LOCATION ESCRITO NM
Established Series
Rev. RLB/TRO/TWH/KLS
04/2018
ESCRITO SERIES
The Escrito series consists of shallow, well drained soils with moderately rapid permeability overlying very slowly permeable sandstone bedrock. This soil formed in slope alluvium or colluvium over residuum derived from sandstone and shale. Escrito soils are on hillslopes and mountain slopes. Slopes range from 3 to 55 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 457 cm and the mean annual air temperature is about 6.7 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Escrito very fine sandy loam, on a west facing, planar 5 percent slope in ponderosa pine woodland at an elevation of 2,500 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on September 25, 1989 the soil was dry throughout.
Oi--0 to 1 cm; slightly decomposed forest litter. (0 to 3 cm thick)
A1--1 to 3 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to weak very fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.3); clear smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 15 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of A1, A2 - 4 to 18 cm)
Bw--15 to 41 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, common fine medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
R--41 cm; sandstone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico; about 1.6 kilometers east of Tecolote Gap, about 457 meters west and 122 meters north of the SE Corner Sec 27, T 30 N., R. 2 E.; Sawmill Mesa USGS quad; Lat. 36 degrees, 46 minutes, 40 seconds, N., Long. 106 degrees, 42 minutes, 35 seconds, W. NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: May and June are the driest months; July and August are the wettest months.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6.1 to 7.8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 14.4 to 16.7 degrees C.
Depth to lithic contact: 25 to 51 cm to hard sandstone
Depth to cambic horizon: 3 to 18 cm
Reaction (pH): 5.1 to 7.3 in the series control section
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Sand content: 40 to 70 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent total
Gravel content: 0 to 15 percent
Kind: subangular sandstone
Cobble content: 0 to 15 percent
Kind: angular to subrounded sandstone
Stone content: 0 to 15 percent
Kind: angular to subrounded sandstone
A horizon(s)
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, very fine sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 0 to 35 percent
Reaction (pH): 5.1 to 7.3
Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction (pH): 5.6 to 7.3
Present in some pedons
Cr layer, 3 to 8 cm thick, overlying the R layer
COMPETING SERIES:
Modo (UT) - have pH reactions greater than 7.3 (alkaline) throughout
Stout (NM) - are wetter in April through June
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - hillslopes, mountain slopes
Elevation - 2,100 to 2,620 meters
Slopes - 3 to 55 percent
Parent material - slope alluvium or colluvium over residuum derived from sandstone and shale
Mean annual air temperature - 5.5 to 7.2 degrees C.
Mean annual precipitation - 406 to 508 cm
Precipitation pattern - Precipitation falls mostly during the months of November through March and July through October. June is the driest month. Total snowfall averages about 1.2 to 1.5 meters with snowmelt lasting into April.
Frost-free period - 80 to 100 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are livestock grazing, commercial woodland, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is ponderosa pine with an understory of Arizona fescue, mountain muhly, pine dropseed, and bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado; LRR D and E; MLRA 36 and 48A. This series is of moderate extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, Jicarilla Apache Reservation, Parts of Rio Arriba and Sandoval Counties Soil Survey, 2000. The name is taken from a local canyon.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Cambic horizon: 15 to 41 cm (Bw horizon)
Lithic contact: 41 cm to hard sandstone bedrock (R layer)
Particle-size control section: 25 to 41 cm (part of the Bw horizon)
Series control section: 0 to 41 cm (A1, A2, Bw horizons)
Escrito soils have a frigid temperature regime and are in an ustic soil moisture regime with a typic subclass.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Lab data pedon S90NM-039-002 (the Bw was sampled between 15 and 30 cm).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.