LOCATION CHAWANAKEE              CA

Established Series
Rev. RCH/LCL/GHL/TCD/DRG/AEC/AGB/TKK/JW
03/2023

CHAWANAKEE SERIES

The Chawanakee series consists of shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in material weathered from granitic rock. Chawanakee soils are on mountains and hills and have slopes of 2 to 110 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 890 mm and the mean annual temperature is 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, mesic, shallow Typic Dystroxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Chawanakee coarse sandy loam - on a south facing slope of 50 percent under ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and Jeffrey pine, at 1720 meters elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on May 12, 1981 the soil was moist throughout).

Oi--0 to 1 cm; discontinuous layer of partially decomposed pine needles and twigs.

A--1 to 11 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; 8 percent clay; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; many fine interstitial, common fine and medium tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--11 to 48 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; 10 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, many medium, common coarse roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 45 cm thick)

Cr--48 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) highly weathered granodiorite.

TYPE LOCATION: Madera County, California; Sierra National Forest; about 1.9 km (1.2 miles; airline) northeast of Minarets Work Center; about 50 meters uphill of Forest Road 4S81 (Minarets Road), approximately 2 km (1.3 miles) north of the junction with Forest Road 6S01; SE 1/4, NW 1/4, sec. 10, T. 6 S., R. 24 E., MDBM. USGS 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle: Shuteye Peak; WGS84 37.4230946 latitude and -119.3350881 longitude; UTM Zone 11 293374 meters East, 4144368 meters North, NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature just above the contact is 8 to 15 degrees C. The soils have a mesic temperature regime.

Soil Moisture: The soil between 20 cm and the paralithic contact is dry from about June to October and moist in some or all parts the rest of the year. The soils have a xeric moisture regime.

Diagnostic Feature(s):
Ochric epipedon thickness: 7 to 18 cm
Cambic horizon thickness: 15 to 40 cm
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 50 cm

Particle size control section weighted-averages:
Clay content: 4 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent

Reaction: strongly to slightly acid throughout the profile.

Base saturation by ammonium acetate is 60 to 70 percent in the A horizon and 50 to 60 percent below.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry; 3 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, coarse sandy loam
Clay content: 4 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent
5 to 35 percent gravel
0 to 30 percent cobbles

Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry; 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, coarse sandy loam
Clay content: 4 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent
5 to 35 percent gravel
0 to 30 percent cobbles

A C horizon, that can include loamy sand textures, is present in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Maymen (MLRAs 5 and 15) series. Maymen soils formed in residuum from metamorphic and/or sedimentary rocks and have sandy clay loam, loam or silt loam textures in the Bw horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chawanakee soils are on summit, shoulder, and upper backslope positions on ridges, mountain slopes, and hill slopes. Slopes are 2 to 110 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from quartz diorite and granodiorite low in mafic minerals. Elevations are 495 to 2,250 meters. The climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 635 to 2350 mm, of which 2 to 30 percent occurs as snow. Mean January air temperature is about 4 degrees C; mean July air temperature is about 21 degrees C; mean annual air temperature is 8 to 16 degrees C. Frost-free season is about 120 to 260 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bonneyridge, Chaix, Holland, Hotaw, Musick, and Shaver soils, all of which are greater than 50 cm to a paralithic contact. Bonneyridge, Chaix, and Hotaw soils occur on similar positions on ridges and mountain slopes. Holland and Shaver soils occur on backslope positions of mountain slopes. Musick soils occur on stable summits, backslopes and ridges.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; moderately high to high saturated hydraulic conductivity throughout the soil. Saturated hydraulic conductivity of the bedrock is moderately low to high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for timber production, wildlife, recreation and watershed. Native vegetation is a dense woody cover of shrubs and semi-open cover of mixed conifers; principal shrubs are mountain misery, whiteleaf manzanita and buckbrush; principal trees are ponderosa pine, incense cedar, California black oak and canyon live oak.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Mountains of California; MLRA 22A. The soils are extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sierra National Forest Area, Fresno County, California, 1972.

REMARKS:

Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 25 to 48 cm

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon 0 to 11 cm
Cambic horizon 11 to 48 cm
Paralithic contact 48 cm

The type location was moved from Fresno to Madera County (both within the Sierra National Forest Area, CA750) after sampling by The National Soil Survey Laboratory revealed that the original pedon (S1977CA019002) classified as a Mollisol after mixing the upper 18 cm. That pedon has since been correlated as a taxadjunct to the Chawanakee series.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS User Pedon ID: 1983CA039001

No laboratory data are available for this soil

Soil classified using the 13th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.