LOCATION HEREFORD AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Hereford loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry conditions unless otherwise noted)
A1--0 to 3 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; abundant very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 9 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; abundant very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 13 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) heavy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; abundant very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on ped faces; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--13 to 20 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) light clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium prismatic breaking to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; abundant very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on ped faces and in pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Btk--20 to 30 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium prismatic breaking to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; plentiful very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on ped faces and in pores; few fine prominent white (10YR 8/1) lime filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bk--30 to 44 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) light clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; plentiful very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common fine prominent white (10YR 8/1) filaments of lime; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
C1--44 to 60 inches +; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; many fine prominent white (10YR 8/1) filaments of lime; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona. About 2 miles southwest of the center of the town of Eagar. 320 feet south and 200 feet west of the E 1/4 corner of Sec. 18, T8N, R29E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: These soils are dry for 90 cumulative days or more in most years in some subhorizon of the soil between depths of 7 and 20 inches but are not continuously dry in this part of the soil for as long as 60 consecutive days in most years. May and June are the driest months. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 45 degrees F. to 47 degrees F.
Thickness of the solum: 35 to 55 inches
Effervescence: slightly effervescent in the A and B2t horizons
A horizon
Hue: 10YR and 7.5YR
Value: 2 and 3 moist and 3 and 4 dry
Chroma: 1 and 2
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Texture: sandy loam, loam, or clay loam
and in.
Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR and 7.5YR
Value: 4 and 5 dry and 3 moist
Chroma: 1 and 2
Texture of the B2t horizon is heavy loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: more than 18 percent but less than 35 percent
Structure: weak or moderate prismatic or subangular blocky
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bowbells (ND),
Cambern (),
Carfall (MT),
Center Creek (UT),
Chugcreek (WY),
Detra (UT),
Fiesta (NM),
Flaxton (ND),
Gordo (AZ), Hereford (AZ),
Hesperus (CO),
Jaythree (NM),
Laceycreek (MT),
Ohwiler (CO),
Pachel (MT),
Schauson (UT),
Shermap (CO),
Todacheene (NM),
Tschicoma (NM) and
Weed (CO) series.
Bowbells soils lack eolian sediments and have less sand in the upper part of the solum. Cambern and Chugcreek soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Cambern soils are moderately deep to tuff and ash. Chugcreek soils have a lithic contact of granite at moderate depths. Carfall, Schauson and Todacheene soils do not have carbonates. Center Creek soils have formed in alluvium, have redoximorphic features beginning at depths of 20 to 40 inches, and have very gravelly 2C horizons. Detra soils have redder hues. Detra soils have a lithic contact of limestone between 40 and 60 inches deep. Fiesta soils have rock fragments derived from granite, gneiss, and schist. Flaxton soils formed in eolian sediments and glacial till on till plains covered by eolian sediments.
Gordo soils have hues of redder than 10YR in the Bt horizon. Gordo soils have a paralithic contact of basalt and cinders at moderate depths. Hesperus soils are less alkaline in the B horizon and lack Bk horizons. Jaythree soils receive precipitation mostly during the months of November through March and July through October. In addition, Pachel soils have more than 25 percent rock fragments and
Peta soils are saturated at depths of 2 to 4 feet at some time from April through June. Shermap soils formed in eolian deposits, and slope alluvium derived from sandstone. Todacheene soils formed in alluvium derived from basalt and basaltic tuff. Tschicoma soils formed in slope alluvium derived from latite, dacite, and rhyolitic tuff. Weed soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for some period immediately following July 1. Bowbells, Carfall, Chugcreek, Falxton, Hesperus, Laceycreek, Ohwiler, and Pachel soils are in LRRs E, F, and G and are moist in
May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Hereford soils are on nearly level to gently sloping alluvial fans. They are formed in alluvium from basalt, basic tuff, sandstone and shale. These soils occur at elevations of 6,900 to 7,300 feet in a continental climate, with a mean annual temperature of near 47 degrees F. The frost-free season averages about 120 to 128 days. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 14 inches, about 60 percent of which falls in July, August and September.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Eagar, Cambern and Luna soils. Eagar soils are loamy-skeletal, have a calcic horizon and lack an argillic horizon. Cambern soils are similar but lack the ca horizon that is characteristic of the Hereford soils and are noneffervescent throughout. Luna soils are fine-textured and lack a ca horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained. Runoff is slow to medium. Permeability of the soil is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for irrigated farming and for rangeland. Principal rangeland cover is blue grama with scattered juniper trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Arizona. The series is inextensive. LRR-D; MLRAs 35 & 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Central Apache Co. Area, Apache Co., Arizona, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 60 inches (A, B & C horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 9 to 30 inches (Bt & Btk horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006