LOCATION GLENALPINE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Humic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Glenalpine on a south facing (173 degree), 70 percent slope at an elevation of 7457 meters. When described on 06/24/2002 the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.
A--0 to 29 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) very cobbly fine sandy loam, dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine through medium roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel, and 5 percent stones; neutral, pH 7.0 by Bromthymol blue; clear irregular boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
Bw1--29 to 65 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely cobbly fine sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine through coarse roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent cobbles, 30 percent gravel; neutral, pH 7.0 by Bromthymol blue; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
Bw2--65 to 102 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely cobbly fine sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common medium and few very fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent cobbles and 10 percent gravel; neutral, pH 6.8 by Bromthymol blue; gradual smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
C--102 to 128 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely cobbly fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; 50 percent cobbles and 10 percent gravel; neutral, pH 7.0 by Bromthymol blue; (13 to 38 cm thick)
Cd--128 to 150 cm; dense glacial till
TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, CA, 282 meters east and 463 meters north of the south west corner of of Section 15, Township 12 N, Range 17 E, 38 degrees, 52 minutes, 58 seconds North latitude and 120 degrees, 5 minutes, 25 seconds West longitude, NAD27 - U.S.G.S Quad: Emerald Bay, California.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from mid-July to early October for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.
Surface rock fragment content:
50 to 90 percent consisting of:
5 to 20 percent stones
15 to 45 percent cobbles
15 to 45 percent gravel
Depth to dense glacial till: 100 to 150 centimeters
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
Base saturation: 35 to 60 percent. (By amonium acetate)
Control section:
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent, with 5 to 35 percent gravel, 35 to 60 percent
cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones.
Clay content: averages 5 to 15 percent clay
Mineralogy: isotic
A horizon(s):
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 4 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Organic matter: 3 to 8 percent
Texture (less than 2 mm): Fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Content of rock fragments: 30 to 60 percent
10 to 30 percent gravel
10 to 40 percent cobbles
0 to 15 percent stones
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
Bw horizons:
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Organic matter: 1 to 5 percent
Texture (less than 2 mm): Fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Content of rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent
10 to 40 percent gravel
30 to 60 percent cobbles
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
C horizon(s):
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 dry; 4 moist
Organic matter: 0.5 to 2 percent
Texture (less than 2 mm): Fine sandy loam
Clay content: 2 to 10 percent
Content of rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent
4 to 30 percent gravel
30 to 60 percent cobbles
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Glenalpine soils are on mountainsides. Slopes are 50 to 90 percent. These soils formed in colluvium weathered from volcanic and metamorphic rock. Elevation is 1895 to 2790 meters. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 840 to 1550 millimeters. The mean annual temperature is 5 to 7.9 degrees C. Frost free season is 40 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Rockbound and Callat soils. The Rockbound soils are shallow to hard granitic bedrock and in the glacial valley below. Callat soils are colder, on the ridge above Glenalpine and are 50 to 100 centimeters deep to dense till.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: excessively drained; low runoff; very rapid permeability above the dense till. The soils are not flooded.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife. Vegetation is shrubs with scattered conifers.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Glenalpine is of minor extent in California in MLRA: 22A -- Sierra Nevada Mountains
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: El Dorado County, (Tahoe Basin area), California. Source of name is from the name of a local soda spring which at one time was a popular leisure resort. The springs were thought to have curing properties.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 25 to 100 cm, parts of the A and the Bw1 and Bw2 horizons.
Umbric Epipedon: 0 to 29 cm, the A horizon
Densic Contact: 138 cm, the Cd horizon