LOCATION ALBERS AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Albers silty clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bss1--1 to 6 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; intersecting slickensides and many stress cutans; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bss2--6 to 29 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; intersecting slickensides and many stress cutans; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary. (14 to 25 inches thick)
Bss3--29 to 36 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; intersecting slickensides and many stress cutans; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bss4--36 to 44 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; intersecting slickensides; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
2Bk1--44 to 53 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) and brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; few fine soft calcium carbonate accumulations and thin coatings on gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2Bk2--53 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; common fine soft calcium carbonate accumulations and thin coatings on gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Coconino County, Arizona, on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Laguna Valley; 1200 feet south and 2400 feet east of the northwest corner of section 28, T.29 N., R.7 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - March and intermittently moist during July - September. Driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 50 to 56 degrees F.
Rock Fragments: less than 5 percent in the control section
Calcium carbonate equivalent: noneffervescent above 30 inches and carbonates range from 5 to 15 percent below 30 inches
Cracking: Deep, wide cracks are open more than 210 days cumulative.
Other features: Argillic horizons are present below 40 inches in some pedons.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 2, to 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 2to 4, dry or moist
Clay Content: 30 to 40 percent
Bss horizons
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 2.5 to 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Clay Content: 35 to 59 percent commonly greater than 40 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent below 30 inches
Slickensides: common to many, becoming less common with depth. Some pedons contains clay films
2Bk horizons (Absent in some pedons)
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Clay Content: 40 to 59 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Antelopeflat (CO), Arboles (C), Dominquez (CO), Ritoazul (CO), Sideshow (CO) and Springerville (AZ) series. Antelopeflat have accumulations of gypsum in the profile. Arboles soils formed in parent material derived from shale. Dominquez soils have hue of 5YR or 2.5YR. Sideshow soils are effervescent at 10 inches, contain less than 5 percent calcium carbonates equivalents and do not have 5YR hue. Ritoazul soils are moderately deep to shale and have accumulations of gypsum in the profile. Springerville soils have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Albers soils are on stream terraces, concavities. Elevations are 5900 to 6600 feet. These soils formed in alluvium from sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. The annual precipitation is 13 to 18 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 48 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Orlie and the Disterheff soils. Orlie soils are fine-loamy and have argillic horizons. Disterheff soils have argillic and calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; very slow permeability. Negligible when ponded. Ponded phases are recognized
USE AND VEGETATION: Albers soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is western wheatgrass and mountain big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 35.
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.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Intersecting slickensides - The zone from 1 to 44 inches (Bss1, Bss2, Bss3, Bss4 horizons)