LOCATION JOECUT CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Ultic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Joecut very gravelly peaty loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 15 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed plant material composed of fibrous needle litter. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A1--1 to 2 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) very gravelly peaty loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 1 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
A3--5 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine to medium and many coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--22 to 40 inches; 70 percent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and 30 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very gravelly clay loam, 70 percent olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) and 30 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few 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 and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bt3--40 to 60 inches; 70 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and 30 percent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, 70 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and 30 percent olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common distinct clay films on rock fragments and lining pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 1.5 miles south-southeast of the Leviathan Mine; approximately 1,800 feet north and 900 feet east of the southwest corner of section 26, T. 10 N., R. 21 E.; USGS Heenan Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 40 minutes 55.6 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 38 minutes 52.5 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from mid-July through September for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F.
Umbric epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - more than 60 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 60 to 80 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered volcanic rocks such as andesitic tuff.
Sodium fluoride pH - 8.5 to 9.5.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 25 to 35 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 50 percent. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff, tuff-breccia, and andesite.
A horizons - Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist; dry value of 3 present only in the A1 horizon.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist; chroma of 1 present only in the A1 horizon.
Organic matter content: 10 to 15 percent in the A1 horizon (when present) and 2 to 8 percent in the A2 and A3 horizons, decreasing with depth.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.
Bt horizons - Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam, very gravelly clay loam, very gravelly sandy clay loam, or very cobbly clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.
Other features: Some pedons have dual or variegated horizon matrix colors in lower subhorizons that may be redox concentrations of iron.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Southcamp (T) series. Southcamp soils have albic horizons and are dominated by cobbles and stones in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Joecut soils are on mountains. They typically occur on footslope and backslope positions. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from tuff, tuff-breccia, and andesite. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 6,000 to 8,000 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 30 inches, mean annual temperature is 39 to 45 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 40 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aspocket, Celeridge, Gerdog, and Leroman soils. All of these soils have mollic epipedons. In addition Aspocket soils are deep to paralithic contacts. Celeridge and Gerdog soils have lithic contacts within 20 inches. Leroman soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained or well drained; high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present in a moderately well drained phase with an apparent seasonal high water table between 2.5 and 5 feet (moderately deep and deep free water occurrence classes) between March and June. Cumulative annual duration class is Transitory.
USE AND VEGETATION: Joecut soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation are forest canopies of white fir and Sierra juniper on north-facing aspects or Jeffrey pine on south-facing aspects with an understory of snowberry, bluegrass, and sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 22A.
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:
Organic soil material - The zone from the soil surface to 1 inch (Oi horizon).
Umbric epipedon - The zone from 1 to 14 inches (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 14 to 60 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 14 to 34 inches (Bt1 horizon and part of the Bt2 horizon).
The isotic mineralogy class is based on the field determined values for sodium fluoride pH.