LOCATION RANCHERIA CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB-JBF-TM-JVC
06/2017

RANCHERIA SERIES

The Rancheria series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. Rancheria soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, frigid, shallow Vitrandic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Rancheria very gravelly ashy loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 45 percent 2 to 5 millimeter gravel, 10 percent 5 to 75 millimeter gravel, and 3 percent boulders.

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent subangular 2 to 5 millimeter gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine to coarse roots and common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 35 percent subangular 2 to 5 millimeter gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--25 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 40 percent subangular 2 to 5 millimeter gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Cr--38 to 43 cm; weathered granite bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; in the Bodie Hills about 1.9 kilometers east of Conway Summit; approximately 427 meters north and 61 meters west of the southeast corner of section 25, T. 3 N., R. 25 E.; USGS Lundy 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 05 minutes 14.1 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 09 minutes 36.9 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.0872500 latitude, -119.1602500 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during fall, winter, and spring; usually dry July through early October; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 50 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon and may include the Bt2 horizon in some pedons.
Depth to bedrock: 36 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly 2 to 5 millimeter diameter gravel. Lithology of rock fragments is granite or granodiorite.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 or 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 70 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.

Bt1 and Bt2 horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 dry in Bt1 horizon, 5 or 6 dry in Bt2 horizon; 3 moist in Bt1 horizon, 3 or 4 moist in the Bt2 horizon.
Texture: Very gravelly ashy sandy loam or very gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, dominantly 2 to 5 mm gravel.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent; may be less than 1 percent in the Bt2 horizon in some pedons.
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 Adamatt, Crazybird, Dawgbuffer, and Epvip series.

All of these soils are dominated by gravel more than 5 millimeters in diameter and have paralithic material of weathered andesitic rock in the series control section. In addition, Crazybird and Epvip soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section and Dawgbuffer soils are 18 to 36 cm to a paralithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rancheria soils are on hills and mountains. They typically occur on shoulder or backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks 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 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 2,075 to 2,595 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 360 to 410 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Rattlegulch and Sinnacut soils. Rattlegulch soils have paralithic material within 18 to 36 cm of the soil surface and have an aridic moisture regime. Sinnacut soils have mollic epipedons more than 50 cm thick and have bedrock within 50 to 100 cm of the soil surface.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rancheria soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, western needlegrass, Thurber's needlegrass, Indian ricegrass, and currant.

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 (A and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 38 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 38 cm to underlying weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy-skeletal substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 5 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.