LOCATION SORRENTO CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sorrento loam, irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap1--0 to 7 inches; grayish brown(10YR 5/2) heavy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (ph 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Ap2--7 to 19 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) heavy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine, fine and medium tubular and man very fine interstitial pores; noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (ph 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 12 inches thick)
A--19 to 26 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) heavy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (ph 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
ABk--26 to 37 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) mixed with light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) heavy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mixed with dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent with fine powder, few fine soft lime masses and disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (ph 8.1); gradual irregular boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--37 to 48 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) heavy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent with fine powder, few fine soft lime masses and disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (ph 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
Bk2--48 to 58 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent with fine powder and disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (ph 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
2C3--58 to 74 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (ph 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Barbara County, California; 4 miles west of center of Santa Maria; across road from Bonita School, 100 feet east of center of Bonita School Road; 60 feet north of ditch along Highway 166.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 59 to 63 degrees F. and the soil temperature is rarely if ever below 47 degrees F. The soil between depths of about 5 and 15 inches usually is dry all of the time from late April or May until November or early December and usually is moist in some or all parts all the rest of the year. The 10 to 40 inch control section is loam, fine sandy loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam or silty clay loam with 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. Few pedons have as much as 15 percent rock fragments. The upper part of the profile is slightly acid to moderately alkaline, and is noncalcareous to a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Effervescence is weak to violent in disseminated lime and secondary powder or mycelial lime is present.
The A horizon has 10YR or 2.5Y hue. It has weak to strong granular or subangular blocky structure. This horizon has 2 to 4 percent organic matter in the upper part which decreases regularly to less than 1 percent at depths of 12 to 20 inches.
The B and C horizons are 10YR 5/2, 5/3, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 7/2, 7/4; 2.5Y 5/2, 5/3, 6/2, 6/4, 7/2 and 5Y 6/3. It is somewhat stratified, particularly in the lower part of some pedons but contrasting texture is not present above a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Apollo, Domengine, Nacimiento and Thomhill soils that have CEC activity class updated and the Fontana and Woo series in the same family that do not have CEC activity class updated. Apollo soils have a paralithic contact below 40 inches. Domengine, Fontana and Nacimiento soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Woo soils do not have a paralithic contact within a depth of 60 inches. Thomhill soils are moist in some part onl 136 days; they have a Xeric bordering on an aridic moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sorrento soils are on alluvial fans and established floodplains at elevations of 25 to 2,100 feet. They formed in medium textured alluvium, mostly from sedimentary formations. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The climate is dry subhumid with moderately warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 10 to 20 inches. The mean January temperature is about 50 degrees F., the average July temperature is about 65 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature is 60 to 63 degrees F. The freeze-free period is about 200 to 330 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Nacimiento, Mocho, and Salinas soils and the Cropley, Docas, Linne, Los Osos, and San Benito soils. Cropley soils are clays with slickensides. Docas soils have ochric epipedons. Linne soils have argillic horizons. San Benito soils have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible to medium runoff; moderate to moderately slow permeability depending upon dominant texture and amount of stratification in the lower part of the profile.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for growing irrigated fruit, nut, field, forage, and truck crops, and some dry grain. Uncultivated areas are mostly annual grasses and forbs with sycamore along drainageways.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys of the south half of the Coast Range in California, MLRA 14. The soils are extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Diego County (El Cajon Area), California, 1930.
REMARKS: The Farewell series was formerly in the same family and is now inactive and combined with the Sorrento series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Pedon No. 84P 925