LOCATION BANQUITO NMInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Banquito very fine sandy loam--in rangeland on an east-northeastern facing slope of 1 percent at an elevation of 7,640 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; 10 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles (mostly basalt with few sandstone); slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)
Btk1--2 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films bridging sand grains and coating faces of peds; calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated in few fine soft masses and weakly cemented concretions; violently effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 1 percent gravel (mostly basalt with few sandstone); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
Btk2--9 to 17 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films bridging sand grains and coating faces of peds; carbonates are disseminated and segregated in many medium weakly cemented concretions and few fine soft masses; violently effervescent (26 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 5 percent basalt gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear irregular boundary. (The combined thickness of the Btk horizons is 6 to 19 inches.)
Bk1--17 to 22 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; carbonates are disseminated and segregated in many fine and medium weakly cemented concretions and soft masses; violently effervescent (45 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 5 percent basalt gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--22 to 30 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; carbonates are disseminated and segregated in many medium weakly cemented concretions; violently effervescent (55 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 5 percent basalt gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.
Bk3--30 to 36 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; carbonates are disseminated and segregated in many medium weakly cemented concretions; violently effervescent (35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 10 percent basalt gravel and 1 percent basalt cobbles with common soft basalt fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 6 to 25 inches.)
R--36 inches; fractured basalt with many very fine and fine coats of carbonates at the upper contact.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Cerro Parido Quadrangle; about 2.2 miles northwest of Heifer Tank;107 degrees 22 minutes 29 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 33 minutes 38 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually dry, in some part, for more than 120 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through March. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 49 to 55 degrees F
Particle size control section: 20 to 35 percent clay and greater than 30 percent sand.
Depth to lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to basalt
Depth to calcic horizon: 9 to 25 inches with 15 to 55 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Note--Where this horizon has mollic colors it is too thin to make a mollic epipedon.
Rock fragments: mostly basalt with few sandstone
5 to 15 percent total range
0 to 15 percent gravel
0 to 2 percent cobbles
Btk horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture: clay loam, loam, sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent total range (mostly basalt with few sandstone)
0 to 5 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent
Bk horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent total range (basalt)
5 to 15 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 55 percent
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Alire (NM), Brumley (CO), Maia (NM), Nomrah (NM), and Todest (NM) series. Alire, Brumley, Maia, and Nomrah soils are all very deep. The Todest soils formed over limestone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Banquito soils formed in eolian and alluvial materials over residuum derived from basalt (associated with the Mt. Taylor and Mesa Chivato volcanic fields) and are on summits of lava plateaus. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 7,200 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 13 to 16 inches. The frost free period is 100 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cabezon and Torreon soils on lava plateaus. The Cabezon and Torreon soils have mollic epipedons, smectitic mineralogy, and have greater than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff, and moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for rangeland. The present vegetation is spineless horsebrush, rabbitbrush, broom snakeweed, winterfat, blue grama, western wheatgrass, and crested wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. MLRA35. LRR-D. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 2 to 17 inches. (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 9 to 36 inches. (Btk2, Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)
Lithic contact: 36 inches--basalt. (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.