LOCATION CHINO                   CA

Established Series
Rev. LAB-LCL
06/2020

CHINO SERIES


The Chino series have gray, calcareous, silt loam A horizons and gray and light gray, calcareous silty clay loam C horizons.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aquic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Chino silt loam - annual weeds and grasses. (Colors for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A1--0 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; strong fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); strongly effervescent; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

A2--7 to 14 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); strongly effervescent; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

C1--14 to 27 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine, medium and coarse tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); strongly effervescent; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)

C2--27 to 46 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); strongly effervescent; gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 21 inches thick)

C3--46 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many fine, medium and coarse tubular pores; few slickensides; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2) strongly effervescent.

TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; south of the intersection of Hall and Fulton Streets; approximately 100 feet south and 2,000 feet east of the W 1/4 corner sec. 34, T. 2 S., R. 7 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Usually the soils between depths of about 4 and 12 inches are moist all the time from sometime in November until sometime in May and are dry all the rest of the year. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 59 to 65 degrees F. Except where drained, the soils are saturated within 40 to 60 inches of the surface from about February to May or for noncalcareous in some pedons and is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.

The A horizon is dark gray, gray or grayish brown in 10YR hue, moist value is 3. It has weak to strong, fine to medium granular structure. The 10 to 40 inches section is very fine sandy loam to silty clay loam (18 to 35 percent clay).

The C horizon is dark gray, gray, light gray, light brownish gray, or grayish brown in 10YR and 2.5Y hue and in some pedons is faintly to distinctly mottled.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Foster, Grangeville, Landlow, Merritt, Omni, Pacheco, Sacramento, and Sycamore series. Foster and Grangeville soils have coarse-loamy control sections. Landlow and Omni soils have fine control sections. Merritt and Pacheco soils have an irregular decrease in organic matter. Sacramento soils have very fine control sections. Sycamore soils have surface horizons that are very hard or hard and massive.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Chino soils are in basins and flood plains at elevations of near sea level to 3,100 feet. They formed in alluvium derived from granitic rocks. The climate is dry subhumid mesothermal with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual rainfall is 8 to 20 inches. Mean annual temperature is 60 to 65 degrees F, average January temperature about 51 F, and average July temperature about 76 degrees F. The frost-free season is 230-340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Hanford, Merrill, and Visalia soils and the competing Foster soils. Hanford soils lack mollic epipedons and are coarse-loamy in the control section. Merrill soils have calcic horizons. Visalia soils are coarse-loamy in the control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly to somewhat poorly drained. Many areas have been drained by stream channel entrenchment or reduction of ground water level by pumping. Runoff is slow to very slow. Permeability is moderately slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Commonly used for grazing. Drained areas are used for growing irrigated truck and row crops. Vegetation is annual grass, weeds, and shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal valleys and intermountain valleys of southern California and southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Riverside Area, California, 1915.

REMARKS: Chino soils were formerly classified as Alluvial soils. Chino soils mapped in MLRA 17 and 19 and should be separated.

Last revised by the state on 10/72.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.