LOCATION CRISPY                  CA+NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB/JVC/JBF
03/2017

CRISPY SERIES

The Crispy series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from metamorphic rocks. Crispy soils are on mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 480 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Crispy very gravelly loam - forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones.

A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

A2--5 to 18 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bt--18 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and few distinct clay films lining pores; 50 percent gravel; 10 percent paragravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Cr--38 to 63 cm; weathered and fractured schist.

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2.5 miles southwest of the town of Walker; approximately 2,400 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 6, T. 7 N., R. 23 E.; USGS Chris Flat 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 28 minutes 47.5 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 29 minutes 47.2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.4798611 latitude, -119.4964444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from July through early October for 75 to 90 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 36 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 36 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent. Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly medium and coarse gravel (5 to 75 mm diameter). Lithology of fragments are metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Pararock fragments: 5 to 15 percent paragravel or parachanners.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cucamungo, Grandridge, Pinew, Pinwheeler, Quopant, and Trailamp series.

Cucamungo and Grandridge soils are dominated by fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter) of granitic lithology in the particle-size control section. Pinew soils have rock fragments which are volcanic rocks and have paralithic materials of weathered tuff or andesite in the series control section. Pinwheeler soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Quopant soils have 2C horizons below the argillic horizon and have paralithic materials of weathered ash-flow tuff in the series control section. Trailamp soils are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline, have paralithic contacts at depths of 18 to 36 cm, have paralithic materials of siltstone or shale, and are intermittently moist due to summer convection storms.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crispy soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,680 to 2,110 meters. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 350 to 600 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canfire and Chrisflat soils along with the competing Pinew soil. Canfire soils are shallow to lithic contact and have a mesic temperature regime. Chrisflat soils are very deep and have thick mollic epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderate permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Crispy soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon with an understory of antelope bitterbrush, mountain big sagebrush, currant, and bluegrass. Some areas have scattered Jeffrey pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California and western Nevada, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 1,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 22A and 26.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono 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 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (Bt horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 38 cm to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (Bt horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.