LOCATION PARASHANT AZ+NV

Established Series
Rev. RKS/BAL/DWD/ET
11/2022

PARASHANT SERIES

The Parashant series consist of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from fanglomerate dominated by granite, schist and gneiss clasts. The Parashant series are on dissected fan terraces and ballenas. Slopes are 2 to 55 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 68 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Parashant extremely gravelly sandy loam, recreation and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partly covered with 55 percent gravel, 15 percent cobble and 5 percent stones composed of granite, gneiss and schist

A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bw--2 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

Bk1--8 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 75 percent gravel; common soft bodies consisting of decomposed granite and schist; few thin coats of calcium carbonate on the undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)

Bk2--17 to 27 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 80 percent gravel; few thin coats of calcium carbonate on the undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)

Cr--27 to 60 inches; weathered fanglomerate.

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona. Lake Mead National Recreation Area. 1700 feet south and 600 feet east of the north west corner of sec 25, T. 33 N., R. 16 W.; USGS Snap Canyon West, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees, 14 minutes, 3.9 seconds north latitude. 113 degrees, 57 minutes, 15.8 seconds west longitude; UTM 12s, 234482e, 4013997n; NAD 83.

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 - 65 to 72 degrees F.

Depth to paralithic contact - 22 to 32 inches

Control section - Clay content: averages 12 to 27 percent in the particle-size control section

Rock fragments: averages 60 to 80 percent, dominated by gravel, but can have less than 60 percent in any one horizon

A horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist

Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist

Bw horizon

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist

Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.

Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 1 to 10 percent.

Calcium carbonate: Occurs as thin coats on the underside of rock fragments and is disseminated.

Texture of fine earth: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam.

Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky.

Bk horizons

Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR

Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist

Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.

Calcium carbonate: Typically is disseminated or occurs as thin coats on the underside of rock fragments, weathered limestone clasts are present in some pedons.

Texture of fine earth: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam.

Cr horizon

Consists of fanglomerate that is dominated by gravel and cobble-sized granite, schist and gneiss clasts with less than 5 percent limestone clasts. It is rigid through very rigid when dry, friable through extremely firm when moist. As much as 15 percent (air-dried) slakes when submerged in water.

Rupture class: Moderately cemented

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bikelake (CA), Detrital (AZ), Klipstein T(CA) and Vado (NM) series. These soils do not have a paralithic contact . In addition Detrital soils have less than 18 percent clay in the control section, Klipstein soils are dry in the moisture control section between April and December and Vado soils are moist in the moisture control section for more than 20 days between April and December.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Parashant soils are on summits and side slopes of dissected fan terraces and ballenas. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from fanglomerate dominated by granite, schist and gneiss clasts. Slopes are 2 to 55 percent. The elevations are 1500 to 2800 feet. The climate is arid with mild, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 9 inches; the mean annual air temperature is 65 to 75 degrees F. The frost free period is 210 to 350 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Carrizo, Huevi and Snapcan series. Carrizo soils are very deep and have a sandy-skeletal particle-size control section. Huevi soils have silica and calcium carbonate cementation. Snapcan soils have a hyperthermic soil temperature regime.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, cholla, spiny horsebrush, desert trumpet, barrel cactus and prickly pear.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona along the Colorado River and southern Nevada; MLRA is 30. Parashant soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona, soil survey of the Grand Canyon Area, Arizona, 2001

REMARKS:

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric horizon - 0 to 2 inches (A horizon).

Cambic horizon - 2 to 17 inches (Bw and Bk1 horizons).

Paralithic contact - 27 inches (Cr layer).

Particle-size control section 10 to 27 inches (Part of the Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.