LOCATION CANFIRE CA+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Canfire very gravelly sandy loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 25 percent gravel, 25 percent channers, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent flagstones, 3 percent stones, and 1 percent boulders.
A--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent channers, and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 7 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay bridges between sand grains; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent channers; 10 percent parachanners; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--7 to 17 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) very gravelly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and common fine, medium, coarse and very coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay bridges between sand grains; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent channers; 10 percent parachanners; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
R--17 inches; hard fractured gneiss.
TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2 miles southwest of the town of Walker; approximately 1,000 feet north and 350 feet east of the southwest corner of section 5, T. 7 N., R. 23 E.; USGS Chris Flat 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 28 minutes 42.9 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 28 minutes 58.3 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from July through early October for 75 to 90 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; Xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 50 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 10 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to bedrock - 14 to 20 inches to a lithic contact.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of rock fragments are metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss.
A horizon - Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt1 horizon - Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Pararock fragments: 5 to 15 percent paragravel or parachanners.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt2 horizon - Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Pararock fragments: 5 to 15 percent paragravel or parachanners.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 1 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Argabak, Bellehelen, Brier, Chinabutte, Clovercreek, Duco, Gwin, Horseflat, Ocud (T), Orhood, Reywat, Shepridge, Stepmount, Upatad, and Windry series.
Argabak, Bellehelen, Brier, Duco, Horseflat, Ocud, Orhood, Reywat, and Upatad soils have an aridic moisture regime. Chinabutte, Clovercreek, Gwin, and Windry soils have more than 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Shepridge soils are slightly alkaline. Stepmount soils have identifiable secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Canfire soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 6,000 to 7,500 feet. The climate is subhumid-continental with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 24 inches, mean annual temperature is 39 to 45 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chrisflat, Crispy, and Pinew soils. Chrisflat soils are very deep and have thick mollic epipedons. Crispy and Pinew soils are shallow to paralithic contacts and have a frigid temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderate permeability (moderately high or high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Canfire soils are used for forest land, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon with an understory of antelope bitterbrush, mountain big sagebrush, currant, bluegrass, and desert needlegrass. Some areas have scattered Jeffrey pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California and western Nevada, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. These soils are not extensive with about 2,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 22A and 26.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono 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 7 inches (A and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 17 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 17 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 2 to 17 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).