M332Bg Garnet/Sapphire Mountains

Landscape Characteristics:

Mountains, hills, moraines, and valleys that formed in till, sedimentary, and igneous rocks. Glaciation has modified parts of this subsection. Elevations range from 3200 to 8800 feet. Drainage density is moderate.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 13 to 55 inches, about 50 to 60 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are cryic and tpic ustic. Frigid temperatures occur at lower elevations.

Potential Vegetation:

Douglas-fir forest/Western ponderosa forest

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Glaciated uplands/cirquelands Gneiss/quartzite/argillite/talus Cryochrepts
Mountainsides/ridges Limestone/igneous Cryoboralfs/Cryochrepts/Ustochrepts
Moraines/foothills Till/alluvium Eutroboralfs/Ustochrepts

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbance is fire. Land use is predominantly timber harvest, grazing, mining, and recreational development.