1. Characterizing Soils and Weathered bedrock across the Sierran developmental Sequence What are the chemical mineralogical and physical properties? Can spatial variability be explained by Time, Topography, Parent material, Organisms, and Climate explain? Do digital soil mapping techniques work (terrain attributes, airborne gamma ray mapping, remote sensing)? Do spatial patterns in soil relate to trends in weathered bedrock characteristics? How does the degree of soil development influence processes in weathered bedrock? What is the role of weathered bedrock relative to resilience of ecosystems to climate change?

2. Analysis to date: 3 cores at SJER to 2m; 4 cores at soap root 2.5-4.5 m; 3 cores at providence 8-11 m ChemicalPhysicalMineralogical CEC/ Base saturation Texture (clay, silt, sand fractions) Selective Dissolution Mn, Fe, Si, Al pHFine clayQuantitative XRD ECSand fractionsClay mineralogy Total C & NBulk density Available PPorosity Exchangeable KK sat Cl - Gravimetric water Ca 2+, Mg 2+, K +, Na +

3. 400 m 1100 m 2000 m2700 m Why is it shallower at 1100 m when soils are significantly more weathered? Depth (m) Depth (m) Available H 2 O (cm/cm)

4. The Red Zone