LOCATION OCEANAIRE               CA

Established Series
RLR/GML
06/2016

OCEANAIRE SERIES

The Oceanaire series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from calcareous shale or limestone. The Oceanaire soils are on side slopes of hills and low mountains. Slopes range from 10 to 55 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 356 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 17 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Calcic Haploxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Oceanaire sandy loam, on a southeast facing (205 degree), 25 percent slope at an elevation of 198 meters. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 11 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine granular structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common fine and few coarse tubular pores; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; 1 percent shell fragments and 2 percent channers; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear boundary. (8 to 22 cm thick)

Bt--11 to 28 cm; loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; few clay films on ped faces; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; 3 percent channers; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 63 cm thick)

Btk1--28 to 65 cm; loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium and very fine roots; common fine tubular and common very fine irregular pores; few clay films on ped faces; finely disseminated calcium carbonate and common medium irregular calcium carbonate masses; 3 percent channers; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.

Btk2--65 to 130 cm; loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium and very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; common clay films on ped faces; finely disseminated calcium carbonate and common medium irregular calcium carbonate masses; 3 percent channers; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Btk horizons 35 to 140 cm)

Cr--130 to 140 cm; moderately cemented, limestone bedrock. (0 to 10 cm thick)

R--140 to 165 cm; indurated limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Los Angeles County, Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy at San Ramon Reserve, mid slope between broad switchbacks between E Palos Verdes Drive adjacent to large erosional gully; 33 degrees North latitude, 43 minutes, 48 seconds and 118 degrees, 19 minutes, 59 seconds West longitude, WGS84 - U.S.G.S Quad: San Pedro.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Moist below a depth of about 30 cm some time from October to December and remains moist in some part between depths of about 30 to 90 cm until April or May. It is dry the rest of the year.
Mean annual soil temperature: 17 to 20 degrees C

Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, some pedons have channery or very channery subsurface material that overlies shale bedrock
Depth to argillic horizon: 10 to 65 cm.
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Depth to calcic horizon: 45 to 100 cm.
Depth to lithic contact: 100 to 150 cm.

A horizon
Dry color: hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 or 3.
Moist color: hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 1 to 3.
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam or silt loam.
Clay Content: 8 to 22 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent

Bt horizon
Dry color: hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 3 or 4.
Moist color: hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, chroma of 3 to 6.
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam or clay loam.
Clay Content: 20 to 28 percent clay

Btk horizon
Dry color: hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 3 or 4.
Moist color: hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 to 6.
Texture: loam or clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 28 percent clay

Bk horizon (where present)
Dry color: hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 3 or 4.
Moist color: hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 to 6.
Texture: loam or clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: hills or low mountains
Landform: hillslope, crests
Slope: 10 to 55 percent
Parent material: discontinuous colluvium over residuum weathered from limestone or calcareous shale
Elevation: 10 to 350 meters
Climate: warm dry summers and cool moist winter
Mean annual precipitation: 280 to 420 mm
Mean January temperature: 14 degrees C
Mean July temperature: 20 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature: 16 to 19 degrees C
Frost-free season: 320 to 365 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Balcom soils: have a paralithic contact within 100 cm and are on similar landscape positions.
Ballast soils: have greater than 35 percent clay and occur on similar landscape positions.
Counterfeit soils: have greater than 35 percent clay and are formed in human-transported materials on engineered hillslope terraces.
Dapplegray soils: do not have a calcic horizon and are formed in human-transported materials on engineered hillslope terraces.
Filiorum soils: have greater than 35 percent clay and cracks in the surface when dry and are on marine terraces.
Lunada soils: have greater than 35 percent rock fragments and are on canyon sideslopes.
Nacimiento soils: have a paralithic contact within 100 cm and are on similar landscape positions.
San Benito soils: have a mollic epipedon that is greater 50 cm thick and are on similar landscape positions.
Windfetch soils: do not have a calcic horizon and are on uplifted alluvium and terraces.
Zaca soils: have greater than 35 percent clay and are on similar landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity; high to very high runoff.

USE AND VEGETATION: Oceanaire soils are used for recreation, wildlife corridors, and rangeland. Vegetation is annual oats and grasses or California sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal hills and low mountains of southern California, Southern California Mountains; MLRA 20. These soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California (2015). The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from a depth of 0 to 11 cm
Argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 11 to 130 cm
Calcic horizon - the zone from a depth of 28 to 130 cm
Secondary carbonates - the zone from a depth of 28 to 130 cm
Paralithic contact - the zone from a depth of 130 to 140 cm
Lithic contact - the zone beginning at 140 cm

ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS Pedon Site ID 2016CA6961324

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.