LOCATION BANSHEE AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Vertic Paleargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Banshee sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) 0 to 10 percent of the surface is covered with gravel and cobbles. Continuous cracks from the surface to 19 inches with each crack from 0.12 to 0.50 inches wide in profile.
A/C--0 to 3 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 19 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong medium prismatic parting to strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on ped faces; common pressure faces; noneffervescent to slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Btk--19 to 26 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on ped faces and rock fragments; many calcium carbonate coatings on ped faces and rock fragments; common calcium carbonate filaments; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
2Bkyg--26 to 42 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common medium tubular pores; common distinct organic coatings on ped faces; many fine soft calcium carbonate and gypsum masses; noneffervescent to slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
3Cg--42 to 60 inches; white (10YR 8/1) cobbly fine sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; soft and slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium tubular pores; common hard brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) iron masses; 10 percent gravel and 20 percent cobble; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Cochise County, Arizona; located at a latitude of 31 degrees, 49 minutes, 10 seconds North and longitude of 109 degrees, 05 minutes, 05 seconds West; about 1,800 feet east and 800 feet north of the southwest corner of section 28, Township 18 S., Range 32 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of soil moisture control section during July - September and December - February. Driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 62 to 69 degrees F.
Soil cracking: When dry, continuous cracks from the surface to 20 inches with each crack from 0.12 to 0.50 inches wide.
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent gravel and cobbles
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent in control section
Organic matter content: 1 to 2 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam
Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist
Texture: clay
Btk horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay, clay loam (more than 35 percent clay)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Bkyg horizon
Hue: 2.5Y, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: clay, clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Gypsum: 0 to 4 percent
Salinity: none to slight (EC 0 to 8 dS/m)
Sodicity: none to slight (SAR 0 to 13)
Cg horizon
Hue: 7.5Y, 10YR
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma: 1 through 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sand
Rock fragments: 5 to 40 percent gravel and/or cobbles
Gypsum: 0 to 4 percent
Salinity: none to slight (EC 0 to 8 dS/m)
Sodicity: none to slight (SAR 0 to 13)
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Banshee soils are on alluvial fans at elevations of 3,900 to 4,400 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from prehistoric lakes and marshes and fan alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December to February. The mean annual air temperature is 60 to 67 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 230 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Mallet, Hooks, Altar, and Bodecker soils. Mallet soils have less than 18 percent clay. Hooks soils have between 18 and 35 percent clay. Altar soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments. Bodecker soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments and are in drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium to slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes tobosa, sideoats grama, and other annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Banshee soils are of minor extent. MLRA is 41.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil survey of Cochise County, Arizona, Douglas - Tombstone Part; San Bernardino Valley Interim Report, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inch (A/C horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 26 inches (Bt and Btk horizons)
Vertic properties - presence of cracks in the profile. (3 to 19 inches)
Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999