LOCATION NUFFEL AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Ustic Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Nuffel silt loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) silt loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine vesicular and common very fine tubular and irregular pores; common fine and very fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine vesicular and common very fine tubular and irregular pores; common fine and very fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
C1--5 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, very sticky and plastic; many fine and very fine tubular and irregular pores; few fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
C2--12 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) stratified silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and plastic; many very fine tubular and irregular pores; few fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Navajo County, Arizona; about 7.5 miles west of Snowflake; 1700 feet west and 1800 feet north of the southeast corner of section 22, T. 13 N., R. 20 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: 51 to 56 degrees F.
Particle-size control section: 18 to 35 percent clay
Rock Fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate: Calcareous from a depth less than 10 inches to 40 inches or more
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Reaction: Slightly or moderately alkaline
C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: Silty clay loam, silt loam, silty clay, or loam; thin strata of finer or coarser material throughout
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lillings (CO) series. Lillings soils have hue yellower than 7.5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nuffel soils are on flood plains on valley floors and alluvial fans on valley sides and have slopes of 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in alluvium and stream alluvium from calcareous sandstone, siltstone, shale, mudstone, limestone, and basalt. Elevations range from 5,500 to 6,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 49 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bagley, Barx and Cerrillos soils. Bagley soils have a mollic epipedon. Barx and Cerrillos soils are fine-loamy and have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow and slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nuffel soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is alkali sacaton, galleta, blue grama, western wheatgrass, vine-mesquite, spike dropseed, fourwing saltbush, buckwheat, and cottonwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Arizona. This series is not extensive. MLRA 35 & 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Navajo County, Arizona; Soil survey of Navajo County Area, Arizona, Central Part; 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 5 inches (A1, A2 horizons)
Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.