LOCATION CARALAMPI               AZ+NM

Established Series
Rev. MLR/CCC/PDC/CEM
05/2011

CARALAMPI SERIES

The Caralampi series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in fan and slope alluvium from granitic and volcanic rock. Caralampi soils are on fan terraces and hills. Slopes range from 1 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Caralampi very gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common irregular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

BAt--2 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many irregular pores; few faint clay films in tubular pores; 55 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary.

Bt1--5 to 9 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common irregular and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bt2--9 to 13 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common irregular and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary.

Bt3--13 to 23 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 12 to 29 inches)

BCt1--23 to 31 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; common fine faint pink (5YR 7/3) and light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) features, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films in pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary.

BCt2--31 to 42 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few faint clay films in pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the BC horizons is 6 to 21 inches)

C--42 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Santa Cruz County, Arizona; 2.5 miles north-northwest of Nogales, Arizona; about 2,800 feet north and 1,600 feet west of the southeast corner of section 36, T. 23 S., R. 13 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December-March and for more than 20 days cumulative during July-September. Driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 59 to 69 degrees F.

Rock fragments - 35 to 80 percent

Calcium carbonate - Noneffervescent in the upper part, may have slight to strong effervescence below 40 inches

Organic matter content - Greater than 1 percent in the upper 10 inches

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4, dry or moist
Reaction: neutral to moderately acid

Bt horizons
Hue: 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 3 through 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 3, 4, or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, sandy loam, loam (more than 18 percent clay)
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

BC, Bk and C horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 through 7, dry or moist
Chroma: 2, 3, 4, or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, sandy clay loam
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coxwell (NM), Hartpeak (CA), Holliday (NM), Hoppswell (NV), Hyrhy (AZ), Maloy (AZ) and Monza (NM) series. Hartpeak and Hoppswell soils are moist in the soil moisture control section for less than 20 days cumulative between July and September. Coxwell and Monza soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Holliday soils contain less than 18 percent clay. Hyrhy soils are inactive. Maloy soils contain dominantly cobble size rock fragments in the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Caralampi soils are on strongly sloping to steep fan terraces and hills. Slopes range from 1 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 2,800 to 5,380 feet. These soils formed in fan and slope alluvium derived from granite, rhyolite, andesite, dacite, and related tuff, and agglomerates. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 57 to 68 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches. The frost-free period is 180 to 260 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Riveroad, Comoro, and White House soils. Riveroad and Comoro soils do not have argillic horizons. White House soils are clayey.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and urban development. Vegetation is curlymesquite, sprucetop grama, hairy grama, sideoats grama, threeawn, cane beardgrass, wolftail, and plains lovegrass. Brush species are mesquite, catclaw, mimosa, calliandra, range ratany, and a few oak and cacti.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Caralampi soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 38 and 41.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Cruz County Area, Arizona; 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 42 inches (BAt, Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, BCt1, BCt2)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Eleventh Edition, 2010

Revised for the correlation of Graham County, AZ, Southwestern Part, March 2011, WWJ

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.