LOCATION CAVELT AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cavelt gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common fine vesicular pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bw--2 to 8 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bk--8 to 10 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel; many medium calcium carbonate masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
2Bkm--10 to 46 inches; indurated, calcium carbonate-cemented hardpan with a thin (1/16 to 1/8 inch thick) laminar layer; extremely hard; violently effervescent; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 40 inches thick)
2Bk'--46 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, weakly to strongly cemented by calcium carbonate with small areas being indurated; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Pinal County, Arizona; 200 feet north and 1790 feet west of the southeast corner of section 31, T. 3 S., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Usually dry, intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July - August and December - January. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Rock Fragments - Less than 35 percent
Depth to petrocalcic horizon - 3 to 20 inches
Organic Matter Content - less than 1 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 3, 4 or 6 dry, 3, 4, 5 or 6 moist
B horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5, 6, 7 or 8 dry or moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4 dry, 3, 4, 5 or 6 moist
Texture: Loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cavelt soils are on fan terraces and have slopes of 0 to 10 percent. These soils formed in stratified fan alluvium from mixed acid and basic rock and eolian deposits. Elevation ranges from 600 to 2,700 feet. Cavelt soils are in a hot, arid and continental climate. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 3 to 10 inches, and the mean annual air temperature ranges from 72 to 75 degrees F. Precipitation occurs as summer thunderstorms and gentle winter rains. The frost-free period is 240 to 325 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Antho, Cipriano, Cherioni, Gunsight, Pinamt and Rillito soils. All these soils do not have a calcium carbonate-cemented hardpan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and to a limited extent for homesites and golf courses. Vegetation is creosotebush, paloverde, mesquite, cacti and annual grasses and weeds.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central and southwestern Arizona. Cavelt soils are moderately extensive. MLRA is 40.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eastern Maricopa and Northern Pinal Counties Area, Arizona; 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon - The zone from 10 to 46 inches (2Bkm horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999