LOCATION TALLAC CA NV

Established Series
Rev. GLA/RCH/WRL/ET
01/2023

TALLAC SERIES

The Tallac series consists of deep and very deep moderately well and well drained soils that formed in material weathered from glacial deposits. Tallac soils are on glacial moraines and outwash plains and have slopes of 0 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 1270 mm and the mean annual temperature is 5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Humic Dystroxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Tallac gravelly coarse sandy loam - on an east facing undulating 5 percent slope under a cover of mixed conifers at 1975 meters elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on October 26, 1967 this soil was slightly moist throughout).

Oi--0 to 3 cm; fresh and decomposed conifer needles. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A1--3 to 41 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); diffuse wavy boundary. (20 to 43 cm thick)

A2--41 to 56 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, a few cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); diffuse wavy boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

Bw1--56 to 81 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); diffuse wavy boundary. (25 to 43 cm thick)

Bw2--81 to 109 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (28 to 46 cm thick)

Bqm--109 to 168; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3 and 7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly cemented; few fine, medium and coarse roots; most of the roots are matted on the surface; 50 percent gravel, 1 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.5).

TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California; Tahoe Basin; 2 miles west of Camp Richardson, Lot 28 of the Forest Service Spring Creek Tract; 322 meters north and 161 meters west of the SE corner of section 34, T.13 N., R.17 E. MDB&M. 38 degrees, 55 minutes, 33 seconds N latitude and 120 minutes, 4 degrees, 43 seconds W longitude, Emerald Bay 7.5 minute series topographic quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soils are usually moist between depths of 20 and 61 cm and are dry in all parts only from late July until early October.

Soil temperature: The mean annual soil temperature is 5 to 8 degrees C, and the mean summer soil temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C.

Depth to the cemented or compacted layer: greater than 100 cm from the mineral surface.

Umbric epipedon: 50 to 89 cm thick and includes the upper part of the C horizon in most pedons.

The base saturation: 10 and 50 percent and decreases with depth.

Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam or loam.

Rock fragment content: 15 to 75 percent by volume in the upper 25 cm and averages 35 to 65 percent below 25 cm. Rock fragments are mainly gravel or cobbles or both, with stones and boulders in some pedons.

Soil Reaction: slightly acid or moderately acid and can be strongly acid in the Bqm.

The A horizon:

Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry or moist
Organic matter: 3 to 10 percent.

The Bw horizons:

Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6 dry or moist
Organic matter: less than 1 to 3 percent.

The Bqm horizon:
Hue: 5Y, 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR
Cementation/compaction: There are continuous layers of dense, brittle material that restricts root and water movement. These layers are weakly to strongly cemented
Texture of the fine earth: coarse sandy loam or loamy sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bearcamp, Brandypeak, Burnlake, Donegan, Freezout, Goodwin, Nanny, Snowbrier, and Undusk soils. Bearcamp soils are deep to lithic contacts. Brandypeak, Freezeout, and Snowbrier soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Burnlake soils have an umbric epipedon less than 50 cm thick. Donegan soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Goodwin soils are deep to paralithic contacts. Nanny soils allow for an umbric horizon less than 50 cm thick and have a frost free season longer than 80 days. Undusk soils have 18 to 25 percent clay, are at elevations of 2000 to 2800 feet and have a frost free season of greater than 90 days.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Tallac soils are on nearly level to very steep lateral and terminal glacial moraines and outwash plains. Elevations range from 1524 to 2743 meters. The climate is humid with average annual precipitation of 580 to 2032 mm, most of which falls as snow. Average annual temperature is 4 to 8 degrees C, average January temperature is -1 degrees C, and the average July temperature is 17 degrees C. Frost-free season is 30 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cagwin and Meeks soils. Cagwin soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 50 to 100 cm and are on mountain backslopes. Meeks soils have an Umbric epipedon that is less than 50 cm thick, a sandy-skeletal control section and are on similar landscapes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well and well drained; runoff is very low to medium; permeability is moderately rapid above the cemented layer and slow within. Surface horizon when dry is hydrophobic.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber, watershed, wildlife, and recreation. Vegetation is Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, white fir, red fir with huckleberry oak, greenleaf manzanita, and mountain whitethorn as the dominant shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 22A

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tahoe Basin Area, California, 1970.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as loamy-skeletal, mixed Entic Cryumbrepts.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 24, pages 422 and 423. NSSL pedons S90CA-009-102 (taxadjunct) and NSSL pedon S68CA-017-016 (type location)

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.