LOCATION MOQUISTATION            AZ

Tentative Series
HAH/JMH/NMS
05/2021

MOQUISTATION SERIES

The Moquistation series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained soils with moderately slow permeability on limestone-sandstone bedrock. They formed residuum, or slope alluvium over residuum, derived from limestone. Moquistation soils are on ridges, structural benches of mesas and plateaus. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 16 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 52 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Calciustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Moquistation gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 4 inches; dark reddish grey (5YR 4/2) gravelly loam, very dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; 30 percent sub angular limestone gravels and 4 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bw--4 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) gravelly loam, very dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; 20 percent angular limestone gravels; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bk--10 to 17 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) moist; weak medium sub angular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common dendritic tubular pores; 35 percent angular limestone gravels and 5 percent cobbles; many moderately thick hard calcium carbonate coatings on rock fragments with calcium carbonate pendants on the bottom side; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline.

R--17 inches; limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Coconino County, Arizona; Lockwood Canyon on the Coconino Plateau approximately 6.5 miles south east of the Moqui Stage Station, Lat. 35 degrees 44' 32.0" W Long.111 degrees 48' 05.6".

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Aridic Ustic moisture regime. Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section November through March and July through September. The soil is driest during May and June.

Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 47 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 20 inches
Reaction: Slightly to strongly alkaline
Rock fragments: 10 to 40 percent in the particle-size control section
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent in the particle-size control section

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 to 6 dry, 1 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent

Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent

Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 2 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Moquistation soils are on ridges, structural benches, mesas and plateaus. Slopes range from 0 to 10 percent. The soils formed in residuum and alluvium derived mainly from sandy limestone and limestone. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 18 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 58 degrees F. Frost-free season ranges from 120 to 180 days and elevation ranges from 4,500 to 7,000 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Apache, Cross, Springerville, Thunderbird and Ziegler. Apache and Cross soils are lithic. Wilaha is fine-loamy over fragmental and very deep. Thunderbird, Wilaha and Ziegler soils have an argillic horizon. Lynx soils are moderately deep to bedrock and lack a calcic horizon and currently classifies as Ustic Aridic. Springerville is deep to basalt.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily for livestock grazing. Principal vegetation is blue grama, Purple three-awn, Four wing salt bush, pinyon, Utah and One-seed juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona. The series is moderately extensive on the Kaibab Plateau, Coconino County, Arizona. MLRA 35.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Coconino County, Arizona, 2018.

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

Mollic epipedon - 0 to 8 inches. (A and Bk1 horizon).
Calcic horizon - 4 to 13 inches. (Bk horizons).
Lithic contact - The R contact at 13 inches.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.