LOCATION ZAYANTE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Humic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Zayante fine sand, tree and brush cover. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 10 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; single grained; loose; many fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
A2--10 to 20 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; medium acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
A3--20 to 30 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; medium acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
C1--30 to 48 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; medium acid (pH 5.7); gradual wavy boundary. (14 to 20 inches thick)
C2--48 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few coarse roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Cruz County, California; about 1.6 miles (straight line) west of intersection of Glen Canyon and Mt. Herman Roads in Scotts Valley; about 1,000 feet north of Lockwood Lane and 100 feet west of Graham Hill Road; section 23, (projected), T.10 S., R.2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is over 80 inches. The mean annual soil temperature at depth of 20 inches is about 56 degrees F. The average summer soil temperature is about 60 degrees F. The average winter temperature is about 46 degrees F. The soils are moist in some or all parts between depths of 12 and 35 inches from mid-November until late May. Base saturation is less than 50 percent in some part below the base of its mollic epipedon and above 1 meter.
The A horizon is very dark gray, dark gray, very dark grayish brown, dark grayish brown, grayish brown or brown in hue of 10YR or 2.5Y. Moist value is 3 or less. It ranges from sand to loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from strongly to medium acid (pH 5.5 to 6.0). Organic matter is more than 1 percent below a depth of 20 inches.
The C horizon is dark grayish brown to pink, pinkish gray or very pale brown (10YR 4/2, 5/2, 5/3, 6/2, 6/3, 7/2, 7/3 and 7.5YR 4/2, 5/2, 6/2, 7/2, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4). It ranges from coarse sand to loamy fine sand. Reaction is typically medium acid but ranges from very strongly acid to neutral. Sediments in the substrata are loose to softly consolidated and consist of variably gravelly sand to loamy fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils are the Arnold, Baywood, Ben Lomond, Burlington, Corralitos, Crafton, Crouch and La Posta series. Arnold and Corralitos soils have ochric epipedons and are thermic. Baywood and La Posta soils have a base saturation of more than 75 percent. Ben Lomond, Crafton and Crouch soils have coarse-loamy control sections. Burlington soils are neutral or slightly acid.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Zayante soils are on sloping to very steep hills formed in marine and wind modified marine sediments and soft sandstone formations. The elevations range from 250 to 1,500 feet. The climate is subhumid mesothermal with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 70 inches. The average annual temperature is from about 52 to 57 degrees F.; the average January temperature is about 38 to 40 degrees F.; and the average July temperature ranges from about 61 to 64 degrees F. The average frost free season ranges from 170 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Ben Lomond soils and the Pfeiffer and San Andreas soils. Pfeiffer and San Andreas soils have coarse, loamy control sections and have a paralithic contact of weathered rock within depth of 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow through rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for open space land, recreation and wildlife. The less sloping areas are being developed rapidly for urban and suburban housing. Vegetation is ponderosa pine, except on very steep northerly slopes where it is redwood. Other vegetation is California live oaks, manzanita, ceanothus, madrone, poison oak , ferns, tanoak, laurel and few grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mostly in the Scotts Valley and Ben Lomond areas of Santa Cruz County. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Cruz County, California, 1976.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to Riverside Laboratory data on pedon sample S73-CALIF-44-5.