LOCATION MONOLAKE CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB-AMB-TM-JVC
03/2017

MONOLAKE SERIES

The Monolake series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesite and tuff breccia with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. Monolake soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Monolake gravelly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 35 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 15 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.

A1--0 to 3 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 15 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and common very fine roots; few fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 45 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

A3--10 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and common very fine roots; common fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; 40 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bw1--25 to 33 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and common very fine to medium roots; few fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; 10 percent subangular cobbles and 30 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Bw2--33 to 41 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and common very fine to medium roots; common fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; 20 percent subangular cobbles and 40 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

Bw3--41 to 64 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; 5 percent faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent subangular cobbles and 40 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

R--64 to 89 cm; andesite bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; in the Bodie Hills about 2.9 kilometers southeast of Mount Biedeman; in a nonsectionized township; USGS Bodie 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 08 minutes 09.1 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 02 minutes 36.1 seconds W; WGS84 38.13585 latitude, -119.043369 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during winter and spring; usually dry July through early October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 41 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a lithic contact.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent;
Rock fragments: Averages 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles. Lithology of rock fragments is volcanic rock such as andesite or andesitic tuff.

A horizons
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 70 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.

Bw horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, extremely gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, very cobbly ashy coarse sandy loam, or extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 1 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 50 percent in very fine sand and fine sand fractions.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Donica and Searscanyon series.

Donica and Searscanyon soils are very deep and greater than 152 cm to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monolake soils are on hills and mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesite and tuff breccia with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. The probable sources of the volcanic ash are the Mono Craters and Long Valley Caldera in eastern California. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 2,000 to 2,700 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 350 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 40 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beartracker and Roadside soils. Beartracker soils are shallow to lithic contacts and do not have cambic horizons. Roadside soils are shallow to paralithic contacts and have argillic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Monolake soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, watershed and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, desert needlegrass, singleleaf pinyon, antelope bitterbrush, and Eriogonum sp.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, in the western part of the Great Basin. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.

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 the soil surface to 25 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 25 to 64 cm (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 64 cm (A1, A2, A3, Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 64 cm to underlying hard, unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy-skeletal substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 64 cm (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID: 2007CA051011.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.