LOCATION FAJADA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Fajada loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
E--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Btn--2 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure; hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; many fine irregular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Btkn1--6 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common thin clay films bridging sand grains; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate as few fine irregular masses and seams; very strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Btkn2--12 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging sand grains; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonates as few fine irregular seams and filaments; very strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bkyz--16 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine irregular pores; gypsum and calcium carbonate as few fine irregular soft filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
2Cr--28 to 40 inches; soft sandstone interbedded with soft shale.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Seven Lakes Quadrangle; about 3 miles southwest of Fajada Wash; 107 degrees 56 minutes 55 seconds west longitude and 35 degrees 56 minutes 40 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil Moisture: Typically the soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. The soil is driest during May and June. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 53 to 57 degrees F.
E horizon -
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam and fine sandy loam
Coarse fragments: 0 to 35 percent pebbles.
Some pedons have A horizons
Btn horizon -
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: clay loam or sandy clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
SAR: 13 to 35.
Bky horizon -
Value: 4 through 6 dry and moist
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: clay loam or sandy clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
Gypsum: 5 to 10 percent.
This horizon does not qualify for a gypsic horizon because it lacks enough gypsum or does not contain at least 5 percent more gypsum than the underlying horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Azabache (NM), Hadden (UT), Highrock (CA), Homko (UT), Leebench (UT), Leeko (UT), Muff (WY), Pizene (NV), Recapture (UT), Rusty (NV), Swasey (UT), Terlco (NV), and Uffens (UT) series. Azabache, Highrock, Homko, Leebench, Leeko, Pizene, Recapture, Rusty, Terlco, and Uffens soils are greater than 40 inches to bedrock. Muff, and Swasey soils lack accumulations of gypsum. Hadden soils have less than 5 percent gypsum. In addition, Hadden soils are typically dry July through October and Muff and Swasey soils have mean annual soil temperatures less than 53 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fajada soils are on plateaus, cuestas and valley floors. They formed in alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevation is 5,800 to 6,800 feet. Mean annual temperature is 50 to 55 percent degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 6 to 10 inches. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Benally, Chita, Doak, Farb, Huerfano, San Mateo, Sheppard, Shiprock, and Sparank series. Benally, Doak, San Mateo, Sheppard, Shiprock, and Sparank soils lack a paralithic contact between 20 and 40 inches. Chita, Farb, and Huerfano soils are shallow.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Fajada soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is mound saltbush, alkali sacaton, and galleta.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Westcentral New Mexico. MLRA 35, 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 the surface to a depth of 2 inches. (E horizon)
Natric horizon: The zone from 2 to 16 inches.
Paralithic contact: The presence of soft sandstone and shale bedrock at about 28 inches.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.