LOCATION OCEANO CA
Established Series
Rev. TCM/
08/2024
OCEANO SERIES
The Oceano series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed in material from old eolian deposits. Oceano soils are on sand dunes near the ocean and have slopes of 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 14 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, isomesic Lamellic Xeropsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Oceano soils in an area of Oceano sand on a slope of 5 percent facing southwest at an elevation of 122 meters under a cover of annual grass and forbs, grazed. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; loose; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)
A2--4 to 10 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 5.9); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
A3--10 to 38 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual smooth boundary. (28 to 55 cm thick)
AC--38 to 51 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few very fine roots, many very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual smooth boundary. (38 to 63 cm thick)
C--51 to 99 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.3); gradual smooth boundary. (38 to 63 cm thick)
E and Bt1--99 to 140 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; several weak 1/8 inch thick lamellae brown (7.5YR 5/4), brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; slightly hard, somewhat branched; strongly acid (pH 5.1); gradual smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
E and Bt2--140 to 190 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; many very fine interstitial pores; horizon of maximum lamellae, 1/4 inch thick, hard when dry, two continuous, several discontinuous, similar in color to lamellae above; black manganese specks 1 to 5 mm in diameter about 1 percent of mass; strongly acid (pH 5.1); gradual smooth boundary. (28 to 63 cm thick)
E and Bt3--190 to 229 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; plastic; many very fine interstitial pores; weak lamellae 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick, discontinuous, slightly wavy, sand grains very thinly coated; slightly more coarse than C3; strongly acid (pH 5.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Barbara County, California; 3.7 miles south-southeast of center of Santa Maria, California. USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle: Orcutt, California. WSGS84 34.895278 latitude and -120.411111 longitude; UTM Zone 10, 3864488.68 meters N and 736569.03 meters E NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: Isomesic temperature regime, bordering on isothermic. Mean annual soil temperature at 50 cm is 14 degrees C, and the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is less than 6 degrees C.
Particle size control section weighted average:
Rock fragments: none
Clay content: 2 to 6 percent
A horizons (or AC horizons, where present):
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 1 to 4 moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand
Clay content: 1 to 6 percent
Organic matter content: less than 1 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral
C horizon:
Value: 3 to 7 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 1 to 4 moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand
Clay content: 2 to 6 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral
E and Bt horizons:
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand
Clay content: 1 to 6 percent
Reaction: very strongly to moderately acid
COMPETING SERIES:
Marina soils: have thicker lamellae starting at a shallower depth
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: coastal plains, alluvial plains, and marine terraces
Landform: stabilized and relict sand dunes
Parent material: eolian sands
Slope: 0 to 15 percent
Elevation: 5 to 150 meters
Mean annual precipitation: 380 to 440 mm
Mean January temperature: 11 degrees C
Mean July temperature: 16 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature : 13 to 15 degrees C
Frost-free season: 300 to 355 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Arnold soils: are 100 to 150 cm deep to a paralithic contact of sandstone and are found on linear positions of hills and higher sandy marine terraces
Baywood soils: have a mollic epipedon and exist on similar landforms
Garey soils: have an argillic horizon made up of lamellae and are found in linear positions on stabilized dunes and sandy terraces
Marina soils: have thicker lamellae starting at a shallower depth and exist on similar landforms further from the ocean
Metz soils: do not have lamellae, are not sandy in all parts of the control section and are found in linear positions on alluvial fans and floodplains
Narlon soils: have an abrupt clay increase in the subsurface, are moderately well drained, and are found in concave positions similar elevation marine terraces with an eolian cap over clayey marine deposits
San Emigdio soils: have coarse-loamy control sections and are found in linear positions on floodplains
Tangair soils: do not have lamellae or clay bridging and are found in linear positions on similar elevation marine terraces closest to the ocean
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; rapid hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for range. Some areas have been planted to eucalyptus trees and localized areas are used for growing truck crops and fruit with irrigation. Areas closer to the coast tend to have a brush cover of bush lupine, ceanothus, chamise and scrub live oak whereas more inland or cleared areas have a cover of annual grasses and forbs .
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central California Coast Ranges, MLRA 15. This soil is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monterey County, California, 1972.
REMARKS: The classification was updated in February 2001 using the Eighth Edition to Soil Taxonomy. This series was formerly classified as mixed, thermic Argic Xeropsamments. Competing series were not checked at that time.
The temperature regime and classification were updated in August 2024 using the Thirteenth Edition of Soil Taxonomy during the initial mapping of Vandenberg Space Force Base. This series was formerly classified as Mixed, thermic Lamellic Xeropsamments
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 50 cm
Lamellae: the zone from 99 to 225 cm
ADDITIONAL DATA: Two NSSL pedons in Santa Barbara County: S62CA-083-001 (type location) and S62CA-083-002 (range in characteristics).
NASIS User Pedon ID: S1962CA083001
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.