle-size control section -- 0 to 8 inches (A1 and
A2 horizons)

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 11/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2000. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.