LOCATION ROVANA CA
Established Series
Rev. DV-ET-MAV
06/2016
ROVANA SERIES
The Rovana series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in granitic alluvium with a component of volcanic ash. Rovana soils are on alluvial fans, fan terraces, and valley floors and have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Rovana gravelly loamy coarse sand - on a 7 percent southeast slope at 1,722 meters elevation under big sage and desert bitterbrush vegetation. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described June 25, 1979 the soil was dry throughout. The soil surface is partially covered with 30 percent of fine granitic gravel.
A1--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grained; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick)
A2--8 to 30 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak, medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots and few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); diffuse smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
C--30 to 117 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; 30 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; numerous very gravelly strata present, 1 to 3 cm thick containing 35 to 60 percent fine granitic gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (51 to 97 cm thick)
Cq--117 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard to very hard and weakly silica-cemented in some parts, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California. About 6 miles west-southwest of the Manzanar Airport; 20 feet north of dirt road; 1.300 feet north and 3,100 feet west of the southeast corner of section 14, T.14 S., R.34 E.; USGS Manzanar 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 42 minutes 49 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 14 minutes 52 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 36.7136111 latitude, -118.2477778 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil between depths of 25 to 102 cm is usually dry from about May 15 to November 15, and is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature is above 5 degrees C from about April 15 to December 20 and above 8.3 degrees C from about April 15 to November 30. The mean annual soil temperature is 12.8 to 15 degrees C. In some areas the soil contains up to 25 percent rhyolitic volcanic ash by weight. The soil is slightly acid or neutral.
The A horizon color is 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 6/2, 6/3 or 7/2. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2 or 4/3. Textures are loamy sand or gravelly loamy coarse sand. Rock fragment content ranges from 5 to 35 percent with 5 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones. The organic carbon content is 0.35 to 0.60 percent.
The C horizon color is 10YR 5/4 or 6/3. Moist color is 10YR 4/2, 4/3 or 5/2. Textures are stratified loamy coarse sand, gravelly coarse sand and gravelly loamy coarse sand, with some thin very gravelly lenses present. In some pedons the lower C horizon is very cobbly loamy coarse sand. Rock fragment content ranges from 5 to 50 percent (averaging 5 to 35 percent between 25 and 102 cm depth) with 5 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Emberton, Fadol,
Feltham and
Tindahay series. Emberton soils have a bedrock at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Fadol soils have weak silica cementation and 10 to 20 percent durinodes in the B horizon. Feltham and Tindahay soils are calcareous.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils occur on alluvial fans, fan terraces, and valley floors. They formed in alluvium from predominantly granitic rock sources. In some areas, a moderate amount of rhyolitic volcanic ash is present in the soil. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The elevation ranges from 1,375 to 1,895 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 300 mm; aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric. The mean January temperature is about 1.1 degrees C; the mean July temperature is about 22.2 degrees C. The mean annual temperature is 8.3 to 13.9 degrees C. The frost-free season is 130 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Brantel(T),
Ulymeyer, and
Bairs(T) soils. Brantel soils have ashy particle-size control sections and are on alluvial fans, fan terraces, hills and mountain uplands. Ulymeyer soils have sandy-skeletal particle-size control sections and are on alluvial fans and fan terraces. Bairs soils have loamy-skeletal argillic horizons and are on alluvial fans and fan terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow or medium runoff; rapid permeability. Floods rarely in the summer.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing, wildlife habitat, and some recreation. The vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, and desert needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central California. The soils are of small extent. MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Inyo 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).
2. Textures coarser than loamy very fine sand throughout the profile. Very gravelly strata are present in the 25 to 100 cm control section.
3. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric. M.A.P. is 20 to 30 cm.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.