LOCATION WETROCK AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, thermic Oxyaquic Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wetrock extremely gravelly sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When the profile was described on April 2001 the water table was at 37 inches. The surface is covered with 30 percent medium gravel, 30 percent coarse gravel, and 20 percent cobble.
C1--0 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 11 percent fine, 40 percent medium, and 24 percent coarse gravel, and 10 percent cobble; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C2--10 to 20 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 10 percent fine, 7 percent medium, and 3 percent coarse gravel, and 5 percent cobble; few thin strata of silt loam; common distinct brown (7.5YR 5/2) and dark greenish gray (5BG 3/1) redox depletions, many distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) redox concentrations as fine soft iron masses and linings along root channels; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary.
C3--20 to 37 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) extremely gravelly coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 15 percent fine, 40 percent medium, and 10 percent coarse gravel, and 15 percent cobble; few prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) redox concentrations as linings along root channels; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary.
C4--37 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely cobbly coarse sand saturated with water, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent fine, 10 percent medium, and 10 percent coarse gravel, and 40 percent cobble; neutral (pH 7.2). (Combined thickness of the C2 - C4 horizons is 45 to 52 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Pinal County, Arizona; located at a latitude 33 degrees, 02 minutes, 42 seconds North and longitude 110 degrees, 54 minutes, 51 seconds West; about 900 feet south and 200 feet west of northeast corner of sec, 33, T. 4 S., R. 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, based on precipitation. This soil has a fluctuating water table, but is not reduced.
Soil temperature: 62 to 72 degrees F.
Depth to water table: 2 to 6 feet; fluctuates seasonally
Type of water saturation: endosaturation for at least 20 consecutive days or 30 cumulative
Rock fragments: greater than 35 percent gravel and cobble
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline pH 6.6 to 8.4
C1 and/or A Horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sand, fine sand, silt loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, sand
C2, C3, C4 Horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sand, sand, loamy sand with thin strata of fine sandy loam, silt loam
Redoximorphic features: common to many redox concentrations occurring as masses and linings along root channels (7.5YR 5/8, 7.5YR 6/6) and few to common redox depletions (5BG 3/1, 10BG 3/1, 5B 3/1 10B 3/1); usually occurs in strata finer than loamy fine sand
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wetrock soils are on flood plains of the Gila and San Pedro rivers. Wetrock is part of a dynamic interbraided system of bars and channels at elevations of 1,750 to 3,600 feet. They formed in mixed stream alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 10 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 Cascabel, Gila, Quiburi, Vinton, Glendale, and Hantz soils. Cascabel and Quiburi have less than 35 percent rock fragments. Gila, Vinton, Glendale, and Hantz soils do not have a high water table.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; very low runoff; very rapid permeability. These soils are subject to frequent, long to periods of flooding between July and September.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation is tamarisk, black willow, cottonwood, rabbit foot grass, Bermuda grass, seep willow, Goodings willow and Arizona ash.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and southeast Arizona. Wetrock soils are not extensive. MLRAs are 38, 40, and 41.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pinal, County, Arizona. Soil Survey of Eastern Pinal and Southern Gila Counties, Arizona (SSA661), 2009.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Entisol Feature - the absence of diagnostic horizons
Fluventic Feature - alluvial stratification and irregular organic carbon distribution
Oxyaquic subgroup - endosaturation for at least 20 consecutive days or 30 cumulative days in July through September
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 2/2009, WWJ
Revised for the correlation of AZ675, 5/2009, WWJ