LOCATION WATERPEAK CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Pachic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Waterpeak very bouldery coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 25 percent gravel, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very bouldery coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
A2--5 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
A3--18 to 27 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, common fine, and common medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Bw--27 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very stony sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, few fine, and few medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 1,100 feet southeast of Waterhouse Peak; approximately 1,850 feet south and 1,700 feet east of the northwest corner of section 26, T. 11 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Freel Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 46 minutes 22.1 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 57 minutes 45.7 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from mid-July through September for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 40 to 44 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 47 to 54 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 20 to 40 inches.
Depth to base of cambic horizon - more than 40 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 60 to 80 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock.
Control section - Clay content: Averages less than 10 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly stones. Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks such as granodiorite.
A horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 5 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bw horizon - Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very stony sandy loam or very stony coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alta and Hastee series. These soils are deep to paralithic contacts and have a xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Waterpeak soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from granitic rock. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 8,000 to 11,000 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 30 to 45 inches, the 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 have umbric epipedons. Sofgran soils have ochric epipedons. Temo soils are sandy, shallow to paralithic contacts, and have ochric epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low or medium surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the lower part (high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Waterpeak soils are used for rangeland, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, currant, snowberry, Eriogonum ssp., and mountain brome.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 2,300 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:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 27 inches (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 27 to 60 inches (Bw horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (A3 horizon and parts of the A2 and Bw horizons).