LOCATION GERLE CA

Established Series
Rev. ALD/CRM/DJE/JJB
10/2021

GERLE SERIES

The Gerle series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in glacial till, glacial outwash and alluvium derived primarily from granitic rocks. These soils are on gently sloping to steep ground moraine and outwash plains and have slopes of 2 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 40 inches and mean annual temperature is 45 degrees.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Humic Dystroxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Gerle sandy loam, on a southeast facing smooth linear slope of 10 percent under a vegetative cover of red fir, white fir, Jeffrey pine, incense-cedar and chinquapin at an elevation of 6,200 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on October 17, 1979, the soil was moist throughout).

Oi--0 to 2 inches; pine and fir needle litter.

A1--2 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous random interstitial pores; 2 percent pebbles, moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary.

A2--5 to 14 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few coarse roots; few very fine discontinuous random interstitial pores; 2 percent pebbles, moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 7 to 17 inches).

Bw1--14 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong medium and coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; few very fine discontinuous random interstitial pores; 2 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary.

Bw2--20 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong coarse and very coarse granular and weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and few very fine and medium roots; few very fine discontinuous random interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizon is 10 to 7 inches).

BC--32 to 43 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary.

C--43 to 64 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent pebbles and 25 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0). (Combined thickness of the C horizon is 16 to 41 inches).

TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California; Eldorado National Forest; Pacific Ranger District. Twenty feet east of Wentworth Springs Road (14N02.2), 1/4 mile southeast of Upper Gerle Creek Bridge (14N02.046) near Johnny's Hill; in the NW 1/4 of the SW 1/4 section 2, T.13 N., R.14 E., MDB&M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to unweathered stratified sands and gravel is greater than 60 inches. The thickness of the solum typically is 20 to 35 inches but ranges from 14 to 50 inches. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 42 to 47 degrees F. The soils are usually moist between depths of 8 and 24 inches and are dry in all parts from late July until early October. Coarse fragments occupy 2 to 30 percent of the soil by volume, generally increasing with depth. The umbric epipedon is 7 to 20 inches thick. Base saturation in the epipedon ranges from 5 to 40 percent and commonly is about 20 percent.

The A horizon dry color is 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/2, 5/3; 7.5YR 4/2 or 5/2. Moist color is 10YR 2/1, 2/2, 3/2, 3/3 or 7.5YR 3/2. It is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam or very bouldery sandy loam. It has 2 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent boulders. It is slightly acid to strongly acid.

The Bw horizon dry color is 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3, 6/4 or 7.5YR 5/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/4, 4/2, 4/3 or 7.5YR 3/4. It is sandy loam or coarse sandy loam. It has 2 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. It is slightly acid to moderately acid.

The C horizon dry color is 10YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/3, 6/4, 6/6, 7/2, 7/3 or 7/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 5/6; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 4/6 or 5/8. The lower part of this horizon commonly is cobbly or gravelly coarse sandy loam and less commonly sandy loam or gravelly loamy coarse sand. It has 5 to 25 percent gravel and 0 to 25 percent cobbles. This horizon is neutral to moderately acid.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lumberly series in the same family and in parallel families are the Bindle, Goodwin, Nanny, Ovall and Skamania series. Lumberly soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Bindle, Goodwin and Nanny soils are skeletal. Ovall and Skamania soils are mesic.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gerle soils are on ground moraine and outwash plains of mountains. Slopes are 2 to 70 percent. The soils formed in glacial till, glacial outwash and alluvium derived primarily from granitic rock. Elevations are 5,100 to 7,500 feet. The climate is subhumid with warm, dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation varies from 25 to 60 inches, most of which occurs as snow. Mean January temperature is 30 degrees F; mean July temperature 63 degrees F; mean annual temperature varies from 39 to 45 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 30 to 75 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Tallac, Tinker, and Notned. All are skeletal.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. Native vegetation is red fir, white fir, Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, sugar pine, incense-cedar, chinquapin, huckleberry oak, gooseberry, whitethorn, brackenfern and lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The northern mountain area of the Sierra Nevada Range of California. The soils of this series are of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: El Dorado County (Eldorado National Forest), California, 1981.

REMARKS: Lab data from UCD indicates textures are loamy coarse sand rather than coarse sandy loam. High 15 bar water to clay ratios indicate dispersion may not be complete. The field texture was coarse sandy loam.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.