LOCATION STORYBOOK               AZ

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

STORYBOOK SERIES

The Storybook series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from granite. Storybook soils are on fan terraces and have slopes of 1 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 67 degrees F.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Storybook very gravelly sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots, many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

C--2 to 25 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive, slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (14 to 27 inches thick)

2Bknb1--25 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common very fine calcium carbonate threads and filaments; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary.

2Bknb2--35 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common medium irregular pockets of hard and very hard calcium carbonate masses; 45 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6). (The combined thicknesses of the 2Bknb horizons is 30 to 44 inches)

TYPE LOCATION: Mohave County, Arizona; 35 degrees, 49 minutes, 9 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 28 minutes, 3 seconds west longitude; about 1,100 feet north and 500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 6, T. 27 N., R. 20 W. Gila and Salt River Base Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for less than 20 days cumulative between July and September following convection storms. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 64 to 70 degrees F.

Percent clay: 5 to 18 percent

Rock fragments: averages 35 to 60 percent

A horizon

Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR

Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist

C horizon

Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR

Value: 5 or 6, dry

2Bknb horizons

Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist

Texture: sandy loam, coarse sandy loam

Calcium carbonate: less than 5 percent by volume; soft through very hard masses

Effervescence: strongly effervescent or violently effervescent

Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Canoto, Canutio, Cavespring, Emot, Ogral, and Yermo soils. Canoto soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources and are dry in the soil moisture control section during the summer months. Canutio, Emot, and Ogral soils are moist in the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days cumulative in the summer. In addition, Emot soils average more than 18 percent clay and 50 percent silt in the particle-size control section and Ogral soils have nongravelly A and upper C horizons. Cavespring soils are neutral to moderately alkaline and do not have buried Bkb horizons. Yermo soils are dry in the soil moisture control section throughout the summer months. In addition, they have less than 25 percent gravel in the A and upper C horizons. Series where the CEC activity class has not been updated but are in the same family are the Forlorn and Spellacy series. Forlorn soils formed in mixed alluvium derived from metamorphic and volcanic sources. Spellacy soils are moderately deep, derived from shale, and located on hills and mountains.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Storybook soils are on fan terraces. These soils formed in alluvium derived from granite. Slopes are 1 to 3 percent. Elevations are 2,300 to 2,900 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches, mean annual air temperature is 62 to 68 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 230 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Detrital and Nickel soils. Arizo soils are sandy-skeletal. Detrital soils have a cambic horizon. Nickel soils have a calcic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush and white bursage.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Arizona. MLRA is 30. These soils are of limited extent.

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

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

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 2 inches (A horizon)

Entic feature - No diagnostic horizons are present. The 2Bknb horizons do not meet the criteria for a calcic horizon

Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (C, 2Bknb1, and 2Bknb2 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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.