LOCATION MILLNER CA
Established Series
Rev. DV-TAC-ET-MAV
06/2016
MILLNER SERIES
The Millner series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in gravelly alluvium from metasedimentary and metavolcanic rock sources. Millner soils are on alluvial fans, and have slopes of 5 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 12.7 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Millner very gravelly sandy loam - on a 5 percent west facing slope at 1,220 meters elevation under spiny hopsage, Fremont dalea, and Nevada ephedra vegetation. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described September, 1978 the soil was dry throughout. Surface is covered with 1 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, and 50 percent gravel.
A1--0 to 3 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine vesicular pores; 40 percent angular gravel, 10 percent angular cobbles, and 1 percent angular stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 cm thick).
A2--3 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine vesicular and common very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent angular gravel, 5 percent angular cobbles, and 1 percent angular stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 25 cm thick).
Ck--20 to 84 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent angular gravel, 10 percent angular cobbles and 5 percent angular stones; slightly effervescent with thin carbonate accumulations on undersides of rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (50 to 75 cm thick).
2C--84 to 107 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent angular gravel and 5 percent angular cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick).
3C--107 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cobbly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent angular gravel and 20 percent angular cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California. About 5.75 miles south of Hammil; 1,500 feet north and 2,600 feet east of southwest corner of Sec. 18, T. 4 S., R.33 E., M.D.B.M., White Mountain Peak quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 35 minutes 50 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 22 minutes 51 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.5972222 latitude, -118.3808333 longitude.
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RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is usually dry from the about April 30 to November 30, and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. Aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric. The soil temperature is above 8.3 degrees C. from about March 1 to December 15, but is rarely below 5 degrees C. The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 17.2 degrees C. The surface pavement covers 35 to 60 percent of the soil surface, with 0 to 5 percent stones. The soil is slightly or moderately alkaline. Electrical conductivity is 0 to 2 dS/m.
The A horizon color is 10YR 8/3, 7/3 or 6/3, and moist color is 10YR 6/3, 5/3, 4/3; or 2.5Y 4/2. Rock fragment content ranges from 15 to 60 percent with 0 to 5 percent angular stones, 1 to 20 percent angular cobbles, and 5 to 40 percent angular gravel. Textures are gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam or stony sandy loam. The organic carbon content is 0.15 to 0.3 percent.
The C horizon color is 10YR 7/3, 6/3 or 6/4, and moist color is 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 4/3, 4/4 or 2.5Y 4/2. Rock fragment content averages 35 to 60 percent in the textural control section with 0 to 10 percent angular stones, 5 to 30 percent angular cobbles and 5 to 50 percent angular gravel. Textures are stratified sandy loam, very gravelly or very cobbly sandy loam and fine sandy loam, or cobbly sandy loam. The C horizon is slightly or strongly effervescent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Yermo series in another family. Yermo soils are aridic and are dry for more than 3/4 of the time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Millner soils are on alluvial fans and have slopes of 5 to 15 percent. Many of these fans are dissected with small shallow washes and drainages. Narrow stringers of angular stones and cobbles radiate down the fans from the canyon mounts. The soils formed in alluvium from metasedimentary and metavolcanic rock sources. Elevations range from 4,400 to 5,500 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, some as snow. Mean January temperature is about 1.7 degrees C.; mean July temperature is about 23.8 degrees C. The mean annual temperature is 11.2 to 13.3 degrees C. Frost-free season is 150 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the
Yermo soil. Yermo soils have an aridic moisture regime, are dry for more than 75 percent of the time and are on alluvial fans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability. These soils flood rarely in summer.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used principally for grazing, wildlife habitat, and gravel extraction. Vegetation is mainly spiny hopsage, Fremont dalea, Nevada ephedra and desert needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central California. The soils are of moderate extent in MLRA-29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Mono County, California; Benton-Owens Valley Soil Survey, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 18 cm (A1 and part of the A2 horizons)
1.1 Color values for the surface do not meet mollic color criteria (10YR 8/3, 7/3, 6/3).
Other Soil Characteristics:
1. The soil lacks a subsurface diagnostic horizon because: no clay films, structure, or well defined layer of segregated lime.
2. Organic carbon content is assumed to be less than 0.6 percent and is assumed to decrease regularly with depth.
3. Mixed mineralogy is assumed. Calcareous family due to effervescence throughout control section.
4. Particle-size control section is loamy-skeletal (greater than 35 percent rock fragments by volume). Textural analysis using the hydrometer method employed; stone, cobble, and coarse gravel content estimated by visual inspection; finer gravel content determined using number 10 sieve.
5. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric - estimated using Thornthwaite water balance method on local meteorological data, limited soil moisture data and vegetation indicators.
6. MAP is 6 to 8 inches - determined by extrapolating between weather stations, taking topographical influences into account and using vegetation as indicators.
7. The soil temperature regime is on the cool end of thermic. This is extrapolated from actual soil temperature data over the past years using 12 month averages and Rod Arkley's formula.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.