LOCATION GAREY CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Lamellic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Garey sandy, pasture, formerly tilled. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap1--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky and weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; medium acid (pH 5.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)
Ap2--4 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; slightly finer than above; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots with many very fine roots in joints; many very fine interstitial pores, few fine and medium tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A1--8 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots with common very fine roots in joints, few medium and coarse woody roots; many very fine interstitial and common fine and few medium tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
A2--16 to 27 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; slightly more clay than above; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots, mostly in joints; many very fine interstitial, common fine and few medium tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--27 to 36 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial, common fine and very fine and few medium tubular pores; common thin clay films as bridges and lining pores; few weakly cemented nodules; indistinct lamellae 1/2 inch thick, that are dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3 moist), slightly brittle, medium acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--36 to 47 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, soil mass friable, lamellae firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine and few medium tubular pores; common thin clay films as bridges and lining pores; several indistinct discontinuous firm, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2, 3/3 moist) lamellae that are slightly brittle; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (11 to 15 inches thick)
B1--47 to 58 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) loamy sand, dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; lamellae are very hard dry, firm moist; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores with few very fine tubular pores in lamellae only; distinct continuous lamellae about 1/2 inch thick, reddish brown (5YR 5/3), dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
B2--58 to 70 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/3) loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; clay films as weak bridges in lamellae, lamellae are 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, continuous and wavy, thinner at bottom, similar to those in the horizon above; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
C--70 to 83 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; weak clay lamellae 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, 5 to 7 inches apart, continuous and wavy, reddish brown (5YR 4/3 dry), a few pendants of lamellae 1 to 1 1/2 inches long; medium acid (pH 6.0); lamellae same reaction.
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Barbara County, California; approximately 5 miles east of Orcutt, California; 1 1/4 miles east of Clark Avenue and Telephone Road intersection, 600 feet north on ranch road, 40 feet west in field; SW1/4 SW1/4 section 9, T.9 N., R.33 W. 34 degrees North latitude, 52 minutes, 2 seconds; 120 degrees West longitude, 21 minutes, 36 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils between depths of about 8 to 24 inches usually are dry all of the time from May until November or early December and are moist in some or all parts all the rest of the year. The mean annual soil temperature is about 59 degrees to 62 degrees F. and the soil temperature is not below 47 degrees F. at any time. Rock fragments are less than 1 percent of the whole soil.
The A1 horizon is grayish brown to pale brown (10YR 5/2, 5/3, 4/3, 6/2, 6/3). It is usually sandy loam, through loamy sand and loamy fine sand are included. Organic matter content in the upper to strongly acid. The boundary between the A and Bt horizons is marked by a clear or abrupt increase in dry consistence and increased bulk density. Other properties are gradual or there are transitional horizons.
The matrix of the Bt horizon is pinkish gray to pale brown (10YR 6/3, 6/4, 7/4; 7.5YR 7/2, 6/2, 6/4). It is sandy loam, loamy sand, fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand. This horizon is neutral to strongly acid and the percent base saturation ranges from 75 to 90. It has bulk density of about 1.7 to 1.8. Lamellae are present in the Bt horizon. These are brown, dark brown, dark reddish brown or reddish brown and have a redder hue than the matrix. The lamellae are one grade harder when dry than the matrix and one grade more sticky when wet. Commonly they are somewhat brittle when dry. Clay films as bridges are thin to moderately thick or heavy fine sandy loam. Individual lamellae are 1/4 to 2 inches thick and in some pedons merge together in the upper 4 to 7 inches of the Bt horizon. The boundary of the lamellae become more diffuse and the occurrence of the lamellae less frequent with increasing depth. The aggregate thickness of lamellae of heavy sandy loam or heavy fine sandy loam is about 4 to 9 inches.
The C horizon is pale in color and is a light loamy sand or sand. Indistinct lamellae of loamy sand are present.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Atwater, Betteravia, Greenfield, Marine, Oceano, and Tangair series. Atwater and Greenfield soils have an argillic horizon that is continuous vertically. Betteravia soils have silica cementation in a weak hardpan above the argillic horizon. Marina and Oceano soils are sandy throughout and the lamellae in these soils are too few and too thin to qualify as an argillic horizon. Tangair soils have brittle reddish nodules and are seasonally saturated above a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Garey soils are on rolling slopes of dune-like and indistinct bench topography. Elevations are 300 to 1,000 feet. The soils formed in coarse textured eolian deposits high in feldspar. The climate is dry subhumid mesothermal with cool rainless summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The average January temperature is about 50 degrees F., average July temperature is about 63 degrees F., and mean annual temperature is about 57 degrees to 60 degrees F. Average freeze-free season is about 220 to 300 days.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: THese are the competing Marina and Oceano soils and the Baywood, Linne, Lockwood, Rincon, Shedd, and Sorrento soils. Baywood, Linne, and Sorrento soils have mollic epipedons and lack argillic horizons. Lockwood soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick. Rincon soils have more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon. Shedd soils are members of the fine-silty family and have a paralithic contact at a depth of less than 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow or slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly as range; some areas still farmed to small grain with low yields. Some areas being irrigated for forage, truck, and field crops. Vegetation on uncultivated areas is annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal areas of south-central California and upper Salinas Valley. The soils are moderately extensive in MLRA 14..
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Barbara County (Santa Maria Area), California, 1916.
REMARKS: The soils were formerly classified as (minimal) Noncalcic Brown soils.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedon S62CA-083-003 (type location) and S62CA-083-004.