LOCATION HOUSE MOUNTAIN AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Lithic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: House Mountain stony loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) stony loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium platy structure that readily breaks to weak fine granules; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
C1--2 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) stony light clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; slightly stick, plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
C2--8 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) stony light clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; structureless, massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
R--12 to 14 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fractured basalt that is coated in spots with manganese and silica-like materials; extremely hard.
TYPE LOCATION: Yavapai County, Arizona, NW1/4, sec. 10, T. 15 N., R. 5 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. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Organic matter content: less than 1 percent
Depth to bedrock: averages about 5 to 15 inches, and ranges from 4 to 20 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: 63 degrees to 70 degrees F.
Effervescence: noneffervescent to violently effervescent
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
In some places, the surface is cobbly or stony. The A horizon is loam, sandy loam, cobbly loam, stony loam, gravelly loam, and very gravelly loam
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: loam, light clay loam and cobbly light clay loam
Rock fragments: 30 to 50 percent either cobblestones or stones.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: House Mountain soils are on uplands at elevations of 2,000 to 4,500 feet. Slopes range from 3 to 60 percent. The soils are formed in residuum from basalt. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches, the mean annual temperature is 61 degrees to 65 degrees F., and the average freeze-free period is about 225 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Banty, Courthouse, Graham, Palos Verdes, Retriever, and Rimrock soils. The Banty soils formed in residuum weathered from schist. The Courthouse soils are calcareous throughout and have hues of 5YR or redder. The Graham soils have an argillic horizon and are clayey. Palos Verdes soils have a Bt horizons that are fine-loamy over Cd layers. Retriever soils contain more than 40 percent calcium carbonate. Rimrock soils are moderately deep and deep and have fine texture.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained with medium surface runoff. Permeability of the soil is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: House Mountain soils are used for range and wildlife. Vegetation consists of mesquite, turbinella oak, sideoats, and black grama, three-awn, fluffgrass, filaree, snakeweed, algerita and some juniper, ocotillo, palo verde, creosote bush, various cacti, desert shrubs, and annuals.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern and central Arizona in basalt areas. This soil occurs in LRR-D, MLRA 40. House Mountain soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beaver Creek Area, Arizona, 1965.
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 House Mountain series was formerly classified as a Lithosol.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.