LOCATION HOUSEROCK AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Lithic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Houserock gravelly loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium platy; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; common moderately thick clay films in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 15 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) gravelly clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; common thick clay films in pores; common pressure faces; moderately alkaline; (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
Bt3--15 to 19 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) extremely gravelly clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 60 percent pebbles; common thick clay films in pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
2R--19 inches; fractured cherty limestone; many thick reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films in joints.
TYPE LOCATION: Coconino County, Arizona; Buckskin Mountain about 18 miles east of Fredonia; 500 feet south and 1350 feet west of the northeast corner of section 33, T. 41 N., R. 2 E.
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 - 50 to 54 degrees F.
Rock fragments - 35 to 55 percent, dominantly gravel
Organic matter content - More than 1 percent in the surface
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches
A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Bt Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: Clay loam or clay (35 to 55 percent clay)
Reaction: Mildly to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Houserock soils are on rolling plateaus. Slopes range from 3 to 20 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from limestone. Elevation ranges from 5800 to 6600 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 48 to 52 degrees F. Frost-free period is 120 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Yumtheska, Disterheff and Mellenthin soils. Yumtheska soils have a mollic epipedon and less than 30 percent clay in the control section. Disterheff soils are very deep. Mellenthin soils have an ustic aridic moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for wood production and livestock grazing. Vegetation is pinyon, Utah juniper, big sagebrush, blue grama, and annuals.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Arizona. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Coconino County, Arizona; Soil survey of Coconino County Area, North Kaibab Part, 1985. Named after a historical ranch.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 19 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons)
Lithic contact - The boundary at 19 inches (2R horizon)