LOCATION DELUGE                  AZ

Established Series
WJ/RKS/DWD/HCD
04/2015

DELUGE SERIES

The Deluge series consists of moderately deep to a hardpan, well drained soils formed in mixed alluvium on fan terraces. Slopes range from 3 to 7 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Deluge very gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 52 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

Bt1--2 to 8 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bt2--8 to 18 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)

Btk--18 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent, few fine soft calcium carbonate masses, distinct pendants on undersides of most rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

2Bkqm--24 to 52 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) indurated silica cemented hardpan.

3R--52 inches; conglomerate.

TYPE LOCATION: Hualapai Valley, Arizona; Latitude of 35 degrees, 52 minutes, 39 seconds North, and longitude of 114 degrees 12 minutes 37 seconds West. Approximately 5.5 miles northwest of Burnt Mill Ranch; about 700 feet south and 200 feet east of the northwest corner of section 27, T. 29 N., R. 18 W. Gila and Salt River Base Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and for less than 20 days cumulative during July - September. Driest during May and June. Typic Aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 65 to 72 degrees F.

Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent

Depth to silica cemented hardpan: 20 to 40 inches

Depth to bedrock: 30 to 60 inches

Organic matter content: less than 1 percent

Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Depth to calcium carbonate accumulations: 12 to 24 inches

Calcium carbonate: commonly noneffervescent in the surface layer, and strongly or violently effervescent in the subsurface. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 5 to 15 percent

Clay content: 20 to 35 percent


A horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Effervescence: slight to strong


Bt1 horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam

Effervescence: slight to strong


Bt2 horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam

Effervescence: strong or violent


Btk horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam

Pendants: none to many, not present in all pedons

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Whitehills (AZ) series. Whitehills soils have unconsolidated alluvium below the duripan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Deluge soils are on fan terraces at elevations of 2,200 to 2,700 feet. Slopes range from 3 to 7 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December and January. The mean annual air temperature is 63 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 200 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Bluebird, Detrital, Gotchel, Hulda, Nickel and Sunstroke soils. Arizo, Bluebird, Detrital and Nickel soils are very deep. Gotchel soils are shallow or very shallow to a hardpan overlying bedrock. Hulda soils are shallow or very shallow over bedrock. Sunstroke soils are moderately deep to a hardpan overlying bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation includes creosotebush, rayless goldenhead, flat top buckwheat, Joshua tree and white bursage.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. This soil is of moderate extent. MLRA is 30.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Central Part; 2005.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 24 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons)

Lithic contact - The boundary at 52 inches (2R horizon)

Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.