LOCATION MCVICKERS AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: McVickers very fine sandy loam - forested. (Colors for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
O1--0 to 2 inches; Decomposed and partially decomposed pine needles, twigs and grass.
A--2 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary (0 to 5 inches thick)
E--6 to 17 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and many medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear irregular boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
BE--17 to 24 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium and coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; about 5 percent cobbles; few thin coatings of light-colored materials surrounding some peds; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--24 to 39 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, very plastic; common coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; common thick clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary, (7 to 16 inches thick)
Bt2--39 to 49 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) clay, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular and very fine interstitial pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
BCt--49 to 54 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) cobbly sandy clay, strong brown 7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (4 to 12 inches)
R--54 to 56 inches; Extremely hard sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Coconino County, Arizona; about 5-1/2 miles north of Rim Road on Back Springs road, thence 500 feet west; SW1/4 sec. 19, T.13N., R.12E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to sandstone: 40 to 70 inches.
Rock fragments on the surface: Varying amounts of gravel, cobbles and stones e, but the amounts are usually less than 15 percent.
Coarse fragments in the profile: 10 to 35 percent with the larger percentages being in the lower parts of the soil.
Base saturation of the argillic horizon: more than 60 percent.
Average annual soil temperature: approximately 40 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: approximately 50 degrees F.
Soil moisture: Typic ustic moisture regime
A1 horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam
A2 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay or clay
Structure: strong or moderate or subangular blocky structure.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Burnac (NM),
Burnson (CO),
Campspass (MT),
Dandrea (AZ),
Goldbug (CO),
Goldvale (CO),
Ishkoten (NM),
Larkson (CO),
Loghill (CO),
Siesta (AZ),
Silesca (CO) and
Spud (NM) series.
Burnac soils: formed mostly in parent materials derived from basalt and have greater than 35 percent rock fragments below the particle-size control section.
Burnson soils: do not have E horizons.
Campspass: has horizons of calcium carbonate accumulation.
Dandrea and Silesca soils: have a lithic or paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches below the mineral surface.
Goldbug, Goldvale, Larkson and Spud soils are very deep.
Ishkoten and Silesca soils are moderately deep to sandstone and shale. Ishkoten soils formed in parent materials from the
Animas
Formation and have hues as yellow as 2.5Y. Silesca soils have hues as red as 5YR.
Goldvale soils: have a particle-size control section dominated by medium and coarse, angular, granitic sand.
Larkson soils: have hue of 7.5YR and yellower.
Loghill soils: have accumulations of secondary calcium carbonate and have 15 to 50 percent rock fragments in the Btk and Bk horizons.
Siesta soils: formed in parent materials derived from pyroclastic rocks and basalt and have cinders in the lower part of the argillic horizon.
Spud soils: formed in parent material weathered from basalt with modification from underlying sandstone and shale. .
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The McVickers soils are on gently sloping to strongly sloping terrain. Slope gradients seldom exceed 15 percent; dominant slopes are about 2 to 5 percent. The soils are located on the Coconino plateau above the Mogollon Rim and formed in residuum from sandstone. Elevations range from 6800 to 7500 feet. Average annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 25 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 45 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is about 55 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brolliar, Jacks, Clover Springs, Luth and Hogg soils and the competing Overgaard, Soldier and Wildcat soils. Brolliar and Jacks soils lack an A2 horizon. Clover Springs and Luth soils have mollic epipedons and lack an argillic horizon. Hogg soils lack an A2 horizon and have mixed mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium runoff, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are under multiple use management for timber production, livestock grazing, water production, wildlife habitat and recreation. They are under a pine-bunch grass type of vegetation consisting of ponderosa pine, Gambel oak, alligator juniper, Arizona fescue, mutton grass, pine dropseed and mountain muhly.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: This series is of moderate extent in central Arizona on the Coconino Plateau. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Long Valley Survey Area, Coconino County, Arizona, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 2 to 6 inches (A horizon)
Albic horizon - The zone from 6 to 17 inches (E horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 24 to 49 inches (Bt horizons)
Lithic contact - at 54 inches (R horizon)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
The McVickers soils were formerly classified as Grey Wooded soils.