LOCATION BALLONA CA
Established Series
RLR
02/2017
BALLONA SERIES
The Ballona series consists of well drained soils that formed in alluvium from mixed sources. Ballona soils are on alluvial fans, inset fans, and floodplains. Slopes are 0 to 9 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 445 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 18 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Calcic Pachic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ballona loam, at a city park. When described the soil was moist at the surface and dry in the subsurface. (Colors are dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
^A--0 to 7 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parts to moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary.
^A2--7 to 30 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine irregular pores; common distinct pressure faces on all faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 15 to 45 cm)
2AB1--30 to 70 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine irregular pores; many distinct pressure faces on all faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary.
2AB2--70 to 90 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine irregular pores; many distinct pressure faces on all faces of peds; finely disseminated calcium carbonates; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 30 to 100 cm)
2Bk1--90 to 120 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine irregular pores; common medium irregular calcium carbonate masses and few medium prominent spherical weakly cemented calcium carbonate nodules in matrix; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline, (pH 8.0).
2Bk2--120 to 200 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common medium irregular calcium carbonate masses and few medium spherical weakly cemented calcium carbonate nodules in matrix; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 75 to 150 cm)
TYPE LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California; 90 meters west Hazeltine Ave and 15 meters south of cinder wall at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center; 34 degrees, 09 minutes, 47.2 seconds north latitude; 118 degrees 26 minutes, 28.2 seconds west longitude, WGS84 - U.S.G.S Quad: Van Nuys.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist below a depth of about 30 cm some time from October to December and remains moist in some part between depths of about 30 to 90 cm until April or May.
Mean annual soil temperature: 17 to 20 degrees C
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 20 to 120 cm from the mineral surface; typically within 65 cm of the top of the natural soil surface if covered with a thin mantle of human-transported materials
Clay content: greater than 35 percent in the particle-size control section
Human-transported materials: 0 to 50 cm
A, ^A(u) horizon
Dry color: hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 1 or 2
Moist color: hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or less commonly sandy loam
Artifacts: 0 to 5 percent construction debris
(2)AB horizon:
Dry color: hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Moist color: hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 1 to 3
Texture: clay loam, clay or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Pressure faces: some pedons have common to many pressure faces on ped faces
(2)Bss, (2)Bkss horizon: (when present)
Dry color: hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Moist color: hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 1 to 3
Texture: clay loam, clay or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Pressure faces: common to many pressure faces on ped faces
Slickensides: few to common intersecting slickensides
(2)Bk horizon:
Dry color: hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 3 or 4
Moist color: hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: clay loam, clay, silty clay or silty clay loam
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent
Pressure faces: some pedons have common to many pressure faces on ped faces
Calcium carbonate equivalency: less than 12 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: alluvial plains in urban areas
Landform: alluvial fans, inset fans, floodplains
Slope: 0 to 9 percent
Parent material: alluvium from mixed rock sources
Elevation: 3 to 450 meters
Mean annual precipitation is 300 to 580 mm
Mean January temperature: 14 degrees C
Mean July temperature: 23.5 degrees C
Mean annual temperature: 16 to 20 degrees C
Frost-free season: 300 to 365 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Arbolado soils: are formed in human-transported materials and are on man-made cut and filled hillslope terraces.
Azuvina soils: have an argillic horizon with less than 35 percent clay on fan remnants.
Biscailuz soils: have less than 35 percent clay and are somewhat-poorly drained.
Cropley soils: have cracks at the surface during the summer and are on similar landforms.
Elpaloalto soil: have a 275 to 300 day frost-free season and the mean annual temperature is 14 to 16.5 degrees C.
Grommet soils: have 18 to 28 percent clay and are on alluvial fans from sedimentary sources.
Mocho soils: have 18 to 35 percent clay and have an irregular decrease in organic matter on similar landforms.
Montebello soils: are formed in human-transported materials with less than 35 percent clay and are on graded alluvial fans.
Sorrento soils: have 18 to 35 percent clay and are on similar landforms.
Palmview soils: have less than 18 percent clay and are on alluvial fans from granitic sources.
Thums soils: have an argillic horizon and are on terraces and uplifted alluvium.
Windfetch soils: have 18 to 35 percent clay and are on terraces and uplifted alluvium.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Well drained and moderately-well drained; medium to high runoff; low saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ballona soils are in high density urban residential and recreational areas. Vegetation is mostly non-native and ornamental in urban areas and annual grasses, forbs and scattered oaks or sycamore in natural areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal plains and interior valleys in southern California; MLRA 19 - Southern California Coastal Plain. These soils are not extensive.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 2015
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone form a depth of 0 to 70 cm
Human transported material - the zone from a depth of 0 to 30 cm
Secondary calcium carbonate - the zone from a depth of 90 to 200 cm
Particle-size control section - the zone from a depth of 30 to 100 cm
Some pedons that do not have calcium carbonate are included in the concept during the mapping of the southeastern Part of Los Angeles County.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS User Pedon ID: 2012CA696574.
Classified using the Twelfth Editions Keys to Soil Taxonomy (2014)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.