LOCATION HAILSTONE          AZ
Established Series
Rev. CRP/DWD/PDC
08/2006

HAILSTONE SERIES


The Hailstone series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained soils formed in residuum and colluvium from rhyolitic tuff. Hailstone soils are on mountain summits, shoulders and side slopes. Slopes range from 8 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 24 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Lithic Ustorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Hailstone extremely gravelly fine sandy loam - wildlife habitat and recreation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 1 inch; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine, fine and medium irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 10 percent cobble; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary.

A2--1 to 4 inches; ; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine, fine and medium irregular pores; 20 percent gravel, 30 percent cobble; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 2 to 5 inches)

C--4 to 16 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very cobbly fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive and weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 35 percent cobble; noneffervescent; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 16 inches thick)

R--16 inches; hard, slightly fractured rhyolitic tuff bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Chiricahua National Monument; located at a latitude of 32 degrees, 1 minute, 9 seconds North and a longitude of 109 degrees, 18 minutes, 39 seconds West.

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. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 52 to 58 degrees F.

Rock Fragments: 15 to 50 percent gravel, 15 to 50 percent cobble, 0 to 5 percent stones

Depth to bedrock: 5 to 20 inches

Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Clay content: averages 8 to 18 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist

C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chimayo (NM), Cortaro (AZ) and Telephone (AZ) soils. Chimayo soils have a soil temperature lower than 52 degrees F. and a lower rainfall component. Cortaro soils have a higher soil temperature and a lower rainfall component. In addition, Chimayo and Cortaro soils formed from gneiss and granite. Telephone soils have a lower rainfall component and formed from sandstone and related sedimentary rocks.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hailstone soils are on mountain summits, shoulders and side slopes at elevations of 5800 to 7200 feet. Slopes range from 8 to 75 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from rhyolitic tuff. The mean annual precipitation is 23 to 25 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December and January. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 56 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hogris soils. Hogris soils are deep and very deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; high runoff; rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation includes pinyon pine, alligator juniper, Arizona cyprus, silverleaf oak, Toumey oak, manzanita, yucca, agave, sotol, nolina, beggartick threeawn and bullgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Hailstone soils are of limited extent. MLRA is 41.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil survey of Chiricahua National Monument; 1997.

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizons)

Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

Lithic contact - The boundary at 16 inches (R horizon)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.