LOCATION SHORTCUT CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, thermic, shallow Typic Xerorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Shortcut gravelly loamy sand - on a SW facing slightly convex slope of 50 percent, under chamise and manzanita at 4,350 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated; when described on 9/21/78 the soil was dry throughout).
A1--0 to 5 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) gravelly loamy sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak very fine and fine granular structure, soft, very friable; few very fine and fine, few medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
C1--5 to 14 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; few fine, medium and coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 45 percent pebbles; medium acid (pH 5.9); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick)
C2r--14 to 20 inches; strongly weathered granodiorite, breaks down to small pebbles.
TYPE LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California; between the old and new Upper Tujunga Roads, 1/2 mile northeast of Shortcut Picnic Grounds; 300 feet west and 300 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 9, T.2N., R.11W., SBBM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is 14 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature at the contact is estimated to be between 59 and 72 degrees F. The mean January soil temperature varies from 50 to 54 degrees F. The soil just above the paralithic contact usually is dry from June to mid-November and is moist the rest of the year.
The A horizon has dry color of 10YR 6/2, 6/1, 5/4, 4/4 or 4/3; and moist color of 10YR 4/3, 4/1 or 3/3. It is loamy sand or gravelly loamy sand and averages 15 to 35 percent coarse fragments, mostly pebble size. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral (pH 6.2 to 6.6).
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 7/2, 6/3, 6/2, or 5/2; moist color of 10YR 6/3, 5/6, 5/3, 5/2, 4/6 or 4/4. It is very gravelly loamy sand and averages 35 to 60 percent rock fragments, mostly pebble size. Reaction is medium acid to neutral (pH 5.9 to 6.8). It grades into highly weathered rock.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Pismo and Vetter (T) series in other families. Pismo soils are non-skeletal. Vetter (T) soils are loamy-skeletal.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shortcut soils are on mountainsides and ridges at elevations of 2,000 to 5,500 feet. Slopes range from 25 to 85 percent. The soil formed in residuum of weathered granodiorite, anorthosite, or gnessic granitic rocks. The climate consists of hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 22 to 30 inches. Mean annual temperature is 58 degrees F., mean January temperature is 44 degrees F. and mean July temperature is 71 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are soils of the competing Pismo and Vetter (T) families. They are on the same topographic position as Shortcut.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium to rapid runoff; permeability is rapid in the soil but moderate in the weathered rock.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for watershed. Vegetation is chamise, manzanita, yucca, buckwheat, scrub oak and annual grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: San Gabriel Mountains, Southern California. The soil is not extensive; its total acreage is about 6,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES PROPOSED: Los Angeles County (Angeles National Forest Area), California, 1980. Name derived from Shortcut Picnic Grounds.
REMARKS: This series is being proposed in order to establish its taxonomic class in Soil Families of the United States.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 10/80.