LOCATION MULESPRING CA
Established Series
Rev: LJL/PBF/ET
11/2015
MULESPRING SERIES
The Mulespring series consists of shallow to fractured bedrock, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from metamorphic materials. Mulespring soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 8 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 55 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: On Juratrias-Mulespring-Newera complex, 8 to 50 percent slopes at an elevation of 5,075 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 70 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles and a trace of stones.
A1 -- 0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine interstitial pores; 70 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles and trace stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.
A2 -- 3 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine interstitial and tubular pores; 60 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles and trace stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 2 to 10 inches).
Bt -- 6 to 18 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) extremely gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; many prominent discontinuous clay films on sand and gravel and ped faces; 80 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles and trace stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Cr -- 18 to 22 inches; partially decomposed fractured metamorphic bedrock; many distinct discontinuous clay films on rock fragments; clay loam filling fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 3.3 miles due east of Avawatz Pass in the Avawatz Mountains; 2,550 feet north and 1,700 feet east of the southwest corner of T. 17 N., R. 6 E., 35 degrees, 31 minutes, 09 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 23 minutes, 04 seconds west longitude; Avawatz Pass, Calif. 7.5 minute quadrangle; (UTM 11S, 0555801e 3930800n)
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: 55 to 59 degrees F.
Control section:
Depth to paralithic contact: 14 to 20 inches.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 60 to 85 percent, mainly gravel
Structure: moderate or strong, fine or medium
Consistence: moderately hard or hard, friable or firm,
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Cr horizon
Other features: less than 10 percent soil in fractures
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Blappert (NV),
Rodad (NV) and
Vindicator (NV) series. Blappert, Rodad and Vindicator soils are 4 to 14 inches to a paralithic contact and have between 35 and 60 percent rock fragments in the control section. In addition, Blappert and Vindicator soils have 18 to 27 percent clay in their control sections.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mulespring soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 8 to 50 percent. The soils formed in residuum and colluvium from metamorphic materials. Elevations are 3,900 to 5,900 feet. The climate is arid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 8 inches; mean annual air temperature is 54 to 57 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 200 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Juratrias soils. Juratrias soils are 4 to 10 inches to bedrock and have 6 to 15 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mulespring soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly blackbrush and spiny hopsage with some desert needlegrass, Nevada ephedra and Mojave yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California, confined to included areas of higher elevation in MLRA 30 with characteristics of MLRA 29. These soils are of small extent in MLRA 30.
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 nearby Mule Spring Fault.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 6 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
2. Argillic horizon -- 6 to 18 inches (Bt horizon)
3. Particle size control section -- 6 to 18 inches (Bt horizon)
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 11/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2000. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.