LOCATION BURNLAKE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Humic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Burnlake extremely gravelly sandy loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 50 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
A2--2 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bw--17 to 26 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, common fine, common medium, and common coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 65 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (9 to 24 inches thick)
C--26 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, common fine, and common medium roots; common very fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 70 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 1 mile southwest of Pickett Peak; approximately 4,100 feet north and 2,275 feet west of the southeast corner of section 5, T. 10 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Carson Pass 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 44 minutes 46.1 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 54 minutes 46.7 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 - 59 to 62 degrees F.
Umbric epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to base of cambic horizon - 24 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 8 to 15 percent; Rock fragments: averages 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks such as granodiorite, volcanic rocks such as andesite, and minor metamorphic rocks such as quartzite.
A horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bw horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
C horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly loamy coarse sand.
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bearcamp, Brandypeak, Donegan, Freezeout, Goodwin, Nanny, Snowbrier, Tallac, and Undusk series.
Bearcamp soils are deep to lithic contacts. Brandypeak, Freezeout, and Snowbrier soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Donegan soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Goodwin soils are deep to paralithic contacts. Nanny soils have 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Tallac soils have umbric epipedons 20 to 35 inches thick, have a brittle manner of failure in some horizons, and do not have cambic horizons. Undusk soils have 18 to 25 percent clay and 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and have the upper 4 to 6 inches strongly influenced by volcanic ash.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Burnlake soils are on moraines. They formed in till derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 8 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 7,000 to 8,000 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 39 to 45 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 40 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alpineco and Hardtil soils. Alpineco soils are deep to lithic contacts, have saturation following snowmelt in spring, and occur on mountains. Hardtil soils are shallow to lithic contacts and occur on mountains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability (high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Burnlake soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of lodgepole pine, Jeffrey pine, white fir, and Sierra juniper with an understory of snowberry, mountain big sagebrush, currant, bluegrass, and sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 5,300 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:
Umbric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 17 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 17 to 26 inches (Bw horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bw horizon and parts of the A2 and C horizons).