LOCATION HELLHOLE CA NVEstablished Series
The Hellhole series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in mossy organic material. The Hellhole soils are on fens on mountains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 1165 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic, frigid Typic Sphagnofibrists
TYPICAL PEDON: Hellhole peat on a 0 percent slope at an elevation of 2551 meters. When described on 07/02/2002 the soil was wet throughout. Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted.
Oi--0 to 29 cm; peat, very dark gray (10YR 3/1), rubbed and pressed, moist; about 95 percent fiber, about 80 percent rubbed; massive; nonplastic and nonsticky; fibers are primarily sphagnum; strongly acid, pH 5.4 by Chlorophenol red;
Oi2--29 to 150 cm; peat, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), rubbed and pressed, moist; about 95 percent fiber, about 80 percent rubbed; massive; nonplastic and nonsticky; fibers are primarily sphagnum; strongly acid, pH 5.4 by Chlorophenol red;
Oe--150 to 300 cm; mucky peat, very dark gray (10YR 3/1), rubbed and pressed, moist; about, about 70 percent fiber, about 60 percent rubbed; massive; nonplastic and nonsticky; fibers are primarily sphagnum strongly acid, pH 5.4 by Chlorophenol red;
TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, CA, 291 meters east and 363 meters north of the southwest corner of Section 1, Township 11N, Range 18E, 38 degrees, 49 minutes, 30 seconds North latitude and 119 degrees, 56 minutes, 44 seconds West longitude, NAD83 - U.S.G.S Quad: Freel Peak, California
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil is wet in all of the soil moisture control section in most years. The soils have an aquic moisture regime.
Soil temperature:
7.8 degrees C recorded at 50 cm on 7/2/2002
Organic matter: 70 to 90 percent
Reaction: strongly to slightly acid
Control section:
Oi horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3moist
In lieu texture: Peat
Reaction: strongly to slightly acid
Oe horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4 moist
In lieu texture: Mucky peat
Reaction: strongly to slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Hellhole soils are on fens. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in mossy organic material. Elevation is 2350 to 2595 meters. The climate is subhumid with warm dry summers and cold wet winters. The mean annual precipitation is 1100 to 1200 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is 3 to 5 degrees C. The frost free season is 25 to 75 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: On the mountain slopes surrounding the Hellhole soils are commonly the Dagget, Roadlake, and Burncat soils. The Roadlake and Burncat are very deep and Dagget is deep and all three are upland soils formed in granodiorite.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained, rapid permeability, negligible runoff. Rare flooding for brief duration during spring runoff in very high snow years, frequent ponding for very long duration throughout most of the year. The depth of ponding is typically very shallow, less than an inch, except during spring snow melt.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife and recreation. Vegetation is sphagnum moss.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Hellhole 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, (Lake Tahoe Basin area), California. Source of name from the name of a local fen.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle Size Control Section for this pedon: 0 to 160 cm, (Oi1, Oi2 and portions of the Oe horizons)
Fibric soil material: 0 to 150 cm, (Oi1, Oi2 horizons)