LOCATION HOLLYHILLS CA
Established Series
REV: PBF/ET
04/2015
HOLLYHILLS SERIES
The Hollyhills series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium. Hollyhills soils are on eroded summits and side slopes of fan remnants. Slope ranges from 8 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 66 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Sodic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: On Hollyhills-Spider association, 2 to 30 percent slopes at an elevation of 2,600 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 58 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones.
A -- 0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent; 45 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bny1 -- 2 to 7 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; 3 percent medium and coarse pockets of gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; 5 percent gravel and trace of cobbles; electrical conductivity of 4, dS/m, sodium adsorption ratio of 4, strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary.
Bny2 -- 7 to 20 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 5 percent very weakly cemented and slightly brittle layers and durinodes; 3 percent medium and coarse pockets of gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; 5 percent gravel and trace of cobbles; strongly saline, electrical conductivity of 19 dS/m; sodium adsorption ratio of 26; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bny horizon is 18 to 52 inches.)
Bnqy1 -- 20 to 41 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard to hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 15 percent weakly cemented and slightly brittle layers and durinodes; 3 percent medium and coarse pockets of gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; 10 percent gravel and trace of cobbles; moderately saline, electrical conductivity of 15 dS/m; sodium adsorption ratio of 26; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)
Bnqy2 -- 41 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; moderately hard, friable to firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 60 percent weakly to moderately cemented and brittle layers and durinodes; 10 percent medium and coarse pockets of gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; 20 percent gravel and trace of cobbles; moderately saline, electrical conductivity of 13 dS/m; sodium adsorption ratio of 22; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: San Bernardino County, California; about 2,800 feet west and 1,500 feet south of the NE corner of section 15, T. 12 N., R. 4 E., 35 degrees, 08 minutes, and 06 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 32 minutes, and 40 seconds west longitude, East of Langford Well 7.5 minute quadrangle. UTM 11S, 0541504e 3887925n (DTM: NAS-C).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 63 to 72 degrees F.
Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent
Surface rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent gravel, 10 to 35 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones
Control section -
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent
Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam or loam
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel
Sodium adsorption ratio: 5 to 30
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, and 3 or 4 moist
Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam or loam
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 45 to 70 percent, with 40 to 55 percent gravel, 5 to 30
percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones
Salinity: 0 to 4 dS/m
Sodium adsorption ratio: 0 to 5
Effervescence: slightly to strongly effervescent
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline
Bny horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Clay content: 10 to 15 percent
Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam or loam
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel with
trace of cobbles
Effervescence: slightly to violently effervescent
Gypsum: 2 to 3 percent masses or crystals
Salinity: 4 to 20 dS/m
Sodium adsorption ratio: 2 to 12 in the upper part and 13 to 30 in the lower
part
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline
Bnqy horizon
Clay content: 8 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent, mainly gravel with
trace of cobbles
Effervescence: slightly to violently effervescent
Gypsum: 2 to 10 percent masses or crystals
Cementation: less than 20 percent in the upper part and 20 to 65 percent in the lower part, composed of weakly to moderately cemented layers and durinodes
Salinity: 8 to 20 dS/m
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 30
Reaction: strongly or very strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: At this time there are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Hollyhills soils are on eroded summits of fan remnants. Slope ranges from 8 to 30 percent. The soils formed in material from mixed alluvium. Elevations are 2,200 to 3,300 feet. The climate is arid, with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. Most precipitation comes in the winter but in some areas it is sporadic. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 7 inches. The mean annual temperature is 61 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free season is 240 to 340 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Arizo,
Cajon,
Coyote (T),
Gravesumit (T), and
Spider (T) soils. Arizo soils have sandy-skeletal particle-size control sections and are found in inset fans. Cajon soils do not have durinodes and are found in inset fans. Coyote soils are on similar landscape positions but have a well developed calcic horizon in addition to durinodes. Gravesumit soils are found on adjacent fans and have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section with a calcic and an argillic horizon. Spider soils are on summits and side slopes of the same landscape, have a sandy particle-size control section and have a zone which is characterized by duric properties.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to medium runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Hollyhills soils are used for military exercises and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly desert holly, creosotebush, California ephedra, and white bursage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southeastern California. MLRA 30. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County, California, Fort Irwin Soil Survey Area, 2000. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
1. Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)
2. Particle-size control section -- 10 to 40 inches (part
of the Bny2, and the Bnq1 horizons)
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2000. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.