LOCATION MALLET                  AZ

Established Series
Rev. WAS/CEM
11/2014

MALLET SERIES

The Mallet series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed from in mixed alluvium. Mallet soils are on stream terraces, fan remnants, and alluvial fans. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Mallet fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) 5 to 10 percent of the surface is covered with gravel

A--0 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

Bw1--6 to 22 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular and tubular pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary.

Bw2--22 to 55 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 45 to 55 inches thick)

Ck--55 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) extremely gravelly loamy sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common calcium carbonate coatings on rock fragments; 65 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (4 to 8 inches thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Cochise County, Arizona; located at a latitude of 31 degrees, 47 minutes, 23 seconds North and longitude of 109 degrees, 05 minutes, 45 seconds West; about 2,600 feet east and 2,100 feet north from the southwest corner of section 8, Township 19 S, Range 32 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July - September and December - February. Driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 62 to 69 degrees F.

Depth to carbonates - greater than 30 inches

Rock fragments: less than 35 percent

Clay content: 2 to 18 percent

Organic Matter: 1 to 2 percent

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam , loamy fine sand
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral

Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

Ck horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, sand, loamy sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent: can have coatings on rock fragments
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chaparral (I) (NM), Ima (NM), and Perilla (AZ) series. Chaparral soils are inactive. Perilla soils have secondary calcium carbonate above 30 inches. Ima soils are in the Great Plains and are more moist in the soil moisture control section during May and June. Chaparral soils are inactive.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mallet soils are on stream terraces, fan remnants, and alluvial fans at elevations of 3,090 to 5,720 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. These soils formed mixed alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December and January. The mean annual air temperature is 60 to 67 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 230 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Altar, Hooks, Riveroad, and Guest soils. Altar soils are loamy-skeletal. Hooks soils are fine-loamy. Riveroad soils are fine-silty. Guest soils are fine.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Mallet soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes grama grasses, Arizona cottontop, Mormon tea, snakeweed, burroweed and giant sacaton.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona and southern New Mexico. Mallet soils are of moderate extent. MLRA 41 and 42.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil survey of Cochise County, AZ, Douglas-Tombstone Part; 1998.

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

Ochric Epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 55 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 2/2009, WWJ

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

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.