LOCATION PEACHSPRINGS       AZ
Established Series
Rev. DJP/PDC/WWJ/RKS/HCD
01/2007

PEACHSPRINGS SERIES


The Peachsprings series consists of very deep, well drained soils on fan terraces. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Slope is 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 55 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Peachsprings extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 70 percent subrounded gravel of mixed mineralogy on surface; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--3 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; very few faint calcium carbonate coatings on undersides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

2Bk1--8 to 21 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent fine gravel; common distinct soft calcium carbonate masses and few distinct coatings in pores and on ped faces; violently effervescent, 31 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)

2Bk2--21 to 32 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 15 percent fine gravel; many distinct medium calcium carbonate masses and coatings in pores and on ped faces; violently effervescent, 42 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)

3Bkb1--32 to 43 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent fine gravel; common distinct coarse calcium carbonate masses and distinct coatings on ped faces, rock fragments, and in pores; violently effervescent, 29 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)

3Bkb2--43 to 64 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent fine gravel; common distinct fine calcium carbonate masses and coatings on ped faces; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; on the Hualapai Indian Reservation; about 2.5 miles west of Peach Springs; 600 feet west and 1300 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 29, T. 25 N., R. 11 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the moisture control section during July through September and December through February. Driest during April through June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 54 to 58 degrees F.

Depth to calcic horizon: 5 to 15 inches

Calcium carbonate equivalent: averages 25 to 35 percent in the calcic horizon

Rock fragments: Surface gravel layer averages 30 to 90 percent gravel; control section averages 15 to 35 percent gravel

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

B horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam

2Bk horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Rock fragments: ranges from 10 to 35 percent in any one horizon; averages more than 15 percent

3Bkb horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Texture: loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: highly variable strata ranging from 5 to 50 percent; averages 15 to 35 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abra (AZ), Bighams (AZ), Bowdish (CO), Copeman (WY), Creel (NM), Darvey (NM), Hernandez (NM), Honlu (UT), Kimera (CO)(T), Numa, and Xenmack (NM) series. Abra soils do not have buried calcic horizons. Copeman soils have accumulations of gypsum in the lower part and a mean annual soil temperature of less than 54 degrees F. Darvey and Hernandez soils contain less than 15 percent rock fragments in the control section. Bighams, Bowdish, Creel and Xenmack soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Kimera soils are drier in the soil moisture control section during the winter months. Honlu soils have mean annual soil temperatures between 47 and 51 degrees F. In addition, Creel, Darvey, and Numa soils are moist in May and June.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Peachsprings soils are on fan terraces at elevations of 4300 to 5100 feet. Slope ranges from 2 to 15 percent. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources in Tertiary fluvial beds of the Willow Springs formation. Mean annual air temperature is 52 to 56 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches. The frost-free period is 135 to 175 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barx, Curhollow, Dean, Rolie and Manikan soils. Barx soils have argillic horizons. Curhollow and Rolie soils have a petrocalcic horizon within 20 inches. Dean soils have carbonatic mineralogy. Manikan soils do not have calcic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and homesite development. The present vegetation is blue grama, black grama, needleandthread, banana yucca, and scattered Utah juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. Peachsprings soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 35.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil Survey of Hualapai-Havasupai Area, Parts of Coconino, Mohave and Yavapai Counties; 1993.

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)

Calcic horizon - The zone from 8 to 32 inches (2Bk1, 2Bk2 horizons)

Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.

This soil was originally correlated as the Cibeque series. Classification of the Cibeque series was corrected to Aridic Calciustepts.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.