LOCATION TOEM                    CA NV

Established Series
Rev. JHR/GLA/WRL/ET
02/2023

TOEM SERIES

The Toem series consists of shallow, excessively drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from granitic rocks. Slopes range from 5 to 75 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1015 milimeters and the mean annual temperature is about 4.4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid, shallow Dystric Xeropsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Toem gravelly coarse sand - convex, south slope of 35 percent under Jeffrey pine, white fir and greenleaf manzanita at 2134 meters elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

O--0 to 3 cm; pine litter. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A1--3 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) pockets; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick).

A2--8 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; dark gray (10YR 4/1) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), pockets and seams adjacent to coarse roots or old root channels; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick).

C--25 to 46 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive, soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, many very fine, few fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick).

Cr--46 to 81 cm; weathered granodiorite; roots are limited to cracks in the weathered rock.

TYPE LOCATION: El Dorado County, California, Lake Tahoe Basin; 100 feet north of High Meadow Road, 4 miles south of stateline; SW1/4 SE1/4 Sec. 12, T. 12 N., R.18 E., MDB&M. South Lake Tahoe Quad: 38 degrees 53 minutes 52 seconds North latitude, 119 degrees 56 minutes 4 seconds West longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: usually moist but are dry in all parts from mid-July until early October.

Soil temperature: mean annual 4 to 7 degrees C, and the mean summer soil temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C.

Depth to a paralithic contact: from 20 to 50 cm.
Texture of the fine earth: loamy coarse sand or coarse sand

Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent gravel

Base saturation: between a depth of 25 cm and the paralithic contact ranges from 20 to 60 percent but is usually less than 50 percent in the lower part of the profile

Reaction: slightly or moderately acid throughout

O horizons are 3 to 8 cm thick

A horizon:

Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1through 3 dry or moist

C horizon:

Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry or moist
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry or moist

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Toem soils are on convex, rolling to very steep mountains at elevations of 1830 to 2710 meters. Slopes range from 5 to 75 percent. Rock outcrops and stones are common. These soils formed in place from granitic rock in a humid climate having an average annual precipitation of 640 to 1525 mm, most of which occurs as snow. The average annual temperature is 4 to 8 degrees C, the mean January temperature is -3.3 degrees C, and the mean July temperature is 13.3 degrees C. Frost-free season is less than 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cagwin and Cassenai soils. Cagwin soils have paralithic contact between 50 and 100 cm from the mineral surface. Cassenai soils are deeper than 150 cm.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; high runoff; rapid permeability above the bedrock.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat, watershed, and limited timber production. The vegetation consists primarily of open to semidense stands of mixed conifers such as Jeffrey pine, white fir, red fir, and western white pine. Pine mat manzanita, greenleaf manzanita, prostrate ceanothus, mountain whitethorn, and huckleberry oak are common as a shrub understory.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Toem is of moderate extent in California and Nevada in MLRA 22A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tahoe Basin Area, California, 1970.

REMARKS: The Toem soils were formerly classified in the cryic temperature regime because of the concept that an O horizon needed to be thicker than 3 inches to qualify as an O horizon. Now, the Toem soils are assumed to have O horizons.

ADDITIONAL DATA: The Toem pedon description in Soil Survey Investigation Report No. 24, pg. 318-319 is used as the typical pedon; NSSL Number S68CA-017-023.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.