LOCATION BOLSA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Aquic Xerofluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Bolsa silt loam, drained, fallow. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap1--0 to 6 inches; light brownish-gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) when moist; weak, medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt, smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Ap2--6 to 12 inches; light brownish-gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) when moist; weak, medium, subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear, smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C1--12 to 18 inches; light brownish-gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) when moist; few very faint mottles; weak, medium, subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt, smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C2--18 to 29 inch; light brownish-gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) when moist; weak, medium, subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt, smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C3--29 to 39 inches; light brownish-gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) when moist; few, fine, prominent, reddish-yellow (7.5YR 6/6) mottles, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) when moist; weak, fine and medium, prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; salts in fine threads; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear, smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
C4--39 to 49 inches; light brownish-gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) when moist; common, fine, prominent, reddish-yellow (7.5R 6/6) mottles, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) when moist; weak, fine and medium, prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pore; salts in fine thread; strongly effervescent, disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear, smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
C5--49 to 55 inches; light brownish-gray (2.5Y 6/2) and dark-gray (2.5Y 4/ ) silty clay loam high in organic matter; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and dark gray (2.5Y 4/ ) when moist; common, fine prominent, reddish-yellow (7.5YR 6/6) mottles, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) when moist; weak, coarse, prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine and medium root; many fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear, smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inch thick)
C6--55 to 69 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) when moist; many, fine, prominent, brownish-yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) when moist; moderate, fine, platy structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine pores; salts in fine threads; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Orange County, California; within Huntington Beach city limit; 330 feet west, 100 feet north of intersection of Magnolia and Atlanta Avenues; SE 1/4, Se 1/4 ec. 12, T. 6 S., R. 7 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil between depths of 4 and 12 inches usually is moist in some part from sometime in November until sometime in May and is dry all the rest of the year if not irrigated. The mean annual soil temperature at depth of 20 inches is about 62 degrees F. The soil is saturated within 40 to 60 inches of the surface from about February to May unless drained. The soil is calcareous to a depth of 40 inches or more and is mildly or moderately alkaline. The 10- to 40-inch section averages 18 ro 30 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser particles. Organic matter decreases irregularly as depth increases.
The A horizon is light brownish gray and pale brown in 10YR hue. It ranges from sandy loam to silty clay loam.
The C horizon is light gray, light brownish gray or pale brown in 10YR or 2.5Y hue. It has distinct or prominent mottles below a depth of about 30 inches. This horizon is mainly silt loam and silty clay loam but has thin strata of sandier material in some pedons. It has buried A horizons in many pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Camarillo, Chino, Docas, Hueneme, Pacheco, and Sycamore series. Camarillo soils have a fine-loamy control section. Chino and Pacheco soils have mollic epipedons and fine-loamy control section. Doca soils are not saturated with water within 60 inches of the surface in most years. Hueneme soils have a coarse-loamy control section. Sycamore soils have an aquic moisture regime and noncalcareous A horizons
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bolsa soils are nearly level and are in flood plains and basins at elevations of 10 to 300 feet. They formed in stratified alluvium derived from mixed sources. The climate is dry subhumid meso-thermal with cool moist winters and foggy dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches. Mean annual temperature is about 62 degrees F; average January temperature is about 53 degrees F; average July temperature is about 70 degrees F. The frost-free season is 300 to 365 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Chino and Hueneme soils and the Landlow, Metz, Mocho, San Emigdio, and Sorrento soils. Landlow soils have more than 35 percent clay. Metz and San Emigdio soils are not saturated above depth of 60 inches for any appreciable time. Mocho and Sorrento soils have mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability. Many areas have been drained by the lowering ground water levels and by pumping or by flood control channels.
USE AND VEGETATION: They are used for urban and for growing irrigated truck crops, lima beans and dryland barley. Vegetation in uncultivated areas is annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal plains and valleys in southern California. The series is of moderate extent in MLRA 19 and 14.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Orange and western Part of Riverside Counties, California, 1974.
REMARKS: The Bolsa soils formerly would have been classified as Alluvial soils.
Last revised by the state on 7/74.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedons: S71CA-059-004 (type location) and S71CA-059-006 (range in characteristics)