LOCATION WHITEBUCK AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Whitebuck cobbly loam - recreation and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 15 percent cobble; noneffervescent, neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 19 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; common faint and distinct clay films in pores and few faint clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent gravel, 25 percent cobble; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear irregular boundary. (10 to 17 inches thick)
Cr--19 inches; soft, metamorphosed basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Chiricahua National Monument; located at a latitude of 31 degrees, 21 minutes, 3 seconds North and longitude of 110 degrees, 16 minutes, 46 seconds West.
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. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 54 to 58 degrees F
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
Depth to weathered bedrock: 14 to 20 inches
Reaction: slightly acid or moderately acid
Clay content: averages 25 to 35 percent
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whitebuck soils are on hills and mountains at elevations of 6,000 to 6,800 feet. Slopes range from 40 to 60 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from metamorphosed volcanic rocks. The mean annual precipitation is 23 to 25 inches and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December and January. The mean annual air temperature is 52 to 56 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Huachuca and Yaquican soils. Huachuca and Yaquican soils have a mollic epipedon and do not have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for recreation and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes Emory oak, birchleaf mountain mahogany, alligator juniper, agave, nolina, bullgrass, sideoats grama, crinkleawn and wait-a-minute mimosa.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. Whitebuck soils are of limited extent. MLRA is 41.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona. Soil survey of Chiricahua National Monument; 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 19 inches (Bt horizon)
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 19 inches (Cr horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.