LOCATION UGYP AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calcigypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Ugyp fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy and very fine granular structure; loose, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; disseminated calcium carbonate and gypsum; 3 percent gravel; violently effervescent, 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bky1--3 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common very fine and fine calcium carbonate and gypsum filaments; few very fine gypsum crystals throughout; violently effervescent, 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 10 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary.
Bky2--13 to 30 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common very fine and fine calcium carbonate and gypsum filaments; few very fine gypsum crystals throughout; few very fine soft calcium carbonate and gypsum masses; few organic coats on ped faces; violently effervescent, 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 10 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bky3--30 to 52 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) stratified sandy loam to loamy coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular and tubular pores; common very fine and fine calcium carbonate and gypsum filaments; common very fine gypsum crystals throughout; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent, 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 10 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
Bky4--52 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loamy fine sand and fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common very fine and fine calcium carbonate and gypsum filaments; few very fine gypsum crystals throughout; violently effervescent, 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 10 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8). (Combined thickness of the Bky horizons is 45 to 60 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Cochise County, Arizona; located at a latitude of 31 degrees, 50 minutes, 13 seconds North and longitude of 110 degrees, 14 minutes, 40 seconds West; about 1,000 feet east and 1,700 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 30, T. 18 S., R. 21 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and for more than 20 days cumulative during July - September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 62 to 69 degrees F.
Rock fragments: averages less than 15 percent, but can contain up to 25 percent in any one horizon
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Clay content: 3 to 18 percent
Depth to calcic horizon: 1 to 20 inches
Depth to gypsic horizon: 1 to 20 inches
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
Bky horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, fine sandy loam, loam, loamy fine sand and stratified sandy loam to loamy coarse sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent
Gypsum content: 5 to 10 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alamogordo (NM), Borderline (AZ), Hobcan (AZ), Monahans (TX) and Monzingo (AZ) series. Alamogordo soils are finer textured (very fine sandy loam and loam throughout). Borderline soils are on fan terraces and are not subject to flooding. Hobcan soils are dry in the soil moisture control section for less than 20 days cumulative during the summer and occur in the Mohave Desert. Monahans soils are described as containing a range in clay of 18 to 30 percent in the control section. Monzingo soils contain Cd horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ugyp soils are on alluvial fans at elevations of 1,750 to 4,100 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium derived dominantly from sedimentary formations. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December to February. The mean annual air temperature is 60 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 190 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Contention and Borderline soils. Contention soils are fine textured. Borderline soils are on fan terraces and do not flood.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability. Subject to rare or occasional flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes tobosa, mesquite, creosote, alkali sacaton, mesquite, and sideoats grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Ugyp soils are of moderate extent. MLRA is 41.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil survey of Cochise County, Arizona, Douglas-Tombstone Part; 1996.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 3 to 60 inches (Bky1, Bky2, Bky3, Bky4 horizons)
Gypsic horizon - the zone from 3 to 60 inches (Bky1, Bky2, Bky3, Bky4 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 2/2009, WWJ