LOCATION TATAI AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Sodic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Tatai silt loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 1 inch; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; very slightly saline (ECe 2 dS/m); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--1 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; very slightly saline (ECe 2 dS/m) and slightly sodic (SAR 1); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bwn1--6 to 11 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; common fine, irregular accumulations of salt; violently effervescent; slightly sodic (SAR 5); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Bwn2--11 to 21 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; common fine, irregular accumulations of salt; violently effervescent; slightly saline (ECe 5 dS/m) and slightly sodic (SAR 11); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cnz--21 to 24 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and irregular pores; many fine, irregular accumulations of salt; violently effervescent; moderately saline (ECe 9 dS/m) and moderately sodic (SAR 12); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
2Btknzb1--24 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay skins on faces of peds; few fine, irregular, accumulations of salt; violently effervescent; moderately saline (ECe 11 dS/m) and slightly sodic (SAR 9); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
2Btknzb2--31 to 41 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common prominent clay skins on faces of peds and lining pores; many fine rounded and irregular soft accumulations of calcium carbonate and salt; violently effervescent; moderately saline (ECe 10 dS/m) and slightly sodic (SAR 6); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
2Btknzb3--41 to 67 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium prismatic structure; extremely hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; many fine tubular pores; many prominent clay skins on faces of peds and lining pores; many medium and coarse, rounded, soft accumulations of calcium carbonate and salt; violently effervescent; moderately saline (ECe 10 dS/m) and slightly sodic (SAR 5); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 22 to 39 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Pinal County, Arizona; about 2 miles east of Maricopa Road, on the Gila River Indian Reservation; 1200 feet north and 1000 feet east of the southwest corner of section 4, T. 3 S., R. 4 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. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Depth to buried argillic horizon - 20 to 40 inches
SAR is less than 45 in the cambic horizon
The 10 to 40 inch particle size control section averages more than 18 percent clay.
Salinity- nonsaline to strongly saline
Sodicity- nonsodic to strongly sodic; The ESP is 15 to 20 in a layer 10 inches or more thick.
Stratification- Thin strata of finer or coarser textured soil on upper boundary of buried horizon.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4, dry or moist
Reaction: Moderately or strongly alkaline
B horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: Silt loam, loam, silty clay loam (15 to 35 percent clay)
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline
Buried Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: Loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam (20 to 32 percent clay)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 19 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tatai soils are on flood plains and stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1000 to 2000 feet. They formed in Holocene stream alluvium superimposed on Pleistocene relict basin floors. The mean annual precipitation is 7 to 10 inches occurring as summer thunderstorms and gentle winter rain. Mean annual air temperature is 69 to 75 degrees F. The frost-free period is 240 to 325 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Casa Grande, Redun, Kamato and Shontik soils. Casa Grande and Kamato soils have argillic horizons and Redun soils do not have a buried paleosol within 40 inches. Shontik soils are sandy loam and fine sandy loam above the buried paleosol.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability above and slow or very slow in the buried Bt horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and irrigated cropland. Vegetation is mainly desert saltbush, mesquite and wolfberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. MLRA is 40. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Parts of Maricopa and Pinal Counties, 1991. Name means Roadrunner in the Pima Indian language.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches (A1, A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 21 inches (Bwn1, Bwn2 horizons)
Buried soil - the zone from 24 to 60 inches (2Btknzb1, 2Btknzb2, 2Btknzb3 horizons)
Slow hydraulic conductivity in the buried soil.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Sample S84 AZ-013-005
Gallup BIA Lab Data 278-36-1
BOR Lab Data Master Site G