LOCATION VISTA CA

Established Series
Rev. GB/RCH/LCL/SBS/RLR/KP
08/2012

VISTA SERIES

The Vista series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from decomposed granitic rocks. Vista soils are on hills and mountainous uplands and have slopes of 2 to 85 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 40 cm (16 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 17 degrees C (62 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haploxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Vista coarse sandy loam, annual pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm (0 to 3 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium crumb structure; soft, very friable; common fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--8 to 23 cm (3 to 9 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; neutral (pH 6.7); diffuse irregular boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

A3--23 to 48 cm (9 to 19 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores with many very coarse and very coarse tubular pores(krotovinas and animal burrows); slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 30 cm thick)

Bw1--48 to 71 cm (19 to 28 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable; few fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; many krotovinas and animal burrows; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)

Bw2--71 to 89 cm (28 to 35 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; hard, friable; few fine roots; common fine and very fine pores with many coarse and very coarse pores (krotovinas and animal burrows); slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt irregular boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Cr1--89 to 112 cm (35 to 44 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and very pale brown (10YR 7/4) weathered quartz diorite grus composed mostly of plagioclase feldspar, biotite, hornblende, and some quartz; clear irregular boundary. (12 to 25 cm thick)

Cr2--112 to 155 (44 to 61 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) grus, similar to above, but lacking stains on mineral grains.

TYPE LOCATION: San Diego County, California; about 2 1/2 miles southeast of Fallbrook, California, about 134 meters (440 feet) North northwest of the southeast corner of the Fallbrook High School campus; NE 1/4 SW 1/4 section 31, T.9 S., R.3 W. (projected). 33 degrees, 20 minutes, 55.976 seconds North latitude; 117, 14 minutes, 11.569 seconds West longitude; UTM zone 11, 477990e and 3689990n NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to paralithic contact: 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches)
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 16 to 20 degrees C (60 to 68 degrees F)
Soil Moisture: Between a depth of 20 to 60 cm (8 to 24 cm) the soil is moist in some or all parts from about December through April and is dry the rest of the year.
Notes: krotovinas filled with mateial from overlying horizons in common

A horizon:
Color: hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, Value of 4 or 5, chroma of 2 or 3
Organic Matter: averages less than 1 percent
Texture: coase sandy loam or sandy loam
ReactionL medium acid to neutral

Bw horizon:
Color: hue of 2.5Y to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 3 to 4
Texture: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand
Notes: some pedons have few thin clay films and slightly more clay than the overlying A horizon

C horizon: (where present)
Color: generally 1 chip lighter in value and/or chroma than the overlying Bw
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand
Notes: above grus layer

Cr: highly weather granitic or closely related bedrock

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Escondido and Express series. Escondido soils have a metasedimentary lithic contact at a depth of 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches). Express soils are active cation-exchange activity class and are formed from diorite.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vista soils are on hilly slopes at elevations of 122 to 1188 meters (400 to 3,900 feet) in southern California and at less than 1066 meters (3,500 feet) elevation in central California. Slopes range from 2 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from decomposed granite and other closely related rocks. The climate is subhumid mesothermal. The average annual precipitation is 254 to 559 mm (10 to 22 inches). The average January temperature is 8 to 14 degrees C (47 to 58 degrees F); the average July temperature is 19 to 27 degrees C (67 to 80 degrees F); and the mean annual temperature is 15 to 18 degrees C (59 to 65 degrees F). The average frost free season is 210 to 320 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ahwahnee, Bonsall, Cienba, Crouch, Fallbrook, Garey, Greenfield, Las Posas, Ramona and Saugus soils. Ahwahnee, Fallbrook, and Greenfield soils have an argillic horizon. Bonsall and Las Posas soils have a fine particle size control section and an argillic horizon. Cieneba soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of less than 50 cm. Crouch soils have a mollic epipdeon >25 cm thick and are deep to granitic bedrock. Fallbrook soils have fine-loamy particel size control section and have an argillic horizon. Las Posas soils have a fine textured argillic horizon and is formed in weathered gabbro. Ramona soils have reddish brown argillic horizons formed in granitic alluvium. Saugus soils lack a cambic horizon and are deep to a paralithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Under irrigation avocados and citrus are grown in areas of favorable temperature. A few small areas are used for growing winter truck crops. On areas of moderate relief, grain and hay are grown without irrigation. Range is a common use in areas that are not cultivated. The natural vegetation is annual grasses and forbs and such shrubs as California sagebrush, scrub oak, lilac, chamise, sumac, and flattop buckwheat.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern California Mountains and Sierra Nevada foothills. The soil is extensive in MLRA 20, 15 and 18.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Diego County (Oceanside Area), California, 1929.

REMARKS: English to metric unit conversion, RIC converted to tabular, competing, geographic setting and geographically associated soils updated - 06/2012 RLR

Minor edits to horizon designations made in 1996. Entire official series description needs to be updated, included competing section. UTM added 3/2009 ET

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedons S64CA-073-001 (type location), S65CA-053-029, S65CA-053-030, S55CA-065-006, S64CA-073-004 and S55CA-065-007.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.