LOCATION WAFORD CA

Established Series
Rev: HVB/ET/JJJ/MAV
06/2017

WAFORD SERIES

The Waford series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in lacustrine sediments high in volcanic ash with a mantle of more recent volcanic ash. Waford soils are on nearly level to gently sloping lake terraces and have slopes of 2 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitrandic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Waford sand on a 3 percent south slope at 1,980 meters elevation under Utah juniper, Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush and Indian ricegrass. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on August 28, 1979, the soil was dry throughout).

A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 2 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--8 to 20 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 2 percent gravel, slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

C1--20 to 38 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium, few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

C2--38 to 58 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium, few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

2Bqkm--58 to 104 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) weakly cemented sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine vesicular pores; 40 percent strong cementation and 60 percent weak cementation; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (38 to 50 cm thick)

3C1--104 to 130 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 30 cm thick)

3C2--130 to 152 cm; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) gravelly sand, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; single grain, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; about 6.5 miles east of Highway 395, 75 feet north of poleline road and 50 feet west of Cottonwood Canyon-Bodie Road, about 200 feet south and 2,500 feet east of the northwest corner of Sec. 31, T. 3 N., R. 27 E.; USGS Negit Island 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 04 minutes 57 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 02 minutes 28 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.0825000 latitude, -119.0411111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the cemented stratified lacustrine sediments is 50 to 100 cm. The soil from about 28 to 69 cm is dry throughout from about May 23 to November 26. It is moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. from about April 1 to December 27 (271 days). The soil temperature exceeds 8.3 degrees C. from about April 15 to November 20 (220 days). Summer thunderstorms occur, but are sporadic and usually do not wet the moisture control section. Aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric. The mean annual soil temperature is 8.3 to 11 degrees C. Ash content is 30 to 60 percent by weight in the A and upper C horizons, and 30 to 50 percent in the stratified lake sediments.

The A horizon color is 10YR 6/3 or 6/2. Moist color is 10YR 5/3, 5/2, 4/3, 4/2, 3/3 or 3/2. Textures are sand and loamy sand. It contains 2 to 5 percent fine gravel and is neutral to moderately alkaline.

The C horizon color is 10YR 7/2 or 7/3. Moist color is 10YR 5/2 or 5/3. Textures are fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It has 5 to 15 percent gravel. Reaction is moderately to strongly alkaline.

The 2Bqk horizon color is 2.5Y 7/2 or 7/3. Moist color is 2.5Y 5/2, 5/3 or 6/3. It is stratified with layers of strongly cemented and weakly cemented loamy sand, sandy loam and fine sandy loam. It commonly contains fractured tufa layers 2mm to 5 mm thick. It contains 0 to 10 percent gravel. Reaction is moderately to very strongly alkaline.

The 3C horizon color is 2.5Y 6/2 or 6/3; 5Y 6/2 or 6/3 and moist color is 2.5Y 4/2, 5/2, or 5/3; 5Y 4/3 or 5/3. Textures are stratified gravelly sand and very gravelly loamy sand. This horizon contains 10 to 50 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. Reaction is slightly to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on lake terraces at elevations of 1,955 to 2,170 meters. Slopes are 2 to 4 percent. The soils formed in rhyolitic volcanic ash that was aerially deposited over finer textured stratified lakebed sediments and tufa. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, much of it as snow in the winter. The mean annual temperature is 7.2 to 10 degrees C. The mean January temperature is about -1 degrees C.; the mean July temperature is about 19.4 degrees C. The frost-free season is about 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Deepwell soil. Deepwell soils do not have the duric horizon and the lacustrine subsoil. Deepwell soils are on dunes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is Utah juniper, Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, inland saltgrass and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Mono Lake Basin in east-central California. The soils are of small extent in MLRA 26.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES PROPOSED: Mono County, California; Benton-Owens Valley Area Soil Survey, 1994.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the profile are:

1. Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 inches (A1 and part of the A2 horizons)

2. Vitrandic properties

2.1 The particle size of the upper 75 cm of the soil is 40 to 70 percent .02 to 2 mm.

3. Duripan The zone from 58 to 104 cm. (2Bqk)

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.