LOCATION TUNAWEE CATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid, shallow Torripsammentic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Tunawee bouldery loamy coarse sand - on a 35 percent west slope at 8,680 feet elevation under mountain mahogany, buckwheat, western juniper, singleleaf pinyon pine, and manzanita. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described (6/5/81) the soil was very slightly moist throughout.)
A1--0 to 11 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) bouldery loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores;; 10 percent boulders, 2 percent cobbles, and 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
A2--11 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) bouldery loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent boulders, 2 percent cobbles, and 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary.
Cr--18 to 22 inches; partly decomposed granitic rock, can be dug with spade.
TYPE LOCATION: Tulare County, California. About 24 miles northeast of Onyx and 6 miles southwest of Dunmovin on the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; about 1,800 feet south and 1,300 feet east of the northwest corner of Section 1, T. 22 S., R. 36 E., MDBM; Long Canyon, California Quadrangle; lat. 36 degrees 02 minutes 27 seconds N and long. 118 degrees 03 minutes 03 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil is usally moist in some part for about 75 days when the soil temperature is above 5 degrees C. It is moist in all parts for more than 45 consecutive days between December and April, but the soil temperatures are below 5 degrees C during this period. The moisture regime is aridic but it borders on xeric.
Soil Temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to decomposed granitic rock: 8 to 20 inches.
Rock fragment content: The soil contains 15 to 35 percent rock fragments consisting of: 5 to 15 percent boulders and stones, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, and 5 to 15 percent gravel.
Texture: bouldery loamy coarse sand - 5 to 10 percent clay.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
A Horizon:
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry and moist.
Organic Matter: 1.0 to 2.0 percent in the upper part
and 0.3 to 1 percent in the lower part.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tunawee soils are on mountains and plateaus at elevations of 6,400 to 8,700 feet. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from granitic rock. Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches, mostly as winter snow. Mean annual snowfall is 75 to 100 inches. The mean January temperature is about 27 degrees F; mean July temperatures is about 61 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 40 to 47 degrees F. The frost-free season is 50 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Deadfoot (T) and Scodie (T) soils. Deadfoot soils are sandy-skeletal and mesic. Scodie soils are mesic.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium or rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly curlleaf mountainmahogany, buckwheat, western juniper, singleleaf pinyon pine, manzanita, and an occasional Jeffrey pine or white fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The soils are of small extent in MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Kern County, California, 1995. Kern County, Northeastern Part and Southeastern Part of Tulare County Soil Survey. The soil is named from Tunawee Canyon.
REMARKS:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 11 inches (A1)