LOCATION GYPPOCKET AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, gypsic, mesic Typic Calcigypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Gyppocket very gravelly fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many very fine vesicular and few fine and very fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent as disseminated calcium carbonate, 29 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bk--2 to 14 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and few cobble; strongly effervescent with calcium carbonate segregated as common fine pendants on rock fragments, 36 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 5 percent crystalline gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
By1--14 to 32 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) and white (N 8/) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellow (10YR 7/6) and white (N 8/) moist; single grained; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine and few medium roots; many fine and very fine irregular pores; 70 percent gravel; strongly effervescent as disseminated calcium carbonate, 29 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 80 percent crystalline gypsum as pendants on rock fragments and sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
By2--32 to 36 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly loamy sand, yellow (10YR 7/6) moist; single grained; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine irregular pores; 60 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; strongly effervescent as disseminated calcium carbonate, 19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 55 percent crystalline gypsum as pendants on rock fragments and sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
By3--36 to 49 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist; single grained; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine irregular pores; 65 percent gravel; strongly effervescent as disseminated calcium carbonate, 26 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 50 percent crystalline gypsum as pendants on rock fragments and sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
By4--49 to 59 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; single grained; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel and 30 percent cobble; strongly effervescent as disseminated calcium carbonate, 28 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 40 percent crystalline gypsum as pendants on rock fragments and sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
By5--59 to 65 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) very gravelly coarse sand; yellow (10YR 7/6) moist; single grained; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; no roots observed; many fine and very fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent with disseminated calcium carbonate, 28 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 15 percent crystalline gypsum as pendants on rock fragments and sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; about 12 miles south of the Arizona - Utah state line and west of Hurricane Cliffs; 400 feet north and 1900 feet east of the southwest corner of section 36, T.40 N., R.10 W.; Latitude 36 degrees, 49 minutes, 06 seconds N and Longitude 113 degrees, 19 minutes, 20 seconds W.
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.
Percent gypsum x centimeters thickness = greater than 3000
Percent gypsum plus calcium carbonate = greater than 40 percent
Rock Fragments: 35 to 85 percent
Soil Temperature: 55 to 59 degrees F.
Organic Matter: less than 1 percent in the surface horizon
Depth to Calcic horizon: 1 to 3 inches
Depth to Gypsic horizon: 10 to 25 inches
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, and loamy sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 38 percent
Gypsum: 0 to 15 percent
By horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 8 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, and sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent
Gypsum: 15 to 95 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gyppocket soils are on colluvial slopes and terraces and have slopes of 1 to 20 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and alluvium derived dominantly from sedimentary formations dominated by limestone and gypsum. Elevation ranges from 4000 to 5000 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 7 to 11 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 53 to 57 degrees F. The frost-free period is 165 to 195 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Goblin, Robroost, and Nutter soils. Goblin soils have bedrock at depths less than 20 inches. Robroost soils are coarse-loamy. Nutter soils are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Gyppocket soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is gyp dropseed, galleta, bush muhly, black grama, Mormon-tea, blue yucca, and wolfberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. This series is of small extent. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Shivwits Area, Arizona, Part of Mohave County; 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 2 to 14 inches (Bk horizon)
Gypsic horizon - The zone from 14 to 65 inches (By1, By2, By3, By4, and By5 horizons)