LOCATION BALON AZEstablished Series
TYPICAL PEDON: Balon gravelly sandy clay loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick).
Bt1--3 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) heavy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 5 to 15 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bt2--7 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on ped faces 25 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
BC1--15 to 23 inches; mottled brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, mottled dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
BC2--23 to 36 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist, mottles are many fine and medium faint and distinct; massive breaking to weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine medium and coarse roots; few fine and medium tubular and many fine interstitial pores; oriented clay occurs as bridges holding mineral grains together; few thin clay films on ped faces; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C1--36 to 54 inches; mottled light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
C2--54 to 73 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Yavapai County, Arizona. .7 mile west and .3 mile south of NE corner sec. 5, T.12N., R.1E., about 1/2 mile NE of Poland Junction Substation on south exposure of ridge.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: about 56 degrees F.
Soil Moisture: These soils are usually dry especially during the months of May, June, October and November. Ustic aridic moisture regime
A horizon
Hue: 10YR and 7.5YR
Value: 4 and 5 dry and 2 and 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly sand clay loam and gravelly clay loam.
Reaction: 6.0 to 7.0
Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR and 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry and 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay loam, clay, gravelly clay loam and gravelly clay.
BC horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5YR but are dominantly 7.5YR and 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry and 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: averages less than 35 percent clay and is usually gravelly.
Structure: ranges from subangular blocky and angular blocky in the gravelly clay loam type to prismatic in the sandy loam type.
C horizons
Texture: gravelly loamy sand, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly loam, gravelly sandy clay loam and gravelly clay loam
Reaction: 6.5 to 8.0.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Blancot (NM), Bowbac (WY), Buckle (NM), Cambria (WY), Chilerojo (NM), Cushman (WY), Decolney (WY), Doakum (NM), Forkwood (WY), Fort (CO), Gaddes (AZ), Gapbutte (AZ), Gapmesa (CO), Hagerman (NM), Hagerwest (NM), Hiland (WY), Mentmore (NM), Oelop (NM), Olney (CO), Palacid (NM), Penistaja (NM), Pokeman (WY), Potts (WY), Pugsley (WY), Quagwa (AZ), Redpen (NM), Spangler (WY), Sundance (CO), Tamarindo (NM), Teckla (WY) and Yenlo (CO) series.
Blancot and Mentmore soils have hues yellower than 10YR.
Bowbac, Cushman, Fattig, Flaco, Gaddes, Gapbutte, Gapmesa, Hagerman, Hagerwest, Pokeman, Progresso, Pugsley, Spangler, and Threetop soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Buckle soils have sola over 40 inches thick.
Cambria soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for at least 60 consecutive days and at least 90 cumulative days from July 15 to October 25.
Decolney soils have a MAST of 47 to 52 degrees F.
Forkwood soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 consecutive days or more from July 15 to October 25.
Olney soils have a mean annual soil temperature greater than 52 degrees F., and are in a climatic setting that receives 3/4 of their precipitation between April and September and have a PE Index of about 20.
Oelop soils have a C horizon with hues redder than 7.5YR.
Palacid soils have less than 35 percent fine sand or coarser.
Penistaja soils typically have hue of 5YR or redder in the upper part of the B2t horizon.
Potts soils have less than 35 percent fine and coarser sand in the control section.
Quagwa soils have mean annual soil temperature of 54 to 57 degrees F.
Redpen soils have hue of 5YR or redder.
Sundance soils have lithic discontinuities formed from eolian sands on top of loess and the argillic horizon formed in part, in both materials.
Teckla soils have fragmental discontinuity below the Bt with over 35 percent rock fragments.
Yenlo soils have Ck horizons, hues 10YR and yellower, and MAST 47 to 52 degrees F.
In addition, the Bowbac, Cushman, Decolney, Fort, Hagerman, Olney, Pokeman, Potts, Pugsley, Spangler, Sundance and Tekla series are in LRR-G and are more moist in May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Balon soils are at elevations of 4,000 to 5,000 feet on fan terraces. Slopes range from 2 to 25 percent. The regolith consists of mixed fan alluvium dominantly from schist, granite, basalt and related rocks. These soils are in a cool, semi-arid, continental climate, having a mean annual temperature of 50 degrees to 58 degrees F. The average annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches and occurs as thunderstorms in July through September and as rain and snow during the winter months. The frost-free period ranges from 144 and 223 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Abra, Arp, Cordes, Lynx, Moano and Pastura in addition to the Lonti and Wineg series. Abra soils have a high lime content throughout and do not have an argillic horizon. Arp soils are redder, having hues of 5YR and 2.5YR and are fine-textured. Cordes soils are moderately coarse-textured and have a mollic epipedon. Lynx soils are in a fine-loamy family but are dark-colored and have a mollic epipedon. Moano soils have a lithic contact at shallow depths and are residual on schist. Pastura soils lack a Bt horizon and have a petrocalcic horizon at shallow depths.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained. Surface runoff ranges from slow to medium. Permeability is moderately slow to slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly as rangeland. Native vegetation consists of oak brush, catclaw, Nolina, snakeweed and cacti with an understory of blue grama, sideoats grama, black grama and three-awns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and southern Yavapai Co., Arizona. These soils are moderately extensive. Approximately 26,000 acres have been mapped in the Western Yavapai Co. Soil Survey Area. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Western Yavapai County Area, Yavapai County, Arizona, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 15 inches (Bt horizons).
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.