LOCATION HUNTMOUNT CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Huntmount bouldery fine sandy loam, on a north facing convex mountain slope of 40 percent under singleleaf pinyon at 7,000 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described the soil was moist between 10 and 20 inches.) The soil surface is covered with about 5 percent boulders, 10 percent stones, and 10 percent cobbles.
Oi--0 to 0.5 inch; litter of pinyon pine needles.
A1--0.5 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) bouldery fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent boulders, 10 percent stones and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (7.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 27 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; and coarse roots; many fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (18 to 29 inches thick)
Bt1--27 to 34 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) stony sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; 10 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (0 t0 7 inches thick)
Bt2--34 to 43 inches; variegated brown (7.5YR 5/2) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2), brown (7.5YR 4/4), and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual irregular boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C--43 to 63 inches; variegated light reddish brown (5YR 6/4), brown (7.5YR 5/4), and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) stony loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4), brown (7.5YR 4/4), and strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films bridging mineral grains; 15 percent weathered granitic pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); diffuse wavy boundary. (12 to 25 inches thick)
Cr--63 to 90 inches; strongly weathered and fractured mixed granodiorite and quartz monzonite, slakes in water.
TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California; about 0.5 miles northeast of Jackass Spring on the Hunter Mountain Road in a 7 foot bank along the southeast side of Hunter Mountain Road; USGS Jackass Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; approximately 36 degrees 32 minutes 51 seconds north latitude and 117 degrees 30 minutes 43 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is more than 60 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is about 55 degrees F. The soils are neutral or mildly alkaline throughout. The soils are dry in all parts from mid-July to November for about 110 consecutive days and moist in all parts from January to April for about 90 days. The soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. from mid-March to December for about 260 days.
The A horizons have dry color of 10YR, 5/2 5/3; 7.5YR 5/2, or 5/4. The moist color of the upper 2 to 4 inches is 10YR 3/2 or 3/3 and the lower part is 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4 or 7.5Y 4/4. This horizon is sandy loam or fine sandy loam, with cobbly, bouldery modifiers. Rock fragments consists of 0 to 25 percent pebbles and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. Boulders and stones occupy 3 to 15 percent. Clay averages 10 to 18 percent.
The Bt horizons have dry color of 7.5YR5/2, 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 5/2, 5/3, or 5/4. It is heavy sandy loam, or loam, with cobbly modifiers. Rock fragments range up to 35 percent and consist of 0 to 25 percent pebbles and 0 to 10 percent cobbles, stones, or boulders. Clay averages 18 to 25 percent.
The C horizon, transitional to the weathered rock, has variegated dry colors of 5YR 6/4; 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, and 10YR 6/3. It is sandy clay loam, sandy loam, or loam, with gravelly, cobbly or stony modifiers. Weathered granitic rock fragments range from 0 to 50 percent and consist of 0 to 20 percent pebbles, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 15 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Huntmount soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from granitic rocks and from colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Elevations are 5,000 to 7,500 feet. The climate is semiarid, with hot, dry summers with infrequent thunder showers of short duration and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual temperature is 53 degrees F.; the mean January temperature is 35 degrees F.; and the mean July temperature is 75 degrees F. The frost free season is 185 to 235 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ferroburro, Luckyrich, Panamint, and Ulida soils. Ferroburro soils have a mollic epipedon and lack an argillic horizon. Luckrich soils formed in alluvium, and lack an argillic horizon. Panamint soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact, have a mollic epipedon, and a cambic horizon. Ulida soils are 1 to 20 inches deep to paralithic contact and have an aridic moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation land, and occasionally for rangeland. The native vegetation is primarily singleleaf pinyon and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are mapped in the northern part of the California Desert and are of small extent. MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Inyo County, California, Saline Valley Area, 1980.
REMARKS: This soil was originally considered an intergrade to an aridic moisture regime. Future study should evaluate whether this series has an aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric and should be reclassified to a Xeric Haplargid.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.