LOCATION CALLAT CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic Xeric Humicryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Callat gravelly coarse sandy loam on a southwest facing (210 degree), 12 percent slope at an elevation of 2,533 meters. Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.
Oi--0 to 1 cm; slightly decomposed plant material; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)
A1--1 to 10 cm; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; many pores; 2 percent subangular stones, 3 percent subangular cobbles, and 25 percent subangular gravel; moderately acid, pH 6.0; clear smooth boundary.
A2--10 to 25 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; many pores; 5 percent subangular cobbles, 5 percent subangular stones, and 30 percent subangular gravel; strongly acid, pH 5.4; clear smooth boundary.
AC--25 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very stony coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; many pores; 10 percent subangular cobbles, 10 percent subangular stones, and 30 percent subangular gravel; strongly acid, pH 5.4; clear smooth boundary. (the combined thickness of the A horizons is 20 to 51 cm thick)
C--38 to 64 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very stony coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; many pores; 10 percent subangular cobbles, 10 percent subangular stones and 30 percent subangular gravel; moderately acid, pH 5.8; abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 38 cm thick)
Cd--64 to 150 cm; pale olive (5Y 6/3) extremely stony coarse sandy loam, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots in cracks; 10 percent subangular stones, 15 percent subangular cobbles, and 35 percent subangular gravel; moderately acid, pH 5.9.
TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California, NW 1/4 of Section 16, Township 12 N., Range 17 E., 38 degrees, 53 minutes, 22 seconds North latitude and 120 degrees, 6 minutes, 32 seconds West longitude, NAD83 - U.S.G.S. Quad: Emerald Bay, California.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: usually dry for 45 to 75 consecutive days in late summer, moist rest of year these soils have a xeric moisture regime.
Surface rock fragment content:
0 to 30 percent consisting predominantly of gravel and cobble
Organic matter: as high as 10 percent in the surface and dropping of to less than 1 in C horizon.
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid
Base saturation: Averages less than 50% in the A horizons yet individual horizons may be higher. It is typically higher in the surface and dropping off lower in the profile then jumping back up in the less weathered Cd horizon. The Cd horizon typically has a base saturation of 75 to 95 percent. (By amonium acetate)
Control section:
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent, with 20 to 35 percent gravel, 15 to 30 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones.
Clay content: averages .5 to 10 percent clay
Mineralogy: isotic
A horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: Coarse sandy loam or sandy loam
Rock fragments: 23 to 50 percent
20 to 35 percent gravel
1 to 15 percent cobbles
0 to 5 percent stones
C horizon(s):
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 through 6 dry; 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: Coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent
20 to 35 percent gravel
5 to 30 percent cobbles
5 to 15 percent stones
Cd horizon(s):
Hue: 5Y, 2.5Y, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry; 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: Coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent
25 to 45 percent gravel
10 to 35 percent cobbles
5 to 15 percent stones
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fishsnooze, Florand, Forsell, Lostridge, Sibelia, Sonorapass, and Sumeadow soils. Fishsnooze soils are 50 to 100 cm deep to hard bedrock and has a clay content of 12 to 18 percent. Florand soils are 100 to 150 cm to soft bedrock. Forsell soils are greater than 150 cm deep. Lostridge soils are 50 to 100 cm to weathered tuff and have a clay content of 12 to 18 percent. Sibelia soils are 100 to 150 cm to soft bedrock. Sonorapass soils are 50 to 100 cm to hard granodiorite and have a clay content of 10 to 18 percent. Sumeadow soils do not have a densic layer within 150 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Callat soils are on mountains. Slopes range from 9 to 50 percent. These soils formed in colluvium over glacial till derived from volcanic rock. Elevation is 1945 to 2910 meters. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cold wet winters. The mean annual precipitation is 940 to 1550 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is 3 to 6 degrees C. The frost free season is 25 to 75 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Glenalpine and Rockbound soils. The Glenalpine soils are very deep to dense till and are on steeper (greater than 50% slopes). The Rockbound soils are less than 25 centimeters deep to lithic contact and are on glacial erosional surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderately rapid permeability above the densic contact, high runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife and recreation. Vegetation is lodgepole and western white pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Callat soils are of minor extent in California in MLRA 22A -- Sierra Nevada Mountains
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: El Dorado County, (Tahoe Basin area), California. The name is coined.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 28 to 64 cm, parts of the AC and the C horizon.
Umbric Epipedon: 3 to 38 cm, the A1, A2 and Ac horizons
Densic Contact: 64 cm, the Cd horizon