LOCATION CIBOLA CA+AZ
Established Series
Rev. NEE-LCL
04/2015
CIBOLA SERIES
Cibola soils are well drained moderately slowly permeable soils formed in young alluvium from a variety of rocks. slopes of less than 1 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 4 inches and mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, hyperthermic Typic Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Cibola silty clay loam - irrigated cotton. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap--0 to 10 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; few medium very dark gray (N 3/) spots which are associated with and near decayed organic matter; massive; hard, very firm, sticky, very plastic; common very fine random tubular pores; violently effervescent with carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.40; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
C1--10 to 16 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, very firm, sticky, very plastic; common very fine random tubular pores; violently effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.40; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
C2--16 to 24 inches; pinkish gray (slightly more pale than Ap and C1 horizons) (7.5YR 6/2) silty clay loam with slightly less clay than Ap and C1 horizons, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; massive; hard, very firm, sticky, very plastic; many very fine and fine random tubular pores; very few thin clay films in pores; violently effervescent with lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C3--24 to 30 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) silty clay loam having slightly less clay content than Ap and C1 horizons, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles, fewer mottles than in C2 horizon; massive; hard, friable, sticky, very plastic; many very fine and fine, random tubular pores; very few thin clay films in pores; violently effervescent, lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (ph 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
IIC4--30 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) with translucent and black mineral grains, rubbed colors the same, fine sand, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; single grained; loose; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (More than 20 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Riverside County, California; about 2 miles south and 1 mile west of Blythe; approximately 1,200 feet south of 18th Avenue and about 1,200 feet south and 200 feet east of N 1/4 corner sec. 13, T. 7 S., R. 22 E., SBBM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the contrasting texture of sand ranges from 20 to about 35 inches. The soils have very low (less than 0.5 percent) organic matter content and content decreases regularly with depth. Average annual soil temperature is about 76 degrees F. There are less than 5 percent rock fragments.
The Cibola soils have pinkish gray, silty clay loam, moderately alkaline, calcareous Ap and C horizons abruptly overlying similar colored, moderately alkaline, calcareous fine sand IIC horizons at a depth of about 30 inches.
The fine-silty part of the soil has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry. It has few or no mottles. The zone from 10 to 20 inches and as deep as 35 inches is silty clay loam with less than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand and clay content of about 25 to 35 percent. It is massive or has subangular blocky structure. This section is strongly or violently effervescent. An abrupt boundary marks the change to sand or loamy sand at a depth of 20 to 35 inches.
The IIC horizon is similar in color to above horizons or the soil is a little lower in chroma or less reddish in hue. It is loose or soft dry. This horizon is slightly to strongly effervescent. Dark stains associated with decaying woody roots are present in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Black Butte,
Glendale,
Holtville,
Imperial,
Indio,
Largo, McClellan,
Ripley, and Thermal series. Black Butte, Glendale, Largo, and McClellan soils have mean soil temperature of less than 72 degrees F. Holtville soils have more than 35 percent clay in the upper part of the control section. Imperial soils have more than 35 percent clay throughout the control section. Indio soils have less than 18 percent clay to a depth of 40 inches. Ripley soils have less than 18 percent clay in the upper part of the control section. Thermal soils lack sand strata in the lower part of the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cibola soils formed on slopes of less than 1 percent in young alluvium from a variety of rocks in the Colorado basin. The soils occur at elevations of about 300 feet to minus 200 feet in an arid climate. Average annual precipitation is about 4 inches, most of which falls in winter. There are infrequent high intensity storms in summer. The average January temperature is about 50 degrees F, the average July temperature is about 90 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 270 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Holtville,
Imperial,
Indio,
Ripley, and Thermal soils and the Mecca,
Meloland, and
Rositas soils. Mecca soils have less than 18 percent clay in the control section. Meloland soils have less than 18 percent clay in the upper part and more than 35 percent in the lower part. Rositas soils are sand or loamy sand.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Cibola soils are naturally well drained. Under irrigation, the water table is generally below six feet. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is slow or very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Cibola soils are intensively cultivated and are used for a variety of irrigated field row and truck crops. Untilled areas have a sparse cover of desert shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Low desert areas of southern California and probably southwestern Arizona in MLRA 31. Cibola soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Riverside County, California, 1971.
REMARKS: Cibola soils would be classified as Alluvial soils. Cibola soils are a part of the soils mapped as Holtville in 1922. Holtville series has since been more narrowly defined as to texture. The activity class was added to the classification in January of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. Last revised by the state on 6/72. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.