LOCATION NOMISURVAY CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB-AMB-JBF-TM
04/2017

NOMISURVAY SERIES

The Nomisurvay consists of very shallow or shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Nomisurvay soils are on hills. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 330 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Nomisurvay very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 40 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones.

A--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles and 40 percent gravel; slightly acid, (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 38 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 1 percent cobbles and 30 percent gravel; neutral, (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt2--13 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 25 percent gravel; neutral, (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Cr--25 to 53 cm; weathered andesite bedrock.

R--53 cm; Indurated andesite bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; about 1.4 kilometers southeast of Paynesville; about 2,400 feet south and 740 feet east of the northwest corner, section 20, T. 11 N., R. 20 E.; Woodfords USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 48 minutes 7.9 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 46 minutes 2.2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.8021944 latitude, -119.7672778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry in the moisture control section; moist fall, winter and spring; usually dry July through early October; aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 36 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 18 to 36 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered volcanic rock. Hard bedrock is typically within 50 to 76 cm of the soil surface.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of rock fragments is volcanic rock such as andesite or tuff breccia.

Bt horizon
Texture: Gravelly sandy loam, gravelly sandy clay loam or gravelly loam.
Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arclay, Crawley, Luppino, Siscab and Wedekind series.

Arclay, Crawley and Siscab soils have more than 27 percent clay in their Bt horizons. In addition Crawley and Siscab soils have rock fragments dominated by 2 to 5 mm diameter gravel. Luppino soils are 30 to 50 cm to paralithic materials and have rock fragments dominated by 2 to 5 mm diameter gravel. Wedekind soils are 25 to 50 cm to paralithic materials and lack a lithic contact within 50 to 75 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nomisurvay soils are on hills. They typically occur on summit, shoulder or backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,525to 1,800 meters. The climate is semi-arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 360 cm, mean annual temperature is 8 to 9 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 70 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Devada and Squirdirt series. Devada soils have more than 35 percent clay in their particle-size control section and have lithic material within 50 cm. Squirdirt soils have paralithic material at more than 152 cm, have a mollic epipedon more than 50 cm thick, and have a frigid soil temperature regime.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Nomisurvay soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, watershed and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, Thurber's needlegrass and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, east of the Sierra Nevada Range. 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 (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 25 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic material - The boundary at 25 cm to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 53 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 25 cm (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.