LOCATION BELLYSPRING CAEstablished Series
The Bellyspring series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in material weathered from sandstone. Bellyspring soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 9 to 75 percent. The annual precipitation is about 254 millimeters (10 inches) and the annual temperature is about 16 degrees C (60 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Mollic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bellyspring sandy loam - on a northeast facing slope of 17 percent under red brome, filaree, pine bluegrass and scattered snakeweed at 762 meters (2500 feet) elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on July 24, 1985, the soil was moist from 33 to 58 centimeters (13 to 23 inches) and slightly moist below.)
A1--0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common fine interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 18 centimeters (3 to 7 inches) thick)
A2--8 to 33 centimeters (3 to 13 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine, few fine and medium tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 38 centimeters (8 to 15 inches) thick)
Bt--33 to 58 centimeters (13 to 23 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films on fractures, in pores and bridges between mineral grains; 10 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (23 to 38 centimeters (9 to 15 inches) thick)
Bk--58 to 97 centimeters (23 to 38 inches); variegated strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; violently effervescent, lime disseminated and segregated as common fine filaments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual irregular boundary. (0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) thick)
Cr--97 to 122 centimeters (38 to 48 inches); variegated very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) weakly consolidated coarse grained sandstone, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist.
TYPE LOCATION: San Luis Obispo County, California; about 4,500 feet west of County road 285 on the dirt road to the Traver eucalyptus farm and about 1,000 feet NE of the dirt road along the side of the slope. It is 650 feet south and 500 feet west of the NE corner of section 20 T. 11 N., R. 25 W. San Bernardino Base Line, USGS Elkhorn Hills Topographic Quadrangle. Lat. 35 degrees, 1 min., 55 sec. N and Long. 119 degrees, 33 min., 42 sec. W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 51 to 94 centimeters (20 to 37 inches) and the depth to a paralithic contact is 50 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches). The soils between the depths of 18 to 50 centimeters (7 and 20 inches) are moist in all parts for 60 consecutive days between mid January and mid March and are also moist in some part for at least 90 days from December to May. They are dry in all parts for about 210 days from May to December. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 16 to 20 degrees C (60 degrees to 68 degrees F). These soils are mildly or moderately alkaline. These soils have a xeric bordering on aridic moisture regime.
The A horizon is 10YR 5/2, 5/3 or 5/4. Moist colors are 10YR 3/2, 3/3 or 3/4. It has sandy loam or loam textures, 12 to 22 percent clay and 0 to 10 percent gravel.
The Bt horizon is 7.5YR 4/6, 5/6 or 6/6; 10YR 5/4, 5/6 or 6/6. Moist colors are 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4 or 4/6; 10YR 3/4, 3/6, 4/4 or 4/6. Textures are clay loam, sandy clay loam, cobbly clay loam or cobbly sandy clay loam textures. Clay content is 25 to 35 percent. It has 0 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
The Bk horizon is 7.5YR 5/6, 6/4 or 6/6; 10YR 6/4 or 7/3. Moist colors are 7.5YR 4/4 or 4/6; 10YR 4/2, 4/4 or 5/3. Textures are loamy coarse sand, sandy loam, gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam textures. Clay content is 5 to 18 percent. It has 10 to 25 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. It is noneffervescent to violently effervescent. Some pedons do not have Bk horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Academy (T), Burchell, Cajalco (T), Coarsegold, Hicksville, Honn (T), Jacinto, Modesto, Olashes, Perkins, Pleasanton, Rescue, Sodabay, Sobrante, Trimmer and Whitney series. Academy (T) soils are medium acid to neutral and have a mean annual soil temperature of 15 degrees C (59 degrees F). Trimmer soils have 5YR hues in the B horizon. Rescue soils are deep to the paralithic contact. Burchell, Hicksville, Honn (T), Jacinto, Modesto, Perkins, Pleasanton and Olashes soils are deep alluvial soils. Cajalco (T) soils are formed from basic igneous rocks and have less than 5 percent gravel throughout. Whitney soils are formed in granite and have less than 5 percent gravel throughout. Coarsegold soils are slightly acid or neutral. Sobrante soils have a lithic contact at 76 centimeters (30 inches) and are formed in hard schist. Sodabay soils are deep to a paralithic contact and are formed in material weathered from volcanic ash, dacite and pyroclastic tuff and breccia.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Bellyspring soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 9 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from sandstone. Elevations are 457 to 1006 meters (1,500 to 3,300 feet). The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 203 to 305 millimeters (8 to 12 inches). Mean January temperature is 9 degrees C (49 degrees F), the mean July temperature is 25 degrees C (77 degrees F) and the mean annual temperature is 14 to 17 degrees C (58 to 62 degrees F). Frost-free season ranges from 175 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beam (T), Muranch (T), Panoza (T), Padres (T) and Semper (T) soils. Beam, Muranch, Panoza and Semper soils have the same topographic position as the Bellyspring soils. Beam soils have less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) to a paralithic contact. Muranch soils have more than 35 percent gravels and cobbles throughout. Panoza soils do not have argillic horizons. Padres soils are nearly level and deep. Semper soils have less than 12 percent clay throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid or very rapid (medium to high) runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is red brome, filaree, pine bluegrass and scattered snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central California in the Carrizo Plain Area. The soils are not extensive. MLRA 15, Central California Coast Range.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: San Luis Obispo County California, Carrizo Plain SSA, 1986.
REMARKS: Major Diagnostic Horizons
Ochric Epipedon: Upper 8 centimeters (3 inches) of the A horizon is massive and hard.
Mollic Subgroup: The color value moist of the A horizons is 3.
Argillic Horizon: The zone from 33 to 58 centimeters (13 to 23 inches) (Bt).