LOCATION CANDLESTICK CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, isomesic Pachic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Candlestick loam; on a southwest facing slope of 25 percent under coastal shrubs at 625 feet in elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described May 11, 1983, the soil was moist throughout.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine, sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine, and few coarse tubular and interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); diffuse smooth boundary. (12 to 16 inches thick)
A3--14 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine, and few coarse tubular and interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear irregular boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--20 to 24 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and few coarse tubular and interstitial pores; few thin clay films on ped faces, in pores, and as bridges between mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear irregular boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
R--24 inches; hard fractured sandstone that is cut with difficulty with a tile spade when moist.
TYPE LOCATION: San Mateo County, California; on San Bruno Mountain; 2,100 feet travelling east from intersection of Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and Radio Road, and 100 feet north of Guadalupe Canyon Parkway up jeep trail.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 56 to 58 degrees F. and the soil temperature usually is not below 47 degrees F. at any time. The difference between mean winter and mean summer soil temperature is less than 9 degrees F. Organic matter content is greater than 1 percent throughout the upper 20 inches. The soil moisture control section is moist from mid-November to June. It is dry in some or all parts the rest of the time but is not dry in all parts for 45 consecutive days. Gravel content is 5 to 15 percent throughout. Base saturation is greater than 75 percent throughout.
The A horizon is 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 4/2 or 4/3. Moist color is 10YR 3/1, 3/2, 3/3 or 2/2. Textures are loam or fine sandy loam. Clay content is 15 to 25 percent. Structure is fine granular or subangular blocky. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly acid.
The Bt horizon has dry color of 10YR 4/3, 5/3, 5/4, 6/3 and moist color of 10YR 3/3, 4/3 or 4/4. Textures are sandy clay loam, clay loam. Clay content is 27 to 30 percent. Gravel content ranges from 15 to 35 percent. Reaction is slightly acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Abalobadiah. The Abalobadiah series has a paralithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Candlestick soils are steep to very steep and have slopes of 30 to 75 percent. They formed in residuum weathered from hard sandstone. Elevations are 75 to 1,350 feet. The climate is subhumid mesothermal with cool, foggy summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 20 to 30 inches. Mean January temperature is about 48 degrees F; mean July temperature is 60 degrees F.; and mean annual temperature is about 54 to 56 degrees F. The frost free season is about 300 to 350 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barnabe, Buriburi, and Kron. Barnabe soils are 10 to 20 inches to a lithic contact and lack argillic horizons. Buriburi soils lack an argillic horizon. Kron soils are 10 inches or less to a lithic contact and are loamy, skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid to very rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Watershed, wildlife and recreation. Vegetation consists of coyote bush, yerba santa, gorse, dock, wild oats, soft chess, and blackberries.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upland areas of central coastal California that receive coastal fog. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Mateo County, 1984. Name coined from Candlestick Park in City of San Francisco.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in January of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET