LOCATION YELLOWROCK CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, thermic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Yellowrock very gravelly loamy sand, on a 2 percent slope under creosotebush at 1,300 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described the soil was dry throughout.) Seventy percent of the surface is covered with a layer of gravel 2 mm to 3 cm.
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine interstitial pores; 70 percent 2 mm to 2 cm pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
C1--3 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable,; many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent 2 mm to 1 cm pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
2C2--10 to 19 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy sand with numerous 2 to 10 mm lenses of sand, gravelly sand, and gravelly loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; loose; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent 2 mm to 1 cm pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
3C3--19 to 24 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, with thin lenses of very gravelly loamy sand and sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose; many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent 2 mm to 1 cm pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
4C4--24 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; loose; common very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent 2 mm to 2 cm pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California, Saline Valley; about 1/2 mile east of Saline Valley Road and 10 feet south of the dune road to Warm Springs. NE1/4 of SE1/4 section 36, T.14 S., R.38 E., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are slightly to strongly effervescent below a depth of 1 inch and moderately to very strongly alkaline. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from approximately 59 to 70 degrees F. Clay averages 5 to 10 percent and rock fragments average 15 to 35 percent in the particle size control section. Some thin lenses between the depths of 10 and 40 inches contain 35 to 60 percent gravel but average less than 35 percent. These soils are dry in all parts from May through November. The soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. from March to December and is moist in some part from mid-March to May when the soil temperature is above 47 degrees F.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 7/1, 7/2, 7/3, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4 or 7/3; 2.5Y 7/2 or 7/3 and moist colors of 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 5/2, 5/3 or 4/3; 2.5Y 6/2, 5/2 or 5/4. It is gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly loamy sand, very bouldery loamy sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand or sand. Rock fragments consist of 0 to 50 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 20 percent stone and boulders. E.C. range from 0 to 16 and ESP ranges from 0 to 30.
The C horizon is similar in color and texture to the A horizon. E.C. ranges from 0 to 16 and ESP ranges from 0 to 100. Some pedons have 1 to 60 ppm of boron. Differences between layers indicate frequent deposition. The organic matter content is very low and does not vary appreciably with depth. The 10 to 40 inch zone is sand or loamy sand. The C horizon tends to be stratified with lenses of sand, gravelly sand and loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Amole and Orwash series in the same family. Amole soils are moist within the moisture control section during July and August. Orwash soils are dominantly coarse sand with 2 to 5 mm pebbles and have soil temperatures of 59 to 63 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Yellowrock soils are on alluvial fans fan terraces and flood plains. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed from alluvium of mixed sources and in some aresa granitic sources. Elevations are 1,200 to 4,500 feet. The climate is arid with very hot, dry summers with infrequent thunder showers of short duration and mild slightly moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches. The mean annual temperature varies from 55 to 65 degrees F.; the mean January temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F.; and the mean July temperature is 80 to 90 degrees F. The frost free season varies from 150 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Bluewing, Cliffdown, and Yermo soils. Arizo and Bluewing soils are sandy, skeletal. Cliffdown and Yermo soils are loamy, skeletal. Bluewing and Cliffdown soils have mesic soil temperature.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very slow to slow runoff; rapid to moderately rapid permeability over rapid
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for wildlife habitat and recreation land. Natural vegetation is creotosebush, white bursage, and desert holly. Alkali areas have vegetation consisting of allscale saltbush, mojave seablite, and shadscale.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are mapped in the northern California Desert and are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Inyo County, California, Saline Valley Area, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - 0 to 3 inches.
Particle-size control section - 10 to 40 inches, sandy with some strata containing more than 35 percent rock fragments.