LOCATION RIFT                    AZ

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

RIFT SERIES

The Rift series consists of very deep, well drained soils on basin floors. These soils are formed in sediments from mixed sources. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Rift silty clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 4 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots, mostly on the faces of the plates; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

C1--4 to 16 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)

C2--16 to 23 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky with pockets of strong thin platy; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)

C3--23 to 44 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam with thin strata of coarser material; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine pores; slightly effervescent; slightly saline (ECe 8 dS/m); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)

C4--44 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly saline (ECe 8 dS/m); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; about 26 miles north of Kingman; located at a latitude of 35 degrees, 34 minutes, 48 seconds north and a longitude of 114 degrees, 03 minutes and 02 seconds west; about 2,150 feet east and 1,700 feet north of the southwest corner of section 1, T. 25 N., R. 17 W. Gila and Salt River Base Meridian.

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.

Rock fragments: less than 15 percent

Clay content: 18 to 35 percent

Effervescence: slightly or strongly

Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline


A horizon

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam


C horizon

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist

Texture: stratified silty clay loam, silt loam and sandy clay loam with thin strata of coarser material

Salinity: nonsaline to moderate

Sodicity: slight to moderate (SAR 0 - 30)

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Glendale (AZ)and Pima (AZ) series. Pima and Glendale soils are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days cumulative during July - September.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rift soils are on basin floors. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. They formed in recent sediment from mixed sources. Elevations range from 2,800 to 3,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 200 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Filaree, Jagerson, Lavic and Lostman soils. Filaree, Lavic and Lostman soils are coarse-loamy and Jagerson soils are fine-loamy.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes fourwing saltbush, alkali sacaton, bush muhly and big galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Arizona. Rift soils are of moderate extent. MLRA is 30.

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 4 inches (A horizon)

Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

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 1/2005. ET

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.