LOCATION CHEVELON AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Chevelon silt loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silt loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak thick platy structure breaking to weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine irregular and vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) heavy silt loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak thick platy structure breaking to weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bw--5 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) light silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, plastic; common fine roots; few fine irregular pores, common fine tubular pores; few thin clay films line pores; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 23 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common fine roots; few fine irregular pores, common fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on ped faces; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bt2--23 to 30 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) light silty clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular and tubular pores; few moderately thick clay films on ped faces; 20 percent by volume of pebble size fragments of soft shale; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
2Cr--30 to 40 inches; interbedded shale, hardness of less than 3; lower sides of shale fragments have thin coatings of lime.
TYPE LOCATION: Gila County, Arizona, 1/2 mile east of Stinking Spring Tank, Fort Apache Indian Reservation, SW1/4 sec. 7, T.6N., R.21E. Location is approximate and is based on extending grid from surveyed areas.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to shale: 20 to 40 inches.
Mean annual soil temperature: 50 degrees to 59 degrees F.
Soil moisture: In most years, these soils are dry for 90 or more cumulative days in some subhorizon between 7 to 20 inches, but are not continuously dry in all parts of the soil between these depths for as long as 60 consecutive days in more than seven years out of ten. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
The soil ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam or silt loam.
B horizon
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
B2t horizon
Texture: loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content: 18 percent clay and no more than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.
The underlying rock is shale, siltstone, or calcareous sandstone with a hardness of less than 3.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amal(NM), Buick(CO), Chita(NM), Elpedro(NM), Keiser(MT), Klinedraw(WY), Moncha (NM), Oshoto(WY), Pulpit(CO), Roubideau(CO), Sharps(CO), Verde(CO), Wetherill(NM), and Wiley(CO) series. Altega, Amal, Buick, Chita, Elpedro, Keiser, Moncha, Oshoto, Wetherill, and Wiley soils are very deep. Amal, Elpedro and Sharps soils receive higher amounts of winter precipitation. In addition, Amal soils have calcic horizons below 40 inches and Elpedro soils are weathered from limestone and are dominated by silt loam and silty clay loam textures. Buick, Keiser, Klinedraw, Oshoto, and Wiley soils are more moist in the late spring and early summer (May and June) and dry in late summer in the soil moisture control section. Pulpit, Roubideau, and Verde soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Wetherill soils receive higher amounts of winter precipitation and have calcic horizons below 40 inches. Moncha soils have silt loam and silty clay loam textures and do not have accumulations of secondary carbonates. Chita soils have calcic horizons within 40 inches and should be reclassified in the Calcidic subgroup.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Chevelon soils are on hillslopes. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. Elevation is 4,600 to 6,500 feet. They are formed in slope alluvium over interbedded shale, siltstone and soft calcareous sandstone. The climate is continental. Mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches, the mean annual temperature ranges from 48 degrees to 59 degrees F., and the frost-free period is ranges from 120 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dye, Elledge, Jacks, Navajo, Showlow, and Tours soils. Navajo and Tours soils lack argillic horizons. Showlow soils have mollic epipedon, ca horizon, and fine texture.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for the grazing of livestock and wildlife. Vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, western wheatgrass, rhus, yucca, and some vine mesquite, screwleaf muhly, manzanita, bear grass, juniper, pinyon, and some ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and east central Arizona. The series is of small extent. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Holbrook-Show Low Area, Navajo County, Arizona, 1961.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 5 inches. (A horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 10 to 30 inches. (Bt horizons)
Particle size control section: The zone from 10 to 30 inches. (Bt horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003
Classification changed from an Udic subgroup to and Aridic subgroup in 2006.