LOCATION CRAFTON CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Entic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Crafton sandy loam, on a northeast facing slope of 35 percent under native brush. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
01 and 02--0.5 inch to 0; partly decomposed brush litter (1/2 to 1 1/2 inches thick)
A11--0 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; micaceous; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
A12--10 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; micaceous; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
C1--18 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and coarse roots; about 25 percent rock fragments; micaceous; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
C2r--26 to 48 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) partially weathered micaceous schist, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; few medium roots in fractures. (Many feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; about 3 miles north of Banning, California; approximately 300 feet north and 1,400 feet west of the E1/4 corner section 27, T.2S., R.1E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of weathered micaeous schist is 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is about 50 to 56 degrees F. From mid-May until mid-November, the soils are usually continuously dry. The rest of the year the soils are usually moist in some or all parts between depth of 10 and 30 inches. Organic carbon is more than 0.6 percent to a depth of 10 to 19 inches. The particle size control has 8 to 18 percent clay. The soil is slightly acid or moderately acid and base saturation ranges from 75 to 90 percent.
The A horizon is dark grayish brown, grayish brown, brown or dark brown (10YR 4/2, 5/2, 4/3, 3/3). Moist colors are very dark grayish brown, or dark brown (10YR 3/3, 3/2). This horizon is sandy loam or fine sandy loam and contains 0 to 15 percent fine gravel.
The C1 horizon is brown, yellowish brown, or dark yellowish brown (10YR 5/3, 5/4, 5/8, 4/4, 4/6, 3/4) sandy loam that contains up to 20 percent gravel.
The C2r horizon is pale brown, light yellowish brown or light olive brown (10YR 6/3, 6/4; 2.5YR 5/4, 5/6).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Pleasant Vale and Rainey series. Pleasant Vale soils lack a paralithic contact, are moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline and moderately or strongly calcareous. Rainey soils have a lithic contact at a depth of less than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Crafton soils are on uplands at elevations of 2,500 to 6,400 feet. Slope is 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in material from schist, granite and gneiss. The mean annual precipitation is 17 to 30 inches. The mean January temperature is 40 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is 68 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F. The frost free season is 160 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Coarsegold, Crouch, Sheephead and Tollhouse soils. Coarsegold soils have a clay loam argillic horizon. Crouch and Sheephead soils have base saturation of less than 75 percent. Tollhouse soils have a lithic contact at a depth of less than 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Crafton soils are used principally for range and wildlife habitat. Principal natural vegetation is chaparral shrubs, including chamise, scrub oak, lilac, and live oak. Pinyon pine occurs at higher elevations.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountains of southern California. The soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County (Southwestern part), California, 1972.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET