LOCATION CIPRIANO AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Haplodurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cipriano very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common medium and coarse vesicular pores; 60 percent subangular gravel and cobble; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bk--1 to 6 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine irregular pores; 50 percent subangular gravel; many fine and medium calcium carbonate nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
2Bqk--6 to 15 inches; weakly cemented platy duripan fragments and gravel with 10 percent soil material; common fine and medium roots; common fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
2Bqkm--15 to 20 inches; indurated silica-calcium carbonate cemented duripan with a thin laminar layer; extremely hard; violently effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 24 inches thick)
3Bk--20 to 60 inches; white (N 8/) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) stratified very gravelly loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).
TYPE LOCATION: Pima County, Arizona; Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument; 0.5 mile east and 0.4 mile north of the southwest corner (projected) of section 1, T. 17 S., R. 5 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and for more than 20 days cumulative during July - September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature - 72 to 80 degrees F.
Rock fragments - averages 35 to 80 percent
Depth to duripan - 4 to 20 inches; in most areas it has a thin (1/2 to 2 inches) laminar cap
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
B horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6, 7 or 8 dry, 4, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4 dry, 2, 3, 4 or 6 moist
Texture: Loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cheme (NV), Cherioni (AZ), and Tyro (AZ) series. Cherioni and Tyro soils have bedrock below a duripan at depths less than 20 inches. Cheme and Tyro soils are intermittently moist for less than 20 days cumulative during July - September.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cipriano soils are on fan terraces and have slopes of 0 to 55 percent, dominantly 1 to 5 percent. They formed in gravelly stratified fan alluvium from basalt, andesite, rhyolite, andesitic tuff, rhyolitic tuff and schist. Elevations range from 500 to 2,200 feet. The climate is hot arid continental. Mean annual precipitation is 2 to 10 inches. Mean January air temperature is about 51 degrees F. and the average July air temperature is about 91 degrees F. Mean annual air temperature is 68 to 74 degrees F. Frost-free period is about 250 and 350 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Cherioni and the Ajo, Antho, Gachado, Gilman, Growler, Harqua, Pinamt, Rillito and Toltec soils. Ajo, Gachado, Growler, Harqua and Pinamt soils have argillic horizons and do not have a duripan. Antho and Gilman soils are not skeletal and do not have a duripan. Rillito soils have calcic horizons and are not skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low to very high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is creosotebush, paloverde, staghorn and chainfruit cholla, saguaro, ocotillo and triangle bursage, with some fluffgrass and sixweeks grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Cipriano soils are moderately extensive. MLRA is 40.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pima County, Arizona; Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument soil survey Area; 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)
Duripan- The zone from 15 to 20 inches (2Bqkm horizon)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.