LOCATION CRISPY CA+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Typic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Crispy very gravelly loam - forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones.
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
A2--2 to 7 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 15 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and few distinct clay films lining pores; 50 percent gravel; 10 percent paragravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--15 to 25 inches; weathered and fractured schist.
TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2.5 miles southwest of the town of Walker; approximately 2,400 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 6, T. 7 N., R. 23 E.; USGS Chris Flat 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 28 minutes 47.8 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 29 minutes 43.6 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 - 44 to 47 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 14 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 14 to 20 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly medium and coarse gravel (5 to 75 mm diameter). Lithology of fragments are metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss.
A horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, 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.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cucamungo, Grandridge, Pinew, Quopant, and Trailamp series.
Cucamungo and Grandridge soils are dominated by fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter) of granitic lithology in the particle-size control section. Pinew soils have rock fragments which are volcanic rocks and have paralithic materials of weathered tuff or andesite in the series control section. Quopant soils have 2C horizons below the argillic horizon and have paralithic materials of weathered ash-flow tuff in the series control section. Trailamp soils are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline, have paralithic contacts at depths of 7 to 14 inches, have paralithic materials of siltstone or shale, and are intermittently moist due to summer convection storms.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crispy soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils 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 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canfire and Chrisflat soils along with the competing Pinew soil. Canfire soils are shallow to lithic contact and have a mesic temperature regime. Chrisflat soils are very deep and have thick mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderate permeability (moderately high or high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Crispy 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, and bluegrass. 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 1,500 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 (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 7 to 15 inches (Bt horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 15 inches to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 7 to 15 inches (Bt horizon).