LOCATION WUPATKI                 AZ

Established Series
Rev. DRT/MSY/RCH
07/2023

WUPATKI SERIES

The Wupatki series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed on cinder deposits. Wupatki soils are on hillslopes and fan terraces and have slopes of 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, shallow Haploduridic Durustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wupatki very gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 1 inch; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common to many very fine and fine roots; about 50 to 55 percent 2 mm to 1/4 inch size cinders on surface; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick.)

A2--1 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common to many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 to 35 percent pebble-size lime-coated cinders; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick.)

Bk--6 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 50 to 60 percent pebble-size lime-coated cinders; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick.)

2Bkqm--16 to 20 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) silica-lime cemented duripan; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive with thin laminar surface and pendants on the lower surface; the cinders are black (10YR2/1); strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick.)

2C--20 to 60 inches; very dark gray (N 3/) cinders, black (10YR 2/1) moist; single grained; loose; discontinuous weakly to strongly cemented.

TYPE LOCATION: Coconino County, Arizona; 1,900 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 7, T. 25 N., R. 8 E.; about 4 miles east and 26 miles north of Flagstaff.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Depth to cinders: 20 - 40 inches

Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in some parts of July-September and December-February. Aridic ustic moisture regime.

Air temperature: 52 - 55 degrees F. Rock fragments: 40 - 70 percent cinder pebbles in whole soil

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: GRV-L, GR-L, GRV-FSL, GR-FSL (18 - 25 percent clay)
Reaction: Slightly to moderately alkaline

B2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: GRV-L, GR-L (18 - 25 percent clay)
Reaction: Slightly to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wupatki soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping hillslopes and fan terraces and have slopes of 0 to 20 percent. They formed in cinder deposits. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches. Average annual temperature is 52 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aut, Tuweep and Winona soils. Aut and Tuweep soils lack duripans. In addition, Aut soils are moderately deep to bedrock; Tuweep soils are fine-loamy; Winona soils are shallow to limestone bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately permeable.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation consists of black grama, blue grama, galleta, needleandthread, sideoats grama, winterfat and rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Arizona. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 35 & 39.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Coconino County Area, Central Part, Arizona; 1980. The name is from an Indian ruin on Wupatki National Monument, Arizona.

REMARKS: Pronounced as Wa-pot'-key.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.