LOCATION CAREFREE AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Vertic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Carefree cobbly clay loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) 30 to 35 percent of the surface covered with basalt cobbles and pebbles, mostly cobbles.
A--0 to 1 inch; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; 25 percent cobbles and 10 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bt1--1 to 17 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent pebbles; few fine lime filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (14 to 20 inches thick)
Bt2--17 to 50 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to strong fine and medium angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on faces of peds; few fine lime filaments; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 35 inches thick)
2Btk--50 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely cobbly clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent cobbles and 25 percent pebbles; many large soft lime masses and few lime filaments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Maricopa County, Arizona; 2,560 feet and 1,530 feet east of the southwest corner of section 14, T. 5 N., R. 2 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the SMCS during July-September and December-February. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Rock fragments: 0 to 50 percent on the soil surface and less than 15 percent in the control section.
Cracks when dry: Range from 1 to 2 inches wide. Extend from the base of the A horizon to 20 inches or more. Present for some period in all years.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, clay
Clay content: 15 to 55 percent
Organic matter: Less than 1 percent.
Carbonates: Slightly or strongly effervescent.
B horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Carbonates: Strongly or violently effervescent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Carefree soils are on fan terraces and have slopes of 1 to 8 percent. They formed in mixed alluvium from andesite, rhyolite, basalt and pyroclastics. Elevation is 1,000 to 2,500 feet. The climate is warm and arid continental. Average annual precipitation is 7 to 10 inches occurring as summer thunderstorms and gentle winter rain. Mean annual temperature is 70 to 75 degrees F. Frost-free period is about 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the similar Beardsley soils, these are the Cipriano, Ebon and Suncity soils. Cipriano and Suncity soils have a duripan. Ebon soils are clayey-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing and to a small extent, for homesites. Native vegetation is mesquite, cacti, tobosa, triangle bursage, blue paloverde, big galleta, globe mallow, and three-awn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Central Arizona. The series is inextensive. MLRA 40.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Maricopa County, Arizona, 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 1 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 1 to 60 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Vertic subgroup - Cracks when dry from 1 to 2 inches wide that extend from the base of the A horizon to 20 inches or more. Present for some period in all years and a linear extensibility of 6.0 cm or more between the soil surface and a depth of 100 cm.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL sample number - S76AZ-013-2.