LOCATION ULYMEYER CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Ulymeyer gravelly loamy coarse sand - on a 7 percent north slope at 5,000 feet elevation under blackbrush, big sagebrush, and Douglas rabbitbrush vegetation. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described October 12, 1978, the soil was dry throughout.
Surface coverage of rock fragments; 3 percent boulders, 5 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, and 25 percent pebbles.
A--0 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent stones and boulders, 5 percent cobbles, and 25 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 14 inches thick)
C1--12 to 27 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very stony loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent stones and boulders, 25 percent cobbles, and 5 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C2--27 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely stony loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent stones and boulders, 20 percent cobbles, and 20 percent pebbles, slightly acid (pH 6.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California. About 2.5 miles south-east of Rovana in Round Valley; 30 feet northeast of dirt power line road; 1,100 feet south and 2,000 feet east of the northwest corner of section 33, T.6 S., R.31 E., M.D.B.M., Mount Tom quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth of the soil is 60 inches or more. The mean annual soil temperature is 57 to 59 degrees F. These soils are usually dry from about May 30 to November 15, and are usually moist in some or all parts the rest of the time. The soil temperature is above 41 degrees F from about April 1 to December 20, and is above 47 degrees F from about April 15 to November 30. The mean annual soil temperature is 53 to 59 degrees F. Rock fragments tend to be rounded or have rounded edges. The surface rock fragment coverage ranges from 30 to 60 percent with 3 to 15 percent boulders, 5 to 20 percent stones, 1 to 20 percent cobbles, and 20 to 30 percent pebbles. Some boulders exceed 6 feet in diameter. The soil is slightly acid or neutral.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/2 or 6/4, and moist color of 10YR 3/3, 3/4, 4/2, 4/3 or 4/4. Rock fragment content ranges from 15 to 35 percent with 3 to 10 percent boulders and stones, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 10 to 25 percent pebbles. The organic carbon content is 0.3 to 0.6 percent.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/3, 7/4; or 2.5Y 7/2 and moist color of 10YR 3/3, 4/3, 4/4 or 5/2. Rock fragment content ranges from 35 to 80 percent with 10 to 50 percent boulders and stones, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, and 5 to 25 percent pebbles. Textures are very or extremely stony loamy coarse sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burbank, Crunkvar, Doowak, Sheeprock, Skaha and Wrango series. Burbank, Doowak, Sheeprock and Wrango soils are effervescent in some or all parts and have Ck or Ckq horizons. Crunkvar soils have mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 57 degrees F. Skaha soils have soil temperatures of 47 to 55 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ulymeyer soils formed on recent bouldery granitic alluvial fans and fan terraces. Many of theses fans and fan terraces are part of long aprons along mountain range fronts. They are dissected with some shallow washes and drainageways. Slopes are 5 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 4,800 to 6,400 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches; The mean January temperature is about 33 degrees F; mean July temperature is about 72 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free season is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Haar Family, Rovana(T), and Bairs(T) soils. Haar family soils are shallow loamy soils over granitic bedrock on hillsides and mountain plateaus. Rovana soils have sandy control sections on alluvial fans and fan terraces. Bairs soils have argillic horizons and are on bouldery alluvial fans and fan terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used principally for grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly big sagebrush and desert needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California. The soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
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 12 inches (A)
1.1 Organic carbon content for the surface soil does not meet mollic criteria even when colors do (modal site at 10 inches - 0.34 percent 0.C and 10YR 5/3 dry soil colors).
1.2 Color values for the surface soil do not meet mollic criteria in many pedons (10YR 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 5/4).
Other Soil Characteristics:
1. The soil lacks a subsurface diagnostic horizon because: no clay films, no segregated lime, no structure.
2. Organic carbon content is less than 0.6 percent and is assumed to decrease regularly with depth.
3. Mixed mineralogy is assumed.
4. Particle-size control section is sandy-skeletal (more than 35 percent rock fragments by volume). Boulder, stone, and cobble content estimated by visual inspection; gravel content determined using number 10 sieve; mechanical textural analysis done in field lab.
5. The soil moisture regime is aridic-bordering-on-xeric; estimated using Thornthwaite water balance method on local meteorological data, soil moisture data, and vegetation indicators. MAP is 8 to 12 inches - determined by extrapolating between weather stations and using vegetation and elevations as indicators.
6. The soil temperature regime is on the warm end of mesic. MAST is 53 to 59 degrees F. This is extrapolated from actual soil temperature data over the past years using 12 month averages and Rod Arkley's formula.
The graph below is a representation of the moisture control section.
MONTHS: J F M A M J J A S O N D
DAYS: |...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|
DRY
THROUGHOUT |...|...|...|...|...<.....165 days........>.|...|
MONTHS: J F M A M J J A S O N D
DAYS: |...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|
MOIST IN
SOME ORALL<.....200days.....>.|...|...|...|...|...|.<....>
PARTS
EXCEEDS 41
DEGREES F. |...|...|...<.............260days.............>|
EXCEEDS 47
DEGREES F. |...|...|...|.<...........225days..........>...|