LOCATION SHALGRAN CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid, shallow Dystric Xerorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Shalgran very bouldery coarse sand--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 25 percent gravel, 5 percent stones, and 15 percent boulders.
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very bouldery coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 10 percent boulders; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
C1--3 to 6 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very bouldery coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, common medium, and common coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 10 percent boulders; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
C2--6 to 14 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very bouldery coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, common medium, and common coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 10 percent boulders; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Cr--14 to 24 inches; soft weathered granodiorite with some roots in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 1.5 miles northeast of Luther Pass; approximately 200 feet south and 6,150 feet east of the northwest corner of section 13, T. 11 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Freel Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 48 minutes 26.0 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 55 minutes 33.2 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section; moist fall, winter, and spring; usually dry July through early October; Xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 40 to 44 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 59 to 64 degrees F.
Ochric epipedon thickness - 3 to 9 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages less than 10 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent. Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks such as granodiorite.
A horizon - 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 to slightly acid.
C horizons - Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Very bouldery coarse sand or very bouldery loamy coarse sand.
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Strongly acid to slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shalgran soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from granitic rock. Slopes are 15 to 75 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 30 to 55 inches, 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 Klauspeak, Sofgran, and Temo soils. Klauspeak soils are very deep, have umbric epipedons, and have a cryic temperature regime. Sofgran soils are very deep and have a cryic temperature regime. Temo soils are sandy and have a cryic temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; high surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Shalgran soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of Jeffrey pine with scattered California red fir and whitebark pine. The understory vegetation is mainly pinemat manzanita, snowbrush ceanothus, and Sierra chinkapin.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 4,900 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:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 3 inches (A horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 14 inches to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 14 inches (A, C1, and C2 horizons).