LOCATION CONTINE AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Vertic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Contine clay loam-cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bt--12 to 25 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular and angular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and medium tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Btk1--25 to 38 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular and angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and medium tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; many fine and medium soft accumulations of lime, violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4): gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Btk2--38 to 47 inches: light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine and many fine roots; many fine and medium tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine soft accumulations of lime; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Btk3--47 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and medium tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium soft accumulations of lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Maricopa County, Arizona; 75 feet south and 50 feet east of the northwest corner of Section 14, T. 1 S., R. 6 E., latitude 33 degrees, 21 minutes, 0 seconds N., longitude 111 degrees, 43 minutes, 16 seconds, W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July-September and December- February. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Rock Fragments: Less than 35 percent
Soil Temperature: Averages 72 to 80 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4, 5 or 6, dry or moist
B horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4, 5 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, clay, sandy clay, loam, sandy clay loam
A C horizon is present in some pedons and may have textures coarser than the overlying horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Contine soils are on fan terraces and basin floors and have slopes of 0 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 100 to 3,300 feet. These soils formed in alluvium from acid and basic igneous rocks. The mean annual precipitation is 2 to 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 70 to 78 degrees F. The frost-free period is 240 to 350 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Antho, Estrella, Tremant, Trix, Tucson and Mohall soils. Antho soils do not have and argillic horizon. Estrella, Tremant, Trix, Tucson, and Mohall soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Medium runoff. Slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Contine soils are used for grazing and irrigated cropland. The present vegetation is mesquite, creosotebush, ironwood, cacti, sixweeks and sideoats grama, threeawn and alfileria.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. This series is 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 12 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 12 to 60 inches (Bt, Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 25 to 60 inches (Btk horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 12 to 32 inches (The Bt and part of the Btk1 horizon)
Vertic Subgroup: A linear extensibility of 6.0 cm or more between the soil surface and a depth of 100 cm
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 12/2008, WWJ.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL S78AZ-013-004