LOCATION BUGGIN CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, shallow Xeric Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Buggin extremely bouldery loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 15 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely bouldery loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 20 percent boulders; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
A2--2 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 10 inches; 70 percent brown (10YR 5/3) and 30 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, 70 percent dark brown (10YR 3/3) and 30 percent brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 65 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Cr--10 to 16 inches; weathered granitic rock.
R--16 inches; hard granitic rock.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 0.6 mile north of Coyote Valley; approximately 2,150 feet north and 1,000 feet west of the southeast corner of section 5, T. 7 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Lost Cannon Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 28 minutes 53.1 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 34 minutes 50.0 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from mid-July through September for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 52 to 59 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 14 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 14 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock. Hard, unweathered rock is within 25 inches of the soil surface.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 3 to 8 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 80 percent, mainly fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) pebbles. Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks such as granodiorite.
A1 horizon - Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2 moist.
Organic matter content: 5 to 8 percent.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.
A2 horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 3 to 6 percent.
Texture: Very gravelly loamy coarse sand or extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.
Bw horizon (when present) - Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam or very gravelly loamy coarse sand.
Clay content: 8 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Buggin soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from granitic rock. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 8,000 to 11,000 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 30 to 45 inches, mean annual temperature is 35 to 40 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shalgran, Sofgran, and Temo soils. Shalgran soils have a frigid soil temperature regime. Sofgran soils are very deep with a paralithic contact at 60 to 80 inches. Temo soils are sandy and have less than 60 percent base saturation in all horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; high or very high surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Buggin soils are used for rangeland, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly curl-leaf mountain mahogany, snowberry, mountain big sagebrush, and needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 2,200 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 22A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alpine County (Toiyabe National Forest Area), California, 2006.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 inches (A1, A2, and Bw horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 10 inches to underlying soft weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 10 inches (A1, A2, and Bw horizons).