LOCATION ANTARES                 AZ+CA

Established Series
WJ/RKS/DWD/HCD
04/2015

ANTARES SERIES

The Antares series consists of shallow and very shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils formed from granitic alluvium and residuum. Antares soils are found on pediments and low hills, and have slopes of 3 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic, shallow Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Antares extremely gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 70 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--2 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)

2Crk--11 to 40 inches; fractured and partially weathered granitic rock; common calcium carbonate coatings in joints. (15 to 45 inches thick)

2R--40 inches; granite; few faint calcium carbonate coatings in widely spaced joints.

TYPE LOCATION: The White Hills, Mohave County, Arizona; About 1400 feet west and 1600 feet north of the southeast corner of section 32, T. 28 N., R. 18 W., Gila and Salt River Base Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and for less than 20 days cumulative during July - September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 59 to 72 degrees F.

Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent with less than 10 percent 2 to 5 millimeter gravel

Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Depth to paralithic contact: 4 to 20 inches

Depth to lithic contact: greater than 20 inches

Clay content of control section: 10 to 18 percent

Calcium carbonate: carbonates are disseminated; few to common seams line fractures in the bedrock


A horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Effervescence: strong or violent


B horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist

Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist

Effervescence: strong or violent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dixaleta (AZ), Lavabed (CA), Seanna (T) (NV), Shankba (NV), and Xyzoic (CA) series. Dixaleta soils are dominated by channers and are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section for more than 20 cumulative days during July - September. Lavabed soils are less than 20 inches deep to a lithic contact. Seanna soils have more than 30 percent 2 to 5 millimeter gravel. Shankba soils have hues of 7.5YR or redder, and are formed in silty parent material derived from sedimentary rock. Xyzoic soils have hues of 2.5Y and more than 40 percent of the rock fragments consist of 2 to 5 millimeter gravel.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Antares soils are on low hills and pediments at elevations of 2,200 to 4,600 feet. These soils formed in alluvium and residuum over bedrock. Slopes are 3 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 200 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hulda, Azure, Lostman, Detrital, and Arizo soils. Azure and Hulda soils are shallow and very shallow to bedrock. Arizo, Detrital, and Lostman soils are very deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, low to high runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and mining. Vegetation is flattop buckwheat, Joshua tree, big galleta, turpentine broom, and bush muhly.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. This series is of moderate extent. MLRA is 30.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Central Part; 2005. The name is from a mine within the survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

Paralithic contact - The boundary at 11 inches (2Crk horizon)

Lithic contact - The boundary at 40 inches (2R horizon)

Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2005. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.