LOCATION NUTRIOSO AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Nutrioso loam - grassland (Colors for dry conditions unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; plentiful fine and abundant very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent in places; noneffervescent elsewhere; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick.)
A2--5 to 17 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; plentiful fine and abundant very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 13 inches thick.)
2C1--17 to 36 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; few medium distinct reddish-brown and yellowish-brown mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and few to common fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (14 to 19 inches thick.)
2C2--36 to 44 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist with few medium faint reddish-brown mottles; massive; very hard, friable, sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine, few fine and common medium tubular pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick.)
3C3--44 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few very fine and fine roots; few fine and common medium tubular pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona. 1320 feet north and 660 feet west of the center of Sec. 9, T7N, R30E. About 11 miles southeast of Springerville, Arizona.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic ustic moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: less than 47 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: less than 60 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock: 40 to 70 inches or more.
Reaction: ranges from slightly to moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent in some horizons to violently effervescent in others.
Texture: loam, clay loam, silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or sandy loam
Clay content: Average more than 18 percent and less than 35 percent clay
A horizon
Hue: of 10YR and 7.5YR
Value: less than 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist
Chroma: 1 and 2
C horizon
Hue: of 10YR and 7.5YR.
Value: 5 and 6 dry and 3 and 4 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Rock fragments: The soil may become gravelly below a depth of 36 inches.
Other features: 2C1 and 2C2 horizons may be free of mottles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Breezebasin (CO),
Brycan (UT),
Cordeston (WY),
Dalmatian (CO),
Enbar (MT),
Jode (CO),
Jodero (CO),
McGaffey (NM),
Pinridge (CO),
Polich (NM),
Staad (MT), and
Straw (MT) series.
Breezebasin - has endosaturation and is moderately well drained
Brycan - has horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation and have argillic horizons.
Cordeston - does not have carbonates above a depth of 60 inches.
Dalmation - has redoximorphic concentrations at 12 to 24 inches.
Enbar - has redoximorphic features in the particle-size control section and have a lithologic discontinuity below 40 inches.
Jode - peak periods of precipitation occur during July and August.
Jodero - has a mollic epipedon more than 40 inches thick; has redoximorphic concentrations in the series control section; receive less than 14 inches of precipitation; have fragments of volcanic origin and allow for a lithologic discontinuity.
McGaffey - has a mollic epipedon 60 inches thick.
Pinridge - is dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 or more days following July 1.
Polich - has horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation and is somewhat poorly drained.
Staad - has hues 10YR and yellower.
Straw - does not have cobbles in the particle-size control section; has a C horizon; allows Bk and 2C horizons.
Additionally, the Breezebasin, Cordeston, Enbar, Jode, Jodero, Pinridge, Staad and Straw soils are in LRR-E or LRR-G and more moist in
May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nutrioso soils are on nearly level to moderately sloping flood plains and alluvial fans. The soils are forming in recent alluvium from mixed sources, principally basic tuff and basalt with influence from old alluvium. These soils occur at elevations of 6900 to 8000 feet in a continental climate. The average annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 22 inches. About 62 percent of the precipitation occurs during July, August and September, with some occurring every month of the year. The mean annual temperatures range from 43 degrees F. to 48 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the Clover Springs and Luth soils, these include the Bushvalley, Fruitland cold variant, and Shay soils. Bushvalley soils are shallow to bedrock and members of a loamy-skeletal family. The Fruitland soils are moderately coarse-textured in the control section and are calcareous throughout. Shay soils are somewhat poorly-drained, fine-textured and in a mesic temperature class.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained. Runoff is slow to medium. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are used for irrigated farming. Vegetation on range land areas is predominantly western wheatgrass, blue grama and sand dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Arizona. The series is inextensive. MLRAs 35, 39 & 48A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Johns-Springerville Area, Apache Co., Arizona, May 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 17 inches (A1 and A2 horizon)
The Nutrioso series was formerly classified in the Alluvial soil group.