LOCATION FRANCONIA               AZ

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

FRANCONIA SERIES

The Franconia series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium. Franconia soils are on floodplains and alluvial fans and have slopes of 1 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 61 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, thermic Typic Torrifluvents

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

A--0 to 2 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

C1--2 to 18 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)

C2--18 to 33 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) stratified loamy sand, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)

C3--33 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly loamy sand, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; Located at a latitude of 34 degrees, 39 minutes, 43 seconds North and a longitude of 114 degrees, 05 minutes, 18 seconds west; 50 feet north and 100 feet west of the southeast corner of section 1, T. 15 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: 61 to 72 degrees F.

Stratification: few thin strata of finer or coarser material in part or all of the control section


A horizon

Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam


C horizons

Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR

Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Texture: loamy sand, sand

Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent gravel

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Manet (CA), Villa (CA), Vineland (CA)(T), Vinton (AZ) and Yseleta (TX)(T) series. Manet, Villa and Vineland soils are not moist in the moisture control section at any time during July, August and September. Vinton soils are moist more than 20 cumulative days during July-September. Yseleta soils are usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. and do not contain calcium carbonate in the C horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Franconia soils are on floodplains and alluvial fans. Slopes range from 1 to 3 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium. Elevations range from 1,500 to 3,500 feet. 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 200 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Alko, Castaneda, Goodsprings, Mohon and Poachie soils. Arizo soils are skeletal. Alko soils are shallow to a duripan. Castaneda soils are fine-loamy and moderately deep to a calcium carbonate cemented hardpan. Mohon and Poachie soils are very deep and fine-loamy.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low runoff; moderately rapid permeability. Subject to flooding.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes big galleta, bush muhly, red brome, creosotebush, white bursage and white burrobush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. This series is of moderate extent. MLRA is 30. The name is from a ranch in the area.

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)

Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

The series was originally proposed in Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Southern Part; 1993.

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 6/2005. ET

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.