LOCATION SAUGUS CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Typic Xerorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Saugus loam, brush and grass. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 15 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine medium and coarse roots; common very fine, few fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; about 5 percent gravel by volume; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 17 inches thick)
C1--15 to 25 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, common coarse roots; few very fine tubular, common very fine interstitial pores; about 15 percent gravel by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
C2--25 to 42 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, common fine and few coarse roots; few very fine tubular, common very fine interstitial pores; contains about 10 percent gravel by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.5); diffuse smooth boundary. (16 to 25 inches thick)
C3--42 to 50 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) weakly consolidated sediments that crush to gravelly heavy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine interstitial pores; about 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobblestones; slightly acid (pH 6.3).
TYPE LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California; in Romero Canyon; NW1/4 NW1/4 section 27, T.5N., R.17W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to 56 inches. Saugus soils are on complex slopes of 9 to 50 percent. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 60 degrees F. and the soil temperature is not below 47 degrees F. at any time. Soil between depths of about 5 and 15 inches is continuously dry in all parts from late April or May until late October to early December and is moist in some or all parts all the rest of the year. The soil profile is loam or sandy loam throughout and the 10 to 40 inch control section has less than 18 percent clay. Rock fragments range from 1 to 35 percent and are mostly gravel and a few cobblestones. Usually the amount of rock fragments increases with depth, though in some pedons the immediate surface has a partial layer of fragments. The profile is slightly acid to slightly alkaline and in many pedons the lower part is less acid.
The A horizon is light brownish gray, grayish brown, yellowish brown, brown or pale brown in 10YR or 2.5Y hue when dry. The moist value is 4 or 5. In some pedons the upper 1 to 4 inches is gray, dark gray or dark grayish brown. The upper 7 inches of the A horizon has 0.4 to 1.0 percent organic matter.
The C horizon above the paralithic contact has a color similar to the A horizon or it has one unit higher value.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Escondido, Hanford, Honcut, Pollasky, Pfeiffer, San Andreas, and Vista series. Escondido and Vista soils have a cambic horizon. Hanford and Honcut soils are on smooth slopes of less than 9 percent and they lack a paralithic contact. Pfeiffer and San Andreas soils have a mollic epipedon. Pollasky soils have a paralithic contact at depths of less than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Saugus soils are on slopes of dissected terraces and foothills at elevations of 600 to 2,500 feet. Slopes range from 9 to 50 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from weakly consolidated sediments mostly from granitic and closely related rocks. The climate is dry subhumid mesothermal with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 20 inches all in the form of rain. Mean annual temperature is about 63 degrees F., average January temperature is about 54 degrees F., and average July temperature is about 73 degrees F. The freeze-free season is about 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Castaic, Gaviota, Metz, San Andreas, and Sorrento soils. Castaic soils have more than 18 percent clay and have a fine-silty control section. Gaviota soils have a lithic contact less than 20 inches below the surface. Metz soils are sandy and are stratified with layers of finer texture.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing, wildlife, watershed, and small amounts used for industry and urbanization. Native vegetation is chamise and other shrubs plus minor amounts of perennial grasses. Naturalized grasses and forbs make up a small to large portion of the vegetation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Foothills in the western part of southern California. The soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Bernardino County (Southwestern Part), 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 10/75.