LOCATION ESCONDIDO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Escondido very fine sandy loam - irrigated avocado orchard. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
B21--6 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial, few medium and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.7); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
B22--17 to 29 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial, few medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
R--29 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fractured hard metasedimentary rock.
TYPE LOCATION: San Diego County, California; about 0.6 mile northwest of the intersection of Richland and Borden Road, 5 miles northwest of Escondido; approximately 2,800 feet southwest of the NW corner of sec. 1, T.12S., R.3W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to hard metamorphic rock ranges from 20 to 42 inches.
The A horizon ranges from dark brown through yellowish brown (7.5YR 4/4, 10YR 5/3, 5/4), brown through dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4, 3/3, 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 10YR 3/3, 4/3, 5/3) moist. It is medium to slightly acid.
The B2 horizon ranges from pale brown through dark reddish brown (10YR 5/3, 6/3, 6/4, 7.5YR 5/6, 6/3, 6/4, 4/4, 5YR 3/4), dark reddish brown through dark yellowish brown (5YR 3/3, 3/4, 7.5YR 4/4, 10YR 4/4, 3/3, 3/4) moist. It ranges from silt loam to fine sandy loam, and is medium acid to neutral. A horizon 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches thick of silty clay loam with redder hue occurs in some pedons immediately above the lithic contact in areas where free water may migrate for long periods during the wet season.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coarsegold, Friant, Vallecitos and Vista series. Coarsegold soils have an argillic horizon, and have a paralithic contact. Friant soils have a lithic contact at depths of 6 to 20 inches. Vallecitos soils have heavy clay loam or clay B2t horizons. Vista soils lack a lithic contact within depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Escondido soils are on gently rolling to hilly topography in foothills at elevations of 400 to 2,800 feet. They are in a semiarid to dry subhumid mesothermal climate with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 20 inches. Average January temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., average July temperature is 70 to 75 degrees F., average annual temperature is 62 degrees F., and the frost-free season is more than 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fallbrook, Las Posas, San Miguel and Twin Oaks soils, and the competing Vista soils. Fallbrook soils have reddish brown, medium textured argillic horizons. Las Posas soils have dark red, fine textured argillic horizons with more than 35 percent clay. San Miguel soils have intermittent, strongly acid albic horizons, and strongly acid, fine textured argillic horizons. Twin Oaks soils have reddish brown, fine textured argillic horizons, and may be high in exchangeable sodium.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for range, irrigated orchards and non-irrigated grain, grain hay and pasture. The native vegetation is oak-savanna and broadleaf chapparal.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in southern California, in San Diego and Western Riverside counties. The soils are moderately extensive (12,000 to 15,000 acres).
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Diego County (Oceanside Area), California, 1931.
REMARKS: The Escondido soils formerly were classified as (minimal) Noncalcic Brown soils.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 2/72.