LOCATION QUAGWA             AZ  
Established Series
Rev. DJP/JLF/RLB/RKS/HCD
02/2007

QUAGWA SERIES


The Quagwa series consists of very deep, well drained soils on stream terraces and in draws. These soils formed in alluvium derived dominantly from limestone. Slope ranges from 1 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 53 degrees F.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Quagwa silt loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 2 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--2 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)

Bt--5 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Btk1--14 to 30 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores and on ped faces; few fine soft calcium carbonate filaments and thin coatings in pores and on ped faces; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary. (11 to 22 inches thick)

Btk2--30 to 50 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores and on ped faces; common fine soft calcium carbonate masses and thin coatings in pores and on ped faces; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (16 to 24 inches thick)

Btk3--50 to 62 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; few thin calcium carbonate coatings in pores; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; Hualapai Indian Reservation; 2500 feet east and 900 feet north of the southwest corner of Section 10, T. 25 N., R. 10 W.; about 1.5 miles north of Silt Tank.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

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

Soil temperature: 54 to 57 degrees F.

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 14 percent

Sand content of control section: 15 to 25 percent fine sand or coarser

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

Bw and Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam

Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, clay loam

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balon (AZ), Blancot (NM), Bowbac (WY), Buckle (NM), Cambria (WY), Cerropelon (NM), Chilerojo (NM), Cumacho (NM), Cushman (WY), Decolney (WY), Doakum (NM), Forkwood (WY), Fort (CO)(T), Gaddes (AZ), Gapbutte (AZ), Gapmesa (CO), Hagerman (NM), Hagerwest (NM), Hiland (WY), Mentmore (NM), Oelop (NM), Olney (CO), Palacid (NM), Penistaja (NM), Pokeman (WY), Potts (WY), Pugsley (WY), Redpen (NM), Spangler (WY), Sundance (CO), Tamarindo (NM)(T), Teckla (WY), and Yenlo (CO) series. Balon, Blancot and Gaddes soils have noncalcareous control sections. Bowbac, Cambria, Decolney, Forkwood, Hiland, Pokeman, Pugsley, Potts, Spangler and Teckla soils are cooler for longer periods following the winter solstice and are moist in the soil moisture control section during May and June. Buckle soils formed in parent material derived from shale and sandstone and typically have a mean annual soil temperature less than 54 degrees F. Redpen soils have hue redder than 7.5YR. Cerropelon, Cushman, Fattig, Gapbutte, Gapmesa, Hagerman, Hagerwest and Pokeman soils are moderately deep. Chilerojo soils are very deep to a densic horizon. Cumacho soils are deep to a paralithic contact. Doakum soils are less than 35 inches deep to the base of the argillic horizon and do not have secondary calcium carbonate accumulations within the argillic. Fort soils have a soil moisture control section is moist intermittently during May and June and have a mean annual soil temperature of 49 to 54 degrees F. Mentmore, Palacid, Tamarindo, and Yenlo soils have a mean annual soil temperature of less than 54 degrees F. In addition, Tamarindo soils formed in parent material derived from sandstone and shale. Oelop soils have argillic horizons with a base less than 30 inches deep. Penistaja soils contain greater than 40 percent sand in the control section. Sundance soils have a buried argillic horizon within 30 inches of the surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Quagwa soils are in draws and on stream terraces at elevations of 5100 to 5900 feet. Slopes range from 1 to 5 percent. These soils formed from alluvium derived dominantly from limestone. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 52 to 55 degrees F. The frost-free period is 135 to 175 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Curhollow, Havasupai and Winona soils. Curhollow and Havasupai soils are shallow to a calcium carbonate cemented hardpan. Winona soils have limestone bedrock at depths less than 20 inches.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Quagwa soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is blue grama, sand dropseed, burrograss and fourwing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Arizona. The series is of limited extent. MLRA is 35.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County; Soil survey of Hualapai-Havasupai Area, Arizona, 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 2 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 62 inches (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, Btk3 horizons)

Ustic feature - Soil moisture regime and organic matter content meets the requirements for ustic intergrades

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


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.