LOCATION PARAMORE                AZ

Established Series
Rev. WGH/CEM/WWJ
04/2011

PARAMORE SERIES

The Paramore series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium and residuum from basalt, cinders, bombs and volcanic rocks. Paramore soils are on mountains, volcanic flows and cinder cones. Slopes range from 0 to 55 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Leptic Haplotorrerts

TYPICAL PEDON: Paramore silty clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) 20 to 30 percent of the surface is covered with cinders, and basalt gravel and cobbles

A--0 to 1 inch; brown (7.5YR 4/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, very sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common coarse tubular pores; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bt1--1 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on ped faces, in pores, and on rock fragments; few distinct pressure faces; few fine volcanic glass; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--8 to 22 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; strong medium wedges parting to strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on ped faces, in pores and on rock fragments; common distinct pressure faces; common distinct organic coatings on ped faces; common fine volcanic glass; 10 percent gravel and 3 percent cobble; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 20 to 30 inches thick)

R--22 inches; unweathered basalt flow.

TYPE LOCATION: Cochise County, Arizona; located at a latitude of 31 degrees, 28 minutes, 18 seconds North and longitude of 109 degrees, 14 minutes, 37 seconds West; 1,000 feet north and 700 feet west from the southeast corner of section 36, Township 22 S., Range 30 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of soil moisture control section during July - September and December - February. Driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 62 to 69 degrees F.

Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent cinders and basalt gravel and cobbles

Soil cracking: common vertical cracks .25 to 1.5 inches wide

Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline

Clay content: more than 35 percent

Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent

Depth to unweathered bedrock: 20 to 45 inches

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 2.5 through 4 dry, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, loam

Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 2.5 to 5, dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay, clay loam, silty clay

Bedrock can vary from very hard basalt flows to hard welded cinders and tuff. Some pedons can have accumulations of calcium carbonate above bedrock.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Rimrock (AZ) series. Rimrock soils are in MLRA 39, have secondary calcium carbonate, and are moderately alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paramore soils are on mountains, volcanic flows and cinder cones at elevations of 3,800 to 5,340 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 55 percent. These soils formed in slope alluvium and residuum from basalt, cinders, bombs, and volcanic rocks. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December to February. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 67 degrees F. The frost-free period is 170 to 230 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boss, Krentz, Epitaph and Outlaw soils. Boss soils are very shallow and shallow on cinder cones. Epitaph soils have a petrocalcic horizon. Outlaw and Krentz soils are very deep.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes tobosa, sideoats grama, and other annual grasses and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Paramore soils are of moderate extent. MLRA is 38 & 41.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil survey of Cochise County, Arizona, Douglas-Tombstone Part; San Bernardino Valley Interim Report, 1998.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)

Vertic properties - the zone from 1 to 22 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)

Paramore was first proposed in 1959 in the Whitewater Draw portion of the Sulphur Springs Valley area soil survey of Cochise County, Arizona. The original Official Series Description was updated to reflect current soil taxonomy, to clearly define the range of characteristics, and to improve interpretations. The central concept, definition, and historical importance of the series were preserved.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

Revised for the correlation of Graham County, AZ, Southwestern Part; March, 2011, WWJ

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.