LOCATION KLAUSPEAK CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Xeric Humicryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Klauspeak gravelly loamy sand--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 15 percent gravel, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loamy sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores and few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
A2--5 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine to coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bw1--16 to 22 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very stony loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, common fine, common medium, and common coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 15 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bw2--22 to 40 inches; olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) very stony loamy coarse sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and common very coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
C--40 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very cobbly coarse sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium and coarse roots and few fine; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 1 mile southwest of Luther Pass and about 2,200 feet west-northwest of Waterhouse Peak; approximately 400 feet south and 1,800 feet west of the northeast corner of section 26, T. 10 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Freel Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 46 minutes 37.5 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 57 minutes 19.4 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 - 40 to 44 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F.
Umbric epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 60 to 80 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock such as granodiorite.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 3 to 10 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 50 percent, mainly stones and cobbles. Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks such as granodiorite.
A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Strongly acid or moderately acid.
Bw horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very stony loamy sand or very stony loamy coarse sand.
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Strongly acid or moderately acid.
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very cobbly coarse sand or very stony loamy coarse sand.
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Strongly acid or moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the McTom series.
McTom soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Klauspeak soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium derived from granitic rock. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 8,000 to 9,000 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 35 to 55 inches, the mean annual temperature is 36 to 39 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Sofgran and Temo soils. Sofgran soils have ochric epipedons. Temo soils are sandy, shallow to paralithic contacts, and have ochric epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Klauspeak soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of California red fir, western white pine, and lodgepole pine with a sparse understory of pinemat manzanita and currant.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 4,100 acres of the series mapped to date. 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:
Umbric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 16 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons and part of the A2 horizon).
The revision of December 2006 updated the taxonomic class from Xeric Dystrocryepts based on the tenth edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2006.