LOCATION GERDOG CA
Established Series
Rev. EWB/JVC/JBF
03/2017
GERDOG SERIES
The Gerdog series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from andesite, tuff, and tuff-breccia. Gerdog soils are on mountains. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 500 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gerdog very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 4 percent stones.
A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)
Bt1--8 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
Bt2--18 to 23 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common faint clay films bridging sand grains; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
Bt3--23 to 28 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent gravel; 30 percent paragravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear irregular boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)
R--28 to 41 cm; hard andesite; slightly weathered in the upper part.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 1.5 miles south-southeast of the Leviathan Mine; approximately 1,600 feet south and 2,200 feet east of the northwest corner of section 26, T. 10 N, R. 21 E.; USGS Heenan Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 41 minutes 14.3 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 38 minutes 33.7 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.6872111 latitude, -119.6425861 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: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 17 to 19 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 36 cm, includes the Bt horizons.
Depth to bedrock: 18 to 36 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Sodium fluoride pH - 8.5 to 9.0.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent. Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff, tuff-breccia, and andesite.
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Bt horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy clay loam or very gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Anaud,
Bellenmine,
Celeridge,
Cleavage,
Cleavmor,
Cropper,
Gabica,
Gaciba,
Genoa,
Gidwin,
Grandeposit,
Granquin,
Grosschat,
Hawkridge,
Hutchley,
Loope,
Majorsplace,
Mascamp,
Melling,
Pernog,
Pernty,
Realmcoy,
Rozara,
Shalcleav,
Shalper,
Slatter,
Tractuff, and
Tweener series.
Anaud,
Bellenmine,
Cleavage,
Cleavmor,
Cropper,
Gaciba,
Granquin,
Grosschat,
Mascamp,
Pernty,
Shalper,
Slatter,
Tractuff, and
Tweener soils have an aridic moisture regime.
Celeridge,
Gabica,
Gidwin,
Grandeposit,
Loope,
Majorsplace and
Realmcoy soils have lithic contacts at depths of 36 to 50 cm.
Genoa soils are dominated by cobbles in the particle-size control section and have rock fragments that are granitic rocks.
Hawkridge soils have mean summer soil temperature of 15 to 17 degrees C.
Hutchley soils have subhorizons of the argillic horizon with 28 to 35 percent clay.
Melling soils are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice.
Pernog soils are dominated by stones and have more than 27 percent clay in some part of the particle-size control section.
Rozara soils are dominated by fine gravel, have rock fragments that are granitic rocks, and have 14 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Shalcleav soils are dominated by channers and flagstones.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gerdog soils are on mountains. They typically occur on summit and shoulder positions. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from andesite, tuff, and tuff-breccia. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,985 to 2,535 meters. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 400 to 600 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 40 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Celeridge and
Loope soils and the
Joecut soil. Joecut soils are very deep and have umbric epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Gerdog soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 2,400 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 22A and 26.
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:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 28 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 28 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
The revision of October 2003 updated the taxonomic class from Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Lithic Argixerolls. The isotic mineralogy class was based solely on the field determined values for sodium fluoride pH. Laboratory data on 15 bar water to clay ratio does not exist to verify the isotic mineralogy class.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.