LOCATION HESPERIA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Hesperia fine sandy loam--disturbed site. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick).
C1--4 to 22 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual smooth boundary. (16 to 20 inches thick).
C2--22 to 54 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (30 to 34 inches thick).
C3--54 to 77 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine roots; common very fine interstitial, few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California; about 2 miles northeast of Little Rock; near center of NE 1/4, SE 1/4 section 8, T.5N., R.10W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 57 degrees to 71 degrees F. The soil is dry in all parts, unless irrigated, from early May until early November. Organic matter content is very low and decreases regularly with increasing depth. The soils are typically calcareous between depths of 16 and 40 inches.
The A horizon has a dry color of 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 7/2, 7/3, 8/3 and 7.5YR 5/2, 5/4, 6/2 and 6/4. Moist color is 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, 5/3, 6/3; 7.5YR 3/2, 4/4, 5/4. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or light loam, and has 0 to 5 percent rock fragments ranging from 2 mm to 2 cm. This horizon is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon is similar in color to the A horizon. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or coarse sandy loam. Contrasting textures are excluded from the 10 to 40 inches control section although some fine or weak stratification is common. Rock fragments 2 mm to 2 cm in diameter range from 0 to 15 percent. The soil is slightly acid to moderately alkaline. Lime is usually disseminated but a few pedons have lime veins in the lower part of the profile. Some pedons have loamy sand substratums.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing soils series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hesperia soils are on long smooth alluvial fans, and valley fill. The alluvium is from granite and closely related rocks. Elevations are as low as 200 feet in the San Joaquin Valley and as high as 4,800 feet in the high desert. The climate is semiarid bordering on arid. Winters have some general widespread rains plus occasional snow in the high desert. Summers have infrequent thunder showers in the high desert. Mean annual precipitation is 4 to 9 inches. Average January temperature is about 46 degrees F; average July temperature is about 83 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 57 degrees to 69 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 140 to 310 days. (see remarks).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arvin, Cajon and Whitewolf soils and the Adelanto soils. Adelanto soils have B2t horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible to low runoff, moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for desert range, and for production of irrigated orchards, row crops, field crops, grain, hay, pasture and grapes. Native vegetation consists of creosotebush in the high desert and sparse annuals in the valley.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the lower San Joaquin Valley and the high desert of Southern California and adjoining areas of the southwest. The series is extensive in MLRA-17 and of minor extent in MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Central-Southern Area California Reconnaissance, 1917.
REMARKS: The soils now mapped at elevations of less than 500 feet would be separated as new soils. These map units should be warm phases with the lower San Joaquin Valley with the longer (310) frost-free season. Series last updated 9/97. CEC activity class supported by lab data. Series competed at that time.