LOCATION DENURE AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Typic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Denure gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6), abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bw--1 to 12 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick)
Bk--12 to 30 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores, a few thin patchy calcium carbonate coats on sand grains and in pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 19 inches thick)
C--30 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Maricopa County, Arizona; 750 feet south and 1350 feet east of the northwest corner of section 33, T. 5 N., R. 2 W. Latitude of 33 degrees, 44 minutes, 11 seconds N, Longitude of 112 degrees, 28 minutes, 38 seconds W., NAD 83.
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.
Soil temperature - 72 degrees F. or more at a depth of 20 inches
Rock fragments - 5 to 35 percent (weighted average for the particle-size control section). Some undisturbed areas have a weak desert pavement.
Calcium carbonate - Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent in the A and B horizons; slightly to violently effervescent in the lower B and C horizons. Calcium carbonate is disseminated and occurs as soft masses or coatings on gravel in the Bk horizon. Typically the calcium carbonate equivalent is less than 5 percent, however, when greater than 5 percent occurs the horizon is either to thin or to deep to be diagnostic in the classification of the profile.
Reaction - Neutral through moderately alkaline
Sodium adsorption ratio - Usually less than 4, but ranges to 13 in some pedons
Electrical conductivity (dS/m) - Usually less than 4, but ranges up to 50 in some pedons
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4 or 6, dry or moist
Organic matter content: less than 1 percent
Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4, 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam; can have some minor strata of coarser or finer textures
Rock fragments: 5 to 75 percent gravel in any one subhorizon
Structure: weak or moderate subangular blocky; massive in a few pedons
C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4, 5, 6 or 7 dry, 4, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 3, 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, coarse sandy loam; can have some minor strata of finer or coarser textures
Rock fragments: 5 to 75 percent gravel in any one subhorizon
A buried Bt horizon is present in some areas at depths greater than 40 inches
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dateland (AZ), and Pahaka (AZ) series. Dateland soils are dominantly medium textured (loam and very fine sandy loam) in the control section. Pahaka soils have a buried argillic horizon at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Denure soils are on stream terraces, fan terraces or relict basin floors. Slopes are dominantly less than 3 percent but range up to 8 percent. These soils formed in stratified stream or fan alluvium from acid and basic igneous rock and eolian deposits. Elevation is 500 to 2200 feet. The climate is hot, arid continental. The mean annual precipitation is 2 to 10 inches occurring as gentle winter rains and erratic high intensity summer thunderstorms. The mean annual air temperature is 68 to 74 degrees F. The frost-free period is 240 to 325 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Dateland and the Antho, Gilman, and Momoli soils. Antho and Gilman soils do not have cambic horizons. Momoli soils are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; runoff is medium on the gentle slopes and very low and low on nearly level slopes; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Some areas are now being irrigated and used to grow citrus, cotton, alfalfa, and small grains. Vegetation is creosotebush, white bursage, annual forbs and grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Arizona. The series is extensive. Total extent is about 392,000 acres. MLRA is 40.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Maricopa County, Arizona; Soil survey of Aguila-Carefree Area, Parts of Maricopa and Pinal Counties; 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 1 to 12 inches (Bw horizon)
The type location was moved from the Gila BendAjo Area to the present location in the Aguila-Carefree Area in 1983. The present type location better typifies the concept of the series and the distinction between it and the competing Dateland series.
The name is from the old DeNure Ranch near Gila Bend.
Classified according Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 12/2008, WWJ