LOCATION AMOS AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Amos clay loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--O to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
B21t--3 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine, very fine and few coarse roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
B22t--10 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; few fine distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) mottles, strong brown-(7.5YR 5/6) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and common coarse roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on peds; slightly effervescent; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 24 inches thick)
B3t--25 to 41 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) heavy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; common medium distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky parting to weak thin and medium platy structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine and few coarse roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; few thin clay films line interstitial pores; common horizontal pressure faces; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); diffuse wavy boundary. (10 to 17 inches thick)
Clr--41 to 50 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) weathered stratified shale and siltstone, reddish brown (10YR 5/4) and yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common horizontal pressure faces; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C2r--50 to 56 inches; stratified shale, siltstone and calcareous sandstone with broken colors of yellowish red (5YR 5/6), yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure; hard to extremely hard, extremely firm, strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Navajo County, Arizona; NW1/4 of section 3, T.8N., R.22E., Photo 3242, Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Note: County is unsurveyed. Approximate locations on a grid extended from nearby surveys.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges in thickness from 30 to 56 inches. The depth to the Cr horizon is over 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees F to 55 degrees F. Soil moisture is usually deficient from May 1 to late in June.
The Al horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4. It is heavy loam or clay loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4, but are dominantly 4. It is heavy clay loam and clay.
The Cr horizon is finely stratified and includes shale, siltstone and calcareous sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Disterheff, Elledge, Shonkin and Showlow series. Disterheff and Shonkin soils have montmorillonitic mineralogy. Also, Disterheff soils have 2.5YR hue in the B2t horizon and have a calcic horizon and Shonkin soils ave an A2 horizon. Elledge soils have an A2 horizon and have bedrock at depths of less than 40 inches. Showlow soils have a mollic epipedon and have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR in the B2t horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Amos soils are on rolling uplands. Slopes range from 5 to 20 percent but are dominantly 9 to 15 percent. These soils formed in place on shale, siltstone and calcareous sandstone. Elevations range from 6,000 to 6,800 feet. The average annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 22 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 48 degrees to 54 degrees F. and the frost-free season ranges from 110 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Telephone soils and the competing Elledge, Overgaard and Showlow soils. Telephone soils are shallow and very shallow to bedrock and lack an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for the production of timber and for grazing of livestock. Vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, Gambel oak, alligator juniper with an understory of western wheat, junegrass, mountain and spike muhly and Arizona fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Along the breaks of the Mogollon Rim west of Lakeside, Arizona. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Navajo County, Arizona, 1971.
OSED scanned by NSSQA. Last revised by state on 1/75.