LOCATION CHARO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Charo loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and many very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 11 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and many very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 18 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Bt3--18 to 28 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
2R--28 inches; basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; Cebolleta Land Grant, Mesa Chivato; Latitude 35 degrees, 16 minutes, 47 seconds; longitude 107 degrees, 22 minutes, 16 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic ustic moisture regime
Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
Reaction: Neutral to slightly alkaline
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 8 to 13 inches
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon: 20 to 40 inches
In some pedons a C horizon occurs.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, cobbly loam or very cobbly loam
Rock fragments by volume: 0 to 25 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent pebbles.
Bt horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Fine-earth fraction: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Rock fragments by volume: 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent pebbles.
COMPETING SERIES:
Alder (MT) - has horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Bacbuster (MT) - has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Bigbear (MT) - is very deep.
Billman (MT) - has a paralithic contact of shale at 20 to 40 inches.
Darret (MT) - has horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Durston (MT) - is very deep.
Microy (NM) - has a lithic contact of basalt at 20 to 40 inches.
Mishakal (MT) - formed in residuum from argillite.
Pino (NM) - has a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.
Roaringlion (MT) - is very deep.
Wilcoxson (NM) - has a lithic contact of limestone at 40 inches or more; has horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Charo soils are on ridges and hilltops and broad mesas. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The soils formed in windblown sediments over basalt. Elevation is 7,200 to 8,300 feet. Mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F., mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Borrego, Cebolleta, Trag and the competing Microy soils. Borrego soils have a lithic contact within 20 inches. Cebolleta soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments. Trag soils are deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing. Principal native vegetation is Arizona fescue, blue grama, snakeweed, oak and scattered juniper and ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central mountains, New Mexico. This series is of small extent. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to about 11 inches. (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizons: The zone from about 5 to 28 inches. (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons)
Lithic contact: The boundary at about 28 inches. (2R horizon)