LOCATION CIBEQUE AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calciustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Cibeque gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; may fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 9 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few coarse roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bk2--18 to 42 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; many medium and large soft very pale brown (10YR 8/2), pink (7.5YR 8/4) moist, lime masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (18 to 30 inches thick)
Bk3--42 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; many medium and large soft very pale brown (10YR 8/2), pink (7.5YR 8/4) moist, lime masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Gila County, Arizona; Fort Apache Indian Reservation; .5 miles northwest of Chalk Tank in the south-central one half of section 13, T.5N., R.18E. (Note: County is unsurveyed. Location is approximate, based on extended grid from surveyed areas.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the moisture control section during July - September and December - February. Driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 51 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon: 5 to 15 inches
Organic matter content: greater than 1 percent in the surface
Reaction: mildly or moderately alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4, dry or moist
Bk horizon
Hue 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 8 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coconino (AZ), Kandrix (CO) and Quartermaster (AZ) series. Coconino soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Kandrix soils are in LRR-G and are more moist in May and June. Quartermaster soils are moderately deep to a hardpan.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cibeque soils are on fan terraces at elevations of 4200 to 5600 feet. Slope ranges from 5 to 50 percent. These soils formed in gravelly fan alluvium derived dominantly from mixed sources. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 18 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 49 to 57 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dye, Jacques, Lynx, and Showlow soils. Dye soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock. Jacques, Lynx and Showlow soils have mollic epipedons. In addition, Jacques soils are fine; Lynx soils lack a calcic horizon; and Showlow soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cibeque soils are used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is turbinella oak, sideoats grama, mountain mahogany, black grama, threeawn, blue grama, hairy grama, juniper, pinon pine, desert ceanothus, shrub live oak, manzanita, curly mesquite, Arizona cottontop, plains lovegrass and plains bristlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Arizona. Cibeque soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 35 and 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gila County, (Fort Apache Indian Reservation), Arizona; 1966.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (A1, A2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 9 to 60 inches (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3 horizons)