LOCATION DETRITAL                AZ

Established Series
Rev. WJ/PH/PDC/DWD/RKS/HCD
12/2022

DETRITAL SERIES

The Detrital series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils on fan terraces. These soils formed in mixed igneous and metamorphic alluvium. Slopes range from 1 to 45 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 Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Detrital gravelly sandy loam on an east facing slope at 3,090 feet elevation - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). About 35 percent of the soil surface is covered with gravel

A--0 to 1 inch; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine pores; 30 percent gravel; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

Bw1--1 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist: moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; noneffervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)

Bw2--13 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

Bw3--26 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 60 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; about 10 miles southwest of Dolan Springs; 2600 feet south and 1320 feet east of the northwest corner of section 28, T. 24 N., R.20 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: 61 to 72 degrees F.

Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent gravel. A surface gravel layer is common, ranging from 10 to 75 percent gravel.

Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline

Calcium carbonate: Commonly noneffervescent to strongly effervescent in the surface layer, slightly effervescent to violently effervescent in the subsoil. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 3 to 14 percent.

Clay content: ranges from 5 to 20 percent; averages less than 18 percent in the particle-size control section


A horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist


B horizons

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bikelake (CA), Parashant (AZ) and Vado (NM) series. Bikelake soils have a thinner subsoil, allow yellower hues in the subsoil, are not calcareous within 20 inches of the soil surface, and receive 3 to 7 inches mean annual precipitation. Parashant soils are 22 to 32 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Vado soils are moist in some part of the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days cumulative during July - September.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Detrital soils are on fan terraces at elevations of 1,600 to 4,500 feet. Slopes range from 1 to 45 percent. They formed in mixed igneous and metamorphic alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 59 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Nealy and Skelon soils. Arizo soils are sandy-skeletal. Nealy and Skelon soils have a duripan at moderate depths.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low or medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Detrital soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Present vegetation is Anderson wolfberry, creosotebush, rayless goldenhead, big galleta, bush muhly, white bursage and desert globemallow.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, AZ, Central Part; 2005. The name is from a major valley within the survey area.

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - - The zone from 1 to 60 inches (Bw1, Bw2, Bw3 horizons)

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

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 1/2005. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.