LOCATION ZIBETOD AZ+NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Zibetod extremely cobbly very fine sandy loam, extremely stony -- on a planar backslope sloping 25 percent to the east at 9,090 feet elevation -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely cobbly very fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 35 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel, 10 percent channers, 5 percent flagstones, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 9 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very cobbly very fine sandy loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel, 5 percent channers, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--9 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very cobbly fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and fine and common very fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; 25 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 5 percent channers; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
R--14 inches; sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 9.5 miles southwest of Teec Nos Pos; 1,575 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 7, T.39 N., R.30 E.; Latitude 36 degrees 47 minutes 59 seconds North and Longitude 109 degrees 10 minutes 14 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts from January to May and intermittently moist in some part from June to December. Moist in all parts greater than 40 percent of the time (cumulative), when the soil temperature at the bedrock contact is 41 degrees F or higher. Driest during May and June. Typic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 59 to 62 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches
Reaction - slightly acid to neutral
Clay content - control section weighted average is 14 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - control section weighted average is 35 to 80 percent
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 10 to 20 inches
Organic carbon content - 0.6 to 1.2 percent
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent
25 to 30 percent gravel and channers
30 to 35 percent cobble and flagstones
5 to 15 percent stones
Bt horizons
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content: 14 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
10 to 15 percent gravel and channers
20 to 35 percent cobble
5 to 10 percent stones
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Argirocker (SD),
Bushvalley (AZ),
Gnojek (MT),
Owlrock (NM),
Teaspoon (CO)
Tolbert (MT), and
Tolman (WY) series.
Bushvalley, Gnojek, Owlrock, Tolbert, Teaspoon and Tolman soils average more than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Argicoker, Gnojek, Teaspoon, Tolbert and Tolman soils are moist during
May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Zibetod soils are on footslopes and shoulders of domes. They formed in eolian, residuum, and alluvium derived from Cretaceous sandstone and siltstone, and Tertiary quartz diorite. Slopes are 15 to 35 percent. Elevation ranges from 8,500 to 9,400 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 18 to 20 inches with more than 50 percent falling as snow from winter storms. The mean annual air temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bigpaw, Ligai, and Pastorpeak soils. Bigpaw soils are fine-silty, very deep, and occur on adjacent footslopes. Ligai soils are moderately deep and occur on backslopes. Pastorpeak soils are very deep and occur on north-facing backslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Zibetod soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is muttongrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, earth sedge, Arizona fescue, and black sagebrush, with scattered Gambel oak and ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Zibetod soils are of small extent on the Carrizo Mountains portion of the Colorado Plateau province in northeast Arizona. MLRA is 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Apache County, Arizona; Shiprock Area Soil Survey; 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 14 inches (A, Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 14 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact - The boundary at 14 inches (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.