LOCATION MARMOTLAND CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic Vitrandic Dystrocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Marmotland fine sandy loam, on an east facing 8 percent slope under a cover of sedge, rush, and perennial grasses at an elevation of 8,640 feet (2,633.5 meters).When described the soil was moist throughout.(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi--0 to 0 inches, (0 to 1 cm); slightly decomposed plant material. (0 to 1 inches [0 to 3 centimeters] thick)
A1--0 to 11 inches, (1 to 29 centimeters); brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular and weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; 5 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches [25 to 35 centimeters] thick) NSSL Lab Sample # 01N01007
A2--11 to 19 inches, (29 to 47 centimeters); brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium, coarse, and very coarse roots; 5 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches [10 to 25 centimeters] thick) NSSL NSSL Lab Sample # 01N01008
Bt1--19 to 36 inches, (47 to 91 centimeters); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; 3 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; moderately acid (pH 5.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (6 to 18 inches [15 to 45 centimeters] thick) NSSL Lab Sample # 01N01009
Bt2--36 to 48 inches, (91 to 121 centimeters); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; 3 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; moderately acid (pH 5.9); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 12 inches [20 to 30 centimeters] thick) NSSL Lab Sample # 01N01010
C--48 to 60 inches, (121 to 153 centimeters); 60 percent gray (2.5Y 6/1) ashy sandy loam, moist, massive; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 40 percent yellowish red (5YR 4/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), and dark red (2.5YR 3/6), redoximorphic features, 3 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; moderately acid (pH 5.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Tuolumne County, California; Tuolumne Meadows, 200 feet (61.0 meters) northwest of Puppy Dome; approximately 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) north and 1,400 feet (426.7 meters) east of the southwest corner of section 4, T. 1 S., R. 24 E., Mount Diablo Base and Meridian; Latitude 37 degrees, 52 minutes, 28.5 seconds north and Longitude 119 degrees, 20 minutes, 38.8 seconds west; USGS Tioga Pass, California Quadrangle, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is about 40 degrees F. (4.5 degrees C). The particle-size control section has 2 to 9 percent clay and 50 to 70 percent sand. The Marmotland series has less than 35 percent rock fragments and 15 percent or more, by weight, particles with diameter of 0.1 to 75 millimeters (fine sand or coarser, including rock fragments as much as 7.5 centimeters in diameter). Some pedons may not have volcanic ash present. Some pedons do not have one or more O horizons. The content of surface rock fragments is 0 to 5 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR (dry and moist)
Value: 4 or 5 (dry) and 2 or 3 (moist)
Chroma: 3 or 4 (dry) and 2 or 3 (moist)
Texture of the fine earth fraction: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Clay content: 2 to 6 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 20 percent
Organic matter content: 2 to 11 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid
Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y (dry) and 7.5YR or 10YR (moist)
Value: 5 or 6 (dry) and 3 or 4 (moist)
Chroma: 3 to 6 (dry) and 3 or 4 (moist)
Texture of the fine earth fraction: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Clay content: 3 to 9 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 25 percent
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 6 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid
C or Ct horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5YR (dry and moist)
Value: 5 to 7 (dry) and 3 to 6 (moist)
Chroma: 2 to 6 (dry) and 1 to 5 (moist)
Redoximorphic features: hue of 5YR, 2.5YR, or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 6 to 8
Texture of the fine earth fraction: ashy sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 3 to 9 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 45 percent
Organic matter content: 0.2 to 1 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Marmotland soils are on moraines, ground moraines and mountain valley floors. Slope is 0 to 15 percent. Elevation is 6,517 to 10,320 feet (1,986.3 to 3,145.5 meters). These soils formed in colluvium from granitoid rock and volcanic ash. The climate is Mediterranean with moist and cold winters and warm and dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 31 to 61 inches (787 to 1,549 millimeters).Mean annual temperature is 36 to 44 degrees F (2.2 to 6.7 degrees C). The frost-free period is 15 to 45 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Glacierpoint soils. Glacierpoint soils have a sandy-skeletal particle-size class and do not have vitrandic properties.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained or well drained; low or medium runoff; saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to very high.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed and recreation. The vegetation is sedge, rush, and perennial grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in the Sierra Nevada in and near Yosemite National Park. The soils of this series are of small extent, about 2,500 acres (1011.7 hectares). MLRA 22A-Sierra Nevada Mountains.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yosemite National Park, California, 2007. Proposed in 2006.
REMARKS: Isotic mineralogy class based on lab data. Marmotland soils have an umbric epipedon and/or cambic horizon. The vegetation according to Preliminary Description of Terrestrial Natural Community of California, Robert F. Holland and Fish and Game, State of California, 1986" is Dry Subalpine Meadow (45220), Subalpine and Alpine Meadows (45200), and Wet Montane Meadow (45110).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL lab data pedon number 01N0148 (Pedon ID: 00CA109012) for this Marmotland typical profile and for pedon numbers 98P0214 (Pedon ID: 97CA109013), 98P0202 (Pedon ID: 97CA109001), and 00P0792 (Pedon ID: 00CA043006) are available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory at the National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.