LOCATION QUEENCREEK              AZ+NM TX

Established Series
Rev. DJB/WAS/CEM
07/2012

QUEENCREEK SERIES

The Queencreek series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed from mixed stream alluvium. Queencreek soils are on flood plains and inset fans and have slopes of 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 67 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, thermic Typic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Queencreek extremely gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with 40 percent fine gravel, 40 percent medium gravel, 15 percent large gravel, and 5 percent cobble.

C1--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 60 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary.

C2--7 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 37 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary.

C3--17 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) stratified very gravelly coarse sand with thin strata of gravelly fine sand and gravelly coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 46 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8). (Combined thickness of the C horizons is 50 to 80 inches)

TYPE LOCATION: Pinal County, Arizona; located at latitude 33 degrees, 02 minutes, 43 seconds North and longitude 110 degrees, 55 minutes, 21 seconds West; about 800 feet south and 2,500 feet west of northeast corner of section 33, Township 4 S., Range 14 E.; USGS Quadrangle - Kearny.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

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

Soil temperature: 62 to 72 degrees F.

Rock fragments: 15 to 85 percent (mostly fine and medium gravel; but can have 5 to 30 percent cobbles)

Organic matter: decreases irregularly due to thin strata and recurring flood events

Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)

C horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sand, sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand with thin strata ranging from silty clay loam to coarse sand loam

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Queencreek soils are on flood plains and inset fans at elevations of 1,750 to 4,000 feet. They formed in mixed stream alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 60 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 190 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Agustin, Hayhook, and Bucklebar soils. Agustin and Hayhook soils are coarse-loamy. Bucklebar soils are fine-loamy.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; very low runoff; rapid to very rapid permeability. These soils are subject to occasional, brief periods of flooding between July and September.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation is big bursage, mesquite, seep willow, desert willow, and netleaf hackberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Arizona, south central New Mexico, and west Texas. Queencreek soils are not extensive. MLRAs are 38, 40, 41, and 42

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil Survey of Cochise County, Arizona, Northwestern Part, 2007.

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

Entisol feature - the absence of diagnostic horizons

Fluventic feature - irregular decrease in organic matter due to thin strata and recurring flood events

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

Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 2/2009, WWJ

Revised for the correlation of AZ675, 5/2009, WWJ

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

Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.