Ecological site group DX035X01IESG15
Little Colorado River Basin-Shale or clayey shallow soils basalt or cinders (non run in moisture)
Last updated: 10/25/2022
Accessed: 05/02/2024
Ecological site group description
Key Characteristics
- Little Colorado River Basin
- Shale or Clayey
- Does not receive extra water from run-in moisture
- Generally shallow soils on hills, benches and slopes
- landforms are basalt capped or shallow to cinders
Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
Physiography
This ecological site occurs on summits and slopes of lava flows and footslopes of hills. Slopes are generally 0 to 15 percent, but occasional steeper slopes to 30 percent on edges of lava flows. The soils are shallow (<20") to basalt bedrock. Deeper soils occur in small drainages as inclusions within this site.
Climate
The 35.2 Colorado Plateau Cold Desert Shrub - Grassland common resource area has a very dry and windy climate that is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The annual precipitation averages between 6 and 10 inches. The soil moisture regime is typic aridic and the soil temperature regime is mesic. A slight majority of the precipitation arrives during the late fall, winter, and early spring. This winter season moisture originates in the Pacific Ocean and arrives as rain, or sometimes snow, during widespread frontal storms of generally low intensity. The majority of the snow (average range of 1 to 17 inches) falls from December through February, but rarely lasts more than a few days. A seasonal drought occurs from late May through early July. Summer rains occur from July through September during brief intense local thunderstorms. The rain is sporadic in intensity and location. The moisture originates from the Gulf of Mexico in the early summer and the Gulf of California in the late summer/early fall. Windy conditions are common year round, but the winds are strongest and most frequent during the spring.
Soil features
These soils formed from residuum alluvium, and residuum from pyroclastic basalt flows. These soils are shallow (<20")to basalt rubble and bedrock. Surface textures range from loam to clay loam and are gravelly. The subsurface texture is silt loam. The soil is strongly effervescent and increases with depth.
Vegetation dynamics
This group is characterized as a sparse shrubland with scattered perennial grasses and forbs. Non-native annuals species occur on the site.
Major Land Resource Area
MLRA 035X
Colorado Plateau
Subclasses
Correlated Map Unit Components
22341157, 22341214, 22341215, 22341633, 22396760, 22396761, 22396818, 22976401, 22976405
Stage
Provisional
Contributors
Curtis Talbot
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