LOCATION JUNIPERO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Junipero sandy loam, under tanoak trees. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
01--2 inches to 0; leaf, twig, and bark litter.
A11--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. 3 to 12 inches thick)
A12--5 to 15 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
A13--15 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, many medium, common coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent angular gravel and cobblestones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--30 to 40 inches; weathered yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) quartzmica schist, rock structure weakly evident; about 65 percent of material readily crushes to gravelly sandy loam; common very fine, medium, and coarse roots concentrated along cleavage planes and fractures that are more than 10 cm apart; moderately acid (pH 5.7). (10 to 40 inches thick to unweathered rock)
TYPE LOCATION: Monterey County, California; approximately 1 mile (airline) northwest of Chews Ridge Lookout, about 0.8 mile north on Chews Ridge road from the road leading to the Lookout on a 65 percent east-facing slope; near the NW 1/4 SE 1/4 SE 1/4 NE 1/4 of sec. 31, T.18S., R4E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact of weathered rock is 28 to 40 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 54 to 58 degrees F. The soil between depths of 5 and 15 inches becomes moist in some part in November and remains moist until late May or June. Base saturation is more than 50 percent in all parts, but is less than 75 percent in some part to a depth of 30 inches. Rock fragments, mostly angular pebbles, make up 5 to 35 percent of the soil. Organic matter content is 3 to 8 percent and decreases regularly to less than 1 percent between the depths of 23 to 30 inches.
The A horizon is very dark gray, dark gray, very dark grayish brown, dark grayish brown, grayish brown, dark brown or brown (10YR 4/2, 5/2, 4/3, 5/3) and in the lower part of some pedons is dark brown or brown (7.5YR 4/2, 4/4, 5/2, 5/4). It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam and is gravelly, cobbly or stony in some pedons. This horizon is moderately acid to neutral and usually becomes more acid with increasing depth.
The Cr horizon is slightly acid to strongly acid and is easily crushed to gravelly sandy loam or gravelly loam. It grades to unweathered rock at depths of 3 to 8 feet.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ben Lomond, Farallone, Gamboa, Oak Glen, Shaver, and Sheridan series. Ben Lomond and Shaver soils have a paralithic contact at depths of more than 40 inches. Farallone, Gamboa, Oak Glen, and Sheridan soils have a base saturation of more than 75 percent throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Junipero soils are on northerly exposures on mountainous uplands and have gradients of 30 to 85 percent. Elevations are 300 to 5,500 feet. The bedrock consists mainly of granodiorite, gneiss, schist, and some sandstone. The climate is subhumid mesothermal with warm dry summers and cool moist winters with some snow. The mean annual precipitation is 30 to 80 inches. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 55 degrees F., average January temperature is 37 to 42 degrees F., and average July temperature is 60 to 65 degrees F. Freeze-free season averages 120 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Gamboa and Sheridan soils and the Cieneba and Sur soils. Cieneba soils have a paralithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches. Sur soils have mollic epipedons less than 20 inches thick and have more than 35 percent rock fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid and very rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability. The strongly weathered rock does not restrict the internal drainage.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for watershed, recreation, and as wildlife habitat. There is also limited firewood harvest. Principal native plants are coulter pine, yellow pine, Jeffrey pine, madrone, laurel, tanoak, black oak, and canyon live oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The mountains of the Central Coast Range, California. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monterey County, California, 1972.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in February of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 6/76.