LOCATION RAZORBACK               AZ

Established Series
Rev. WJ/RKS/PDC/HCD
12/2015

RAZORBACK SERIES


The Razorback series consists of very shallow and shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium and colluvium from extrusive igneous rocks. Razorback soils are on hills and mountains and have slopes of 1 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Lithic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Razorback extremely cobbly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 10 percent stone, 35 percent cobble, 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bk--2 to 15 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 70 percent gravel; calcium carbonate coatings on the undersides of gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 17 inches thick)

2R--15 inches; basalt, calcium carbonate coatings in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona. 2,000 feet west and 1500 feet north of the southeast corner of section 27, T. 14 N., R. 17 W.; latitude of 34 degrees, 31 minutes, 17 seconds north and a longitude of 114 degrees, 01 minutes, 29 seconds west.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December - February and for less that 20 days cumulative during July - September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 61 to 72 degrees F.

Depth to bedrock: 4 to 20 inches


A horizon

Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent gravel, cobble and stone


Bk horizon

Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Texture: loam, sandy loam (7 to 18 percent clay)

Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent gravel

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Akela (NM), Beach (TX), Dalvord (CA), Galehills (NV), Haleburu (NV), Hindu (AZ), Hulda (AZ), Noble Pass (CA), Paintrocks (CA), Pearce (AZ), Tecopa (CA), Terlingua (TX) and Upspring (CA) soils. Akela soils are usually dry from October through May and formed on Basalt. Beach soils have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR and formed on metamorphic sandstone. Dalvord soils do not have visible accumulations of calcium carbonate and formed in granite. Galehills soils have a drier soil moisture control section due to a mean annual precipitation of 3 to 5 inches and formed in sandstone conglomerate. Haleburu soils formed from rhyolite and are drier in the soil moisture control section. Hindu soils are moist for more than 20 cumulative days during July-September. Hulda soils have dominantly cobble-size rock fragments and coarse and very coarse sands and formed from granite. Noble Pass soils are dry in the summer. Paintrocks soils are less than 3 inches deep to a paralithic contact and have a lithic contact begins at 3 inches and formed in granite. Pearce soils have rock fragments that are dominated by gravel and formed in limestone. Terlingua soils are dry in the winter. Tecopa and Upspring soils are usually dry from June through November with Tecopa soils forming in quartz and schist.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Razorback soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes range from 1 to 70 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from extrusive igneous rock. Elevations range from 2,000 to 5,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 59 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 200 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Castaneda, Franconia, Goodsprings, Mohon, Poachie, Tumarion and Wikieup. The Arizo, Franconia, Mohon and Poachie soils are very deep. Goodsprings and Tumarion soils are shallow to a hardpan. Wikieup soils are nonacid. Castaneda soils are moderately deep to a hardpan.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very high runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, recreation and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes big galleta, desert needlegrass, red brome, creosotebush, white bursage and range ratany.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. This series is of moderate extent. MLRA is 30. The name is from a local mountain ridge.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Central Part; 2005.

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

Lithic contact - The boundary at 15 inches

Originally proposed in Mohave County, Arizona; Soil survey of Mohave County, Arizona, Southern Part; 1993.

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

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2005. ET


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.