LOCATION ARTESIA AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Argidic Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Artesia cobbly fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) cobbly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin and medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many vesicular pores; 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
BAt--3 to 7 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many interstitial pores; 55 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 13 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 60 percent pebbles and few cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--13 to 25 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; 35 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (9 to 19 inches thick)
2Bkqm--25 to 42 inches; pink (5YR 8/3) strongly cemented duripan, pink (5YR 7/4) moist; extremely hard; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Cochise County, Arizona; 1,000 feet south and 1,000 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 1, T. 12 S., R. 30 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The moisture control section is moist in some part less than 25 percent of the time the soil is above 41 degrees F. at a depth of 20 inches during the months of July-September and December-February. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 67 to 72 degrees F.
Rock fragments - Average 35 to 65 percent pebbles and cobbles.
Depth to duripan 20 to 40 inches.
A horizon - Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4, or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry and moist.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, or loam.
Organic matter: 1/2 to 1 percent.
Reaction: Neutral or mildly alkaline.
Bt horizon(s) - Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry and moist.
Texture: Clay or clay loam. (averages 35 to 50 percent clay). Coarse fragments: Averages 35 to 65 percent.
Reaction: Mildly or moderately alkaline.
Carbonates: None in the upper part to strongly effervescent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Artesia series are on gently to moderately sloping fan terraces at elevations of 2200 to 5200 feet. Slopes are dominantly 1 to 5 percent but range to 8 percent. These soils formed in fan alluvium from basic igneous rocks, dominantly basalt and tuff. The mean annual temperature ranges from 60 to 70 degrees F. and the frost-free period is 190 to 280 days. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 13 inches, occurring mainly as thundershowers in the summer and as gentle rains in winter.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tres Hermanos and the similar Eba soil. Tres Hermanos lack a silica cemented horizon and have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the B horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is medium; permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Artesia soils are used primarily for native rangeland. Vegetation includes catclaw, Mormon tea, snakeweed, tobosa grass, cacti, creosotebush, curlymesquite, false-mesquite, slender grama, red grama, bush muhly, triangle bursage, and paloverde.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern and southcentral Arizona. The Artesia series is moderately extensive. MLRAs 40 & 41.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gila Project, Arizona, 1936.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - Surface to 3 inch zone. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - 3 to 25 inch zone. (Bt horizons)
Duripan - at 25 inches.
Argidic feature - the duripan is strongly cemented.