LOCATION BLUEBIRD AZ
Established Series
WJ/PH/RKS/DWD/HCD
04/2015
BLUEBIRD SERIES
The Bluebird series consists of very deep, well drained soils on fan terraces. These soils formed in alluvium from granitic rock. Slopes range from 1 to 45 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluebird very gravelly sandy clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium platy parting to moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 18 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel; many faint clay films on ped faces and lining pores; discontinuous pockets of strongly effervescent secondary calcium carbonate in a noneffervescent matrix; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
2Bw--18 to 44 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 65 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (ph 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 26 inches thick)
2Btkb--44 to 60 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderately fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 55 percent gravel; many thin clay films on ped faces and lining pores; calcium carbonate coatings on undersides of gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Hualapai Valley, Mohave County, Arizona; Latitude of 35 degrees, 45 minutes, 24 seconds north, and longitude of about 114 degrees, 11 minutes, 54 seconds west. About 700 feet east and 2,400 feet south of the northwest corner of section 3, T. 27 N., R. 18 W. Gila and Salt River Base Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil control section during December to February and for less than 20 days cumulative during July to September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 59 to 72 degrees F.
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent rock fragments in the control section and below. A surface layer containing 30 to 50 percent gravel is common.
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Clay content: averages 18 to 27 percent in the control section
Organic matter: less than 1 percent
Calcium carbonate: Typically slightly or strongly effervescent in the subsoil. Can range from noneffervescent to violently effervescent throughout.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Effervescence: noneffervescent to slight
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
2Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
2Btkb horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, dry
Not present in all pedons
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ashmed (NV),
Bitter (CA),
Blind (AZ),
Highland (NV)(T),
Khyber (CA),
Nellake (CA),
Soledad (NM),
Timosea (CA),
Topawa (AZ),
Twobitter (CA), and
Werewolf (CA) series. Ashmed soils have an argillic horizon with a SAR of 13 to 35. Bitter soils have loamy sand or sand textures immediately below the argillic horizon. Blind soils are noneffervescent throughout and the base of the argillic horizon extends to 60 inches. Highland soils are less than 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Khyber soils are dominated by 2 to 5 millimeter gravel and contain 1 to 15 percent durinodes in the subsoil. Nellake soils average less than 20 percent clay in the argillic horizon and less than 15 percent clay in the subsoil. Soledad soils average less than 19 percent clay in the argillic horizon and are moist in the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days in the summer. Timosea soils are dry in the soil moisture control section from
May to December and are moist in some or all parts for 40 to 60 consecutive days during March to May. Topawa soils are moist in the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days in the summer. Twobitter and Werewolf soils average less than 18 percent clay in the control section. In addition, Twobitter soils have accumulations of gypsum in the argillic horizon and have sandy textured subsoils.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bluebird soils are on fan terraces at elevations of 2,840 to 5,000 feet. Slopes range from 1 to 45 percent. These soils formed in granitic alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 200 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Detrital,
Arizo,
Lostman,
Azure,
Antares and
Hulda soils. Arizo soils are sandy-skeletal. Detrital soils do not have argillic horizons. Lostman soils are coarse-loamy. Azure, Hulda and Antares soils have bedrock at depths less than 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, recreation and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes Joshua tree, flattop buckwheat, creosotebush, and range ratany.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. Bluebird soils are of moderate extent. MLRA is 30.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Central Part; 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 18 inches (Bt horizon)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 1/2005. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.