LOCATION WINDYRIDGE              CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB-JVC
05/2013

WINDYRIDGE SERIES

The Windyridge series consists of very shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granodiorite. Windyridge soils are on mountains. Slopes are 8 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 45 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 35 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, shallow Typic Cryorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Windyridge very gravelly loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 65 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones.

A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--2 to 7 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)

C--7 to 10 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very gravelly coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)

Cr--10 to 20 inches; soft weathered granodiorite.

TYPE LOCATION: Alpine County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2,100 feet southwest of Jobs Sister; approximately 1,900 feet north and 3,000 feet east of the southwest corner of section 31, T. 12 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Freel Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 51 minutes 28.5 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 53 minutes 19.7 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 to early October for 60 to 80 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Typic xeric moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature - 35 to 40 degrees F.

Mean summer soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F.

Depth to bedrock - 4 to 10 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock such as granodiorite.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages less than 10 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly fine gravel. Lithology of rock fragments is granitic rocks such as granodiorite.

Reaction - Very strongly acid through moderately acid.


A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.


Bw horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loamy coarse sand or very gravelly coarse sand.
Clay content: 4 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly fine (2 to 5 millimeter diameter) gravel.


C horizon (when present) - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loamy coarse sand or very gravelly coarse sand.
Clay content: 4 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly fine (2 to 5 millimeter diameter) gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Jobsis series. Jobsis soils have paralithic contacts at depths of 10 to 20 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Windyridge soils are on mountains. They typically occur on summit and shoulder positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rock. Slopes are 8 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 9,000 to 11,000 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 40 to 55 inches, the mean annual temperature is 34 to 37 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 20 to 30 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Jobsis soils and the Freelpeak soils. Freelpeak soils have paralithic material deeper than 40 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium or high surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).

USE AND VEGETATION: Windyridge soils are used for recreation, watershed and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is a sparse cover of mainly various alpine forbs and grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 320 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:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 2 inches (A horizon).

Paralithic contact - The boundary at 10 inches to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).

Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 10 inches (A, Bw, and C horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.