LOCATION WOOLSTALF CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Woolstalf gravelly fine sandy loam - on a northeast facing slope of 15 percent with a mixed conifer (ponderosa pine and white fir)/cover at 7,000 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on 11/19/76 the soil was dry).
Oi--1 to 0 inches; decomposing pine and fir needles.
A11--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A12--6 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles, neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 9 inches thick)
A13--15 to 37 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine to coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 22 inches thick)
B2--37 to 59 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse roots; common fine interstitial pores; 75 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (14 to 22 inches thick)
Cr--59 inches; weathered metasedimentary rock retaining original rock structure.
TYPE LOCATION: Kern County, California; Sequoia National Forest, Greenhorn Ranger District, Piute Mountains. On FS road 26SO1, 2.8 miles north of junction with FS road 28SO1, (look for red metal fence post with a tag along south edge of road), then 100 feet south of road; SE1/4, NW1/4 sec. 29, T.28S., R.34E., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of weathered metasedimentary rock ranges from 40 to 60 inches. The soil between depths of about 15 and 38 inches usually becomes moist in some part in late October or November and remains moist until mid-July. Mean annual soil temperature is 55 degrees F. The particle size control section is 10 to 18 percent clay. The soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F. from April to November.
The A1 horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 4/2, or 4/3, and moist color of 10YR 3/2, 3/3, or 7.5YR 3/2. It is gravelly fine sandy loam or gravelly loam and has 15 to 35 percent gravel. Structure is weak or moderate, granular or subangular blocky. It is neutral or slightly acid. Base saturation is 58 to 61 percent.
The B2 horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/4, 4/4 or 7.5YR 5/6, 4/4 and moist color of 10YR 3/4, 4/3, or 7.5YR 3/2, 3/4, 5/6. Texture is very gravelly fine sandy loam or very gravelly loam and has 35 to 75 percent gravel and cobbles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cahto (T), Geppert (T), Lauren, and Oland series. The Cahto and Geppert soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. The Lauren soils have a IIC horizon within 40 inches. The series is poorly defined. The Oland soils have over 18 percent clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Woolstalf soils are on mountain slopes and ridges. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. They formed in material weathered from metasedimentary rocks. Elevations are 5,000 to 8,300 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool moist winters and warm dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 15 to 30 inches and occurs as snow and rain. Mean annual temperature is 45 degrees to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 125 to 225 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chaix, Chawanakee, and Dome (T) series. These soils have ochric epipedons and less than 35 percent coarse fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife land, recreation land, watershed, and some scattered livestock grazing. Vegetation is a mixed conifer type consisting of Jeffrey pine, white fire, black oak, greenleaf manzanita, mountain whitehorn, big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, golden bush, grasses, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern mountain area of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California. The soils of this series are of moderate extent; their total acreage is about 16,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sequoia National Forest Area, Kern County, California, 1980. The name is taken from Woolstalf meadow.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 9/80.