LOCATION LOSTCANNON CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Pachic Argicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lostcannon very gravelly coarse sandy loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 8 inches; 60 percent brown (10YR 5/3) and 40 percent brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, 60 percent dark brown (10YR 3/3) and 40 percent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains; 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
A3--8 to 18 inches; 60 percent brown (10YR 5/3) and 40 percent brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, 60 percent dark brown (10YR 3/3) and 40 percent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, and many medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--18 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine, medium, coarse and very coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains; 55 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--25 to 36 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, common medium, common coarse, and common very coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains; 55 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bt3--36 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine, medium, coarse and very coarse roots; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores and few 1 to 2 mm thick lamellae; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; 10 percent paracobbles; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 4,000 feet northeast of Lost Cannon Peak; approximately 2,000 feet south and 1,150 feet east of the northwest corner of section 35, T. 7 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Lost Cannon Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 24 minutes 37.6 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 32 minutes 2.1 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from July through early October for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 16 to 30 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 40 to more than 60 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 60 to 80 percent, mainly fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter). 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: 3 to 5 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt1 horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt2 horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt3 horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly coarse sandy loam or extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Other features: Some pedons have few lamellae less than 0.5 cm thick.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Angelwhine, Aspetill, Badwater, Bickmore, Bluebell, Booneville, Buena Vista, Dab, Dailybasin (T), Delhew, Hawkinspeak, Keman, Littlemud (T), Monibasin, Parkalley (T), Parkay, Redbird, Rutherford, Sweetmount, and Woodhurst series.
Angelwhine, Aspetill, Dab, and Monibasin soils average 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Badwater soils have 25 to 35 percent clay and are dominated by boulders in the particle-size control section. Bickmore, Bluebell, Buena Vista, Hawkinspeak, Littlemud, Rutherford, and Woodhurst soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Booneville soils average 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and have mean annual soil temperature of 36 to 40 degrees F. Dailybasin soils have an ustic moisture regime. Delhew soils have the base of the argillic horizon between 24 and 40 inches from the soil surface. Keman soils have mean summer soil temperature of 55 to 58 degrees F. Parkalley soils have the base of the argillic horizon between 28 and 35 inches from the soil surface, average 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section, and are dominated by flagstones. Parkay soils average 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have mean summer soil temperature of 52 to 58 degrees F. Redbird soils average 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates within 40 inches of the soil surface. Sweetmount soils are deep to paralithic contacts and have subhorizons of the argillic horizon with 27 to 50 percent clay.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lostcannon soils are on mountains. They typically occur on footslope positions below avalanche chutes. They formed in colluvium derived from granodiorite. Slopes are 8 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 7,500 to 10,000 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 45 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 Buggin and Waterpeak soils. Buggin soils are sandy-skeletal and are shallow to paralithic contacts. Waterpeak soils are sandy-skeletal and have cambic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability (high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Lostcannon soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly an open forest canopy of quaking aspen with a sparse understory of snowberry, mountain big sagebrush, and mountain brome.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 800 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 22A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono County (Toiyabe National Forest Area), California, 2006.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 25 inches (A1, A2, A3, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 60 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 38 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and part of the Bt3 horizon).