LOCATION SIRRETTA                CA

Established Series
Rev. ROH/KKC/DJE
10/2021

SIRRETTA SERIES

The Sirretta series consists of moderately deep, excessively drained soils formed in material weathered from granitic rocks. Sirretta soils are on mountain slopes and ridges with slopes of 5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 26 inches and the mean annual temperature is 40 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Dystric Xerorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Sirretta stony coarse sandy loam - on a southeast facing slope of 15 percent under mixed conifers, mainly Pinus jeffreyi and Abies concolor, at 7,900 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on November 3, 1977, the soil was dry.)

A--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) stony coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; single-grain; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)

C1--6 to 24 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single-grain; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles, 40 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (11 to 21 inches thick)

C2--24 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single-grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and coarse roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles; 10 percent stones, moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

R--28 inches; fractured hard granitic rock.

TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California; Sequoia National Forest, Cannell Meadow Ranger District. About 30 feet north of road 23S08, 1.2 mile west of the intersection with road 22SOl ln NW 1/4 SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 2; S., R. 33 E., MDB&M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The soil between depths of about 12 and 35 inches usually becomes moist in all parts in late October or November and remains moist until mid-July. It is dry in all parts the rest of the year. Mean annual soil temperature is 40 degrees F. Mean summer temperature is 65 degrees F. The soil at 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F from mid-April to October 31 and greater than 47 degrees F from May 1 to October 15. Rock fragment content ranges from 35 to 90 percent. The soil is slightly acid to medium acid. Base saturation ranges from 20 to 35 percent throughout the profile and decreases with depth.

The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 3/3, 4/2, or 6/3, and moist color of 10YR 2/2 or 4/3. It has weak granular structure or is single-grain.

The C horizons have dry color of 10YR 6/4, 5/3, or 4/4, and moist color of 10YR 5/4, 4/4, or 4/3.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sirretta soils are on mountain slopes and ridges. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. They formed in material weathered from Mesozoic granitic rocks. Elevations are 7,000 to 10,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool moist winters and warm dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 20 to 30 inches which occurs mostly as snow and is melted by mid-June. Mean annual temperature varies from 35 degrees to 45 degrees F, and the frost-free season is about 75 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cagwin, Cannell, Monache, and Toem series. Cagwin soils are sandy and 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Cannell soils are coarse-loamy and greater than 40 inches deep. Monache soils are coarse-loamy with a mollic epipedon and are in upland basins. Toem soils are sandy and 10 to 20 inches deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; slow to medium runoff; rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife land, recreation land, and woodland for timber production. Vegetation consists of Western white pine, Jeffrey pine, white fir, red fir, lodgepole pine, greenleaf manzanita, and chinquapin.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern mountain area of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California. The soils of moderate extent; their total acreage is about 14,000 acres.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sequoia National Forest Area, Tulare County, California, 1980.

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 3/83.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.