LOCATION MAYSWELL                AZ

Established Series
Rev. WJ/PH/RKS/PDC/HCD
11/2015

MAYSWELL SERIES

The Mayswell series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained soils on hills and mountains. These soils formed in alluvium over residuum from basalt and rhyolite. Slopes range from 5 to 40 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, thermic Lithic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Mayswell cobbly clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) cobbly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel, 25 percent cobble; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--2 to 4 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) cobbly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel, 25 percent cobble; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bt1--4 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores and on ped faces; 25 percent gravel, 25 percent cobble; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary.

2Bt2--9 to 19 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very cobbly clay, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common distinct clay films on ped faces; common pressure faces; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobble; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 3 to 17 inches thick)

2R--19 inches; basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: The Black Mountains, Mohave County, Arizona; Latitude of 35 degrees, 17 minutes, 2 seconds north, and a longitude of 114 degrees, 23 minutes, 14 seconds west. About 1,000 feet south and 2,700 feet east of the northwest corner of section 23, T. 22 N., R. 20 W. Gila and Salt River Base Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and for less than 20 days cumulative during July - September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 61 to 66 degrees F.

Rock fragments: 20 to 30 percent gravel, and 10 to 30 percent cobble

Reaction: neutral or moderately alkaline

Clay content: Averages 35 to 45 percent in the particle-size control section

Organic matter: less than one percent


A horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 4 or 5, dry or moist

Effervescence: noneffervescent to strong


B horizons

Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Effervescence: noneffervescent to strong

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Kanackey (NV) series. Kanackey soils are dry in the soil moisture control section for longer periods of time due to a lower rainfall component and formed in quartzite and schist.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mayswell soils are on hills and mountains. These soils formed in alluvium over residuum from basalt and rhyolite. Slopes are 5 to 40 percent. Elevations are 4,000 to 4,600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 59 to 64 degrees F. The frost-free period is 200 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cupel, Detrital, and Nealy soils. Cupel soils are loamy-skeletal. Nealy soils are moderately deep to a hardpan. Detrital soils are very deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes blackbrush, Mohave yucca and California juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. Mayswell soils are of minor extent. MLRA is 30.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Central Part; 1994. The name is from a mine within the survey area.

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 19 inches (Bt horizon)

Lithic contact - The boundary at 19 inches (R horizon)

Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.