LOCATION CAGWIN CA+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Dystric Xeropsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Cagwin loamy coarse sand - woodland; on a 40 percent southwest facing slope under a cover of Jeffrey pine, white fir, and manzanita at 1981 meters elevation. (When described, August 8, 1968, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 3 cm; pine litter and duff; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--3 to 13 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy coase sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear smooth boundary.
A2--13 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the A horizons is 13 to 23 cm).
AC--23 to 33 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)
C--33 to 69 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear smooth boundary. (28 to 53 cm thick)
Cr--69 to 86 cm; white and gray (10YR 8/1, 10YR 5/1) weathered bedrock, very few very fine roots; strongly acid (pH 5.5).
TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California; about 0.8 mile east of National Forest boundary on High Meadow Road; approximately 0.7 mile E and 0.2 mile N of the SW corner of section 12, T.12N., R.18E, MDB&M
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
The soil moisture: the control section (30 to 89 cm or the paralithic contact) is usually moist, but is dry from mid July thru October 1 (75 days).
The mean annual soil temperature: 4.4 to 8.3 degrees C. The mean summer soil temperature in soils with less than 5 cm of 0 horizon is 10 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to a paralithic contact: 50 to 100 cm from the mineral soil surface.
Control section: the texture is coarse sand, sand, loamy coarse sand, or loamy sand.
These soils have ochric epipedons with mollic colors in the surface 13 to 23 cm.
The A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand or coarse sand.
Reaction: slightly to strongly acid.
The C horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand or coarse sand
Rock fragments: 5 to 40 percent gravel
Reaction: slightly through strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cassenai and Christopher soils. The Cassenai and Christopher soils do not have bedrock within 200 centimeters.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Cagwin soils are on mountain side slopes. Slopes range from 5 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from granite. Elevation ranges from 1524 to 2580 meters. The climate is humid with mean annual precipitation of 480 to 1400 millimeters, most of which falls as snow. The average annual temperature is 5 to 8 degrees C.; the mean January temperature is about -3 to -2 degrees C., and the mean July temperature is about 13 to 16 degrees C. Frost-free season is less than 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Toem and Cassenai soils. Toem soils are shallow to bedrock and Cassenai is very deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low to medium runoff; moderately rapid and rapid permeability above the paralithic contact.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for watershed, timber production and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is primarily semi-dense to dense stands of mixed conifers such as white fir, Jeffrey pine, California red fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur in mountainous areas of Northern California and are moderately extensive. MLRA 22A
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: El Dorado County (Tahoe Basin Area), California, 1970.
REMARKS: NSSL Pedon No. 68C0073 SS1R24, Pedon 568 Calif-9-24, sample NOS 8-584 through 8-592 inclusive.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the mineral surface to 13 inches (A1, A2 and AC horizons).