LOCATION LOSPINOS CA

Established Series
DJ/ARW/MEB/KP
06/2011

LOSPINOS SERIES

The Lospinos series consists of moderately deep to soft bedrock, moderately well drained soils that formed from shale from uplifted marine deposits. Lospinos soils are on hills of islands. Slopes range from 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 18 inches (457 millimeters) and the mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F (19 degrees C).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Pachic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Lospinos gravelly loam on a hill summit under a cover of fennel, annual grasses and buckwheat at an elevation of 1353 feet (412 meters). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 6 inches, (0 to 16 cm); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; 12 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; 15 percent 2 to 75 millimeter gravel; slightly acid, pH 6.5; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick (6 to 25 cm.))

Bt1--6 to 15 inches, (16 to 38 cm); brown (7.5YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; 20 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; thin continuous prominent clay films on ped faces and rock fragments; 35 percent 2 to 75 millimeter gravel; moderately acid, pH 6.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--15 to 20 inches, (38 to 52 cm); brown (7.5YR 5/2) very gravelly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; 33 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots; thin continuous prominent clay films on ped faces and rock fragments; 45 percent 2 to 75 millimeter gravel; moderately acid, pH 6.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--20 to 24 inches, (52 to 61 cm); mixed matrix 90 percent brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist and 10 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; 25 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots and common very fine roots; thin continuous prominent clay films on ped faces and rock fragments; 20 percent 75 to 250 millimeter cobbles and 35 percent 2 to 75 millimeter gravel; strongly acid, pH 5.5; gradual wavy boundary. (26 to 33 inches thick (66 to 85 cm.))

Crt--24 to 31 inches, (61 to 79 cm); highly fractured (fractures 2 to 8 cm apart) shale; few very fine roots; continuous prominent clay films on rock fragments.

TYPE LOCATION: Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County, California, in the Channel Islands Soil Survey Area on the Isthmus 33 degrees North latitude, 59 minutes, 51 seconds and 119 degrees, 39 minutes, 59 seconds West longitude, NAD83; U.S.G.S Quad: Santa Cruz Island.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 71 degrees F. (15 to 22 degrees C. The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts from about mid-August to mid-November (about 90 days) and is usually moist the rest of the time.

Depth to bedrock is 21 to 40 inches (53 to 100 cm.).

The particle size control section averages 18 to 35 percent clay and 35 to 80 percent rock fragments.
Organic matter ranges from 1 to 4 percent to a depth of at least 20 inches (50 cm.).

The A horizon dry color is 10YR 4/2, 4/1, 3/2, or 2/2. Moist color is 10YR 3/1, 2/2, or 2/1.

The Bt horizon dry color is 10YR and 7.5YR 5/2, 5/3, or 4/2. Moist color is 10YR and 7.5YR 4/3, 3/3, 3/2, 3/1, or 2/2.
Textures are dominantly very gravelly loam or very gravelly clay loam with some pedons having extremely gravelly loam.
Rock fragments range from 35 to 80 percent gravel and 0to 30 percent cobbles.

COMPETING SERIES: There are the Felta soils. Felta soils lack paralithic materials within the soil profile and have C horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lospinos soils are found on summits and side slopes of hills. Slopes range from 2 to 75 percent. The soils formed in residuum of Monterey shale. Elevations are 20 to 1500 feet (6 to 457 meters). The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters with intermittent wet coastal fog year round. The mean annual precipitation is 13 to 24 inches (330 to 610 millimeters), the mean annual temperature is 61 to 73 degrees F. (16 to 23 degrees C), and the frost free season is 320 to 365 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fantail and Forestay series. Both these soils are clayey-skeletal and smectitic on hills.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat, recreation and building site development. Vegetation is fennel, buckwheat, ripgut brome and wild oats.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Santa Barbara County, California. The soil is not extensive. MLRA 20.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Barbara County, California, 2004.

REMARKS: The series name is coined. NASIS Pedon ID is CA02688SC30. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Mollic epipedon--The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 24 inches .

Argillic horizon--The zone from a depth of 6 inches to a depth of about 20 inches.

Paralithic material--The zone from a depth of 24 inches to about 31 inches.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.