LOCATION METUCK                  AZ+UT

Established Series
Rev. JLF/DJP
06/2013

METUCK SERIES

The Metuck series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils on canyon escarpments of mesas and plateaus. These soils formed in alluvium and colluvium overlying residuum derived dominantly from calcareous sedimentary rock. Slope is 15 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 15 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aridic Lithic Ustorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Metuck extremely channery fine sandy loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 1 inch; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) extremely channery fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine irregular pores; 70 percent gravel and channers, and 25 percent flagstones and stones; violently effervescent, 21 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--1 to 8 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very channery fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few fine, and medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; 40 percent channers; violently effervescent, 21 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

BCk--8 to 10 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) very channery very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; 40 percent channers, mostly decomposing sandstone; common thin calcium carbonate coatings on rock fragments; violently effervescent, 38 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

Cr--10 to 12 inches; fractured, weathered sandstone; few fine roots and calcium carbonate coatings in fractures; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)

R--12 inches; hard, calcareous sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Coconino County, Arizona; on the Hualapai Indian Reservation; 1450 feet south and 1500 feet west of the northeast corner of section 9, T. 26 N., R. 9 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and intermittently moist during July - September. Driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 48 to 57 degrees F.

Depth to bedrock: 4 to 20 inches, but is commonly less than 10 inches

Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent

Clay content: averages less than 18 percent

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 40 percent to 90 percent in the surface layer

Bw horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
Other features: Bk horizons less than 6 inches thick are present in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bunkin (UT), Colskel (UT) and Kydestea (AZ) series. Colskel soils are inactive. Bunkin and Kydestea soils average more than 18 percent clay and have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Metuck soils are on escarpments of mesas and plateaus at elevations of 4,500 to 7,720 feet. These soils formed in alluvium, colluvium and residuum derived dominantly from calcareous sedimentary rock. Slope ranges from 15 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 12 to 18 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 46 to 55 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 170 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Coconino and Wodomont series. Coconino soils are moderately deep with fine-loamy control sections. Wodomont soils have a calcic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Metuck soils are used for livestock grazing, fuelwood production, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is twoleaf pinyon, Utah juniper, Bigelow sagebrush, desert ceanothus, turbinella oak, Indian ricegrass, desert needlegrass, sideoats grama.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona and southern Utah. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 35, 39, 36.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Coconino County, Arizona; Soil survey of Hualapai-Havasupai Area, Arizona, Parts of Coconino, Mohave and Yavapai Counties; 1993. Name is derived from Metuck Tank.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)

Entisol feature - the absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

Lithic contact - the boundary at 12 inches (R horizon)

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

Update and revisions for the correlation of Natural Bridges National Monument
4 Dec 2008 CEM
Update and revisions for the correlation of Capitol Reef National Park, January 2013, WWJ

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.