LOCATION SAL AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Sal extremely gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) 90 to 95 percent of the surface is covered with gravel that are closely packed and have a thin desert varnish.
A--0 to 2 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Btzl--2 to 7 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); moderately saline (8.0 dS/m); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Btz2--7 to 18 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) extremely gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist, moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; 70 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); strongly saline (20.0 dS/m); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
2Bkqm--18 to 26 inches; indurated silica-lime cemented duripan with a laminar layer on the surface; extremely hard; violently effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Maricopa County, Arizona, 1300 feet north and 1500 feet west of the southest corner of section 33, T. 3 N., R. 4 W.
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.
Rock fragments - 35 to 70 percent gravel in the control section
Calcium carbonate - slightly to strongly effervescent
Electrical conductivity - 16 to 30 dS/m or more
Depth to duripan - 8 to 20 inches
Desert pavement - surface layer of closely packed gravel covered by a dark colored desert varnish
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry and moist
B horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 moist
Chroma: 4, 6 or 8 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Texture: clay loam (28 to 35 percent clay)
EC of saturation extract: 4 to 30 dS/m. Generally highest in lower part.
Bk horizon
Is present in some pedons above the duripan. Commonly occurs below the duripan.
Calcium carbonate: Strongly to violently effervescent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Comobabi (AZ) series. These soils are not saline.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sal soils are on fan terraces and typically have a surface cover of dark colored desert pavement. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. They formed in fan alluvium from acid and basic igneous rocks. Elevation is 1000 to 2500 feet. The climate is hot arid continental. The mean annual precipitation is 2 to 10 inches occurring as summer thunderstorms and gentle winter rain. Mean annual air temperature is 70 to 75 degrees F. The frost-free period is 250 to 325 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chuckawalla, Cipriano, Gunsight, and Pinamt. Cipriano and Gunsight soils lack argillic horizons. Chuckawalla, Gunsight, and Pinamt soils are more than 40 inches deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability. The interlocking nature of the surface gravel reduces infiltration and increases runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. The soil is nearly barren of vegetation. The present vegetation is turksbeard and scattered annuals.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Central Arizona. The series is not extensive. MLRA is 40.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Maricopa County, Arizona; Soil survey of Aguila-Carefree Area, AZ, Parts of Maricopa and Pinal Counties; 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)
Duripan- The silica-lime cemented hardpan at 18 inches (2Bkqm)
Argillic horizon - The zone of clay illuviation from 2 to 18 inches (Btz1, Btz2 horizons)
Salinity- EC of 16 or more
Desert pavement - 95 percent cover of surface with darkly varnished, closely packed gravel that limits infiltration of rainwater.