LOCATION OLANCHA                 CA

Established Series
TBV/ROH/KKC/DJE
09/2025

OLANCHA SERIES

The Olancha series consists of moderately deep, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in material weathered from granitic and metamorphic rocks. Olancha soils are on mountain slopes and ridges with slopes of 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 460 millimeters and the mean annual temperature is 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Entic Ultic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Olancha very stony loamy coarse sand - on a southeast facing slope of 25 percent with basin big sagebrush at 2500 meters elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 6/15/77 the soil was dry throughout).

Oi--0 to 1 centimeter; decomposing sagebrush litter.

A--1 to 42 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely stony loam coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single-grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick).

C--42 to 77 centimeters; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very stony loamy coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single-grain and massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 15 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick).

Cr--77 centimeters; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) weathered granitic material which retains original rock structure.

TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California; Inyo National Forest, Mt. Whitney Ranger District. Three-quarters of a mile north of the South Fork Kern River jeep trail and Summit Creek Meadow jeep trail intersection, then 20 feet east of trail in SW 1/4 sec. 17, T.20S., R.36E., MDB&M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact range from 50 to 100 centimeters. The mollic epipedon is 25 to 41 centimeters thick. The soil between a depth of about 59 centimeters and the paralithic contact is moist in some part from November to mid-July and dry the rest of the year. Soil temperature is greater than 5 degrees C. from mid-April to mid-October. The mean annual soil temperature is 4 degrees to 6 degrees C. The mean summer soil temperature is 15 degrees to 17 degrees C. Cobbles, stones, and gravel cover 50 to 60 percent of the soil surface. Rock fragment volume averages 30 to 80 percent throughout the profile.

The A horizon is loamy sand or loamy coarse sand and is modified by 30 to 50 percent rock fragments. Color has not varied.

The C horizon has dry color of 7.5YR 5/6, 10YR 6/3 or 6/4, and moist color of 7.5YR 5/4, 10YR 4/3 or 5/4. It is loamy sand or loamy coarse sand and is modified by 60 to 90 percent rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Olancha soils are on mountain slopes and ridges. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. They have formed in material weathered from Pre-Cenozoic granitic and metamorphic rocks. Elevations are 2440 to 2900 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool moist winters and warm dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 380 to 460 millimeters which occurs mostly as snowfall. Mean annual soil temperature is 4 degrees to 6 degrees C., and the frost-free season is about 75 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cagwin, Monache, and Toem series, all of which are not skeletal. Toem soils are less than 50 centimeters to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow runoff, rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife land, watershed, recreation land and to a limited extent, summer rangeland for livestock. Vegetation is basin big sagebrush, rothrock sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, and gooseberry with scattered western juniper and lodgepole pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern mountain area of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California. The soils of this series are not extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sequoia National Forest Area, Tulare County, California, 1980. The name is taken from Olancha Peak.

OSED scanned by SSQA.

09/2025--Competing series checked. Formatting and units updated. -AGB

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.