LOCATION FARB NM+CO UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Lithic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Farb fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
C--7 to 10 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; loose; few fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 13 inches thick)
R--10 inches; hard sandstone, with thin carbonate accumulation at the soil-bedrock contact.
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; on an upland hill north of Farmington; located about 2,350 feet south and 1,100 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 34, T. 30 N., R. 13 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: Typic aridic
Soil temperature regime: mesic
Particle-size control section: 5 to 18 percent clay
Depth to lithic contact: 5 to 20 inches
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 60 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
C horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, sand, fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Braf (UT), Casmos (UT), Juanalo (CO), and Moenkopie (AZ) series. Braf soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 51 derees F. and a frost free period of less than 135 days. Moenkopie soils have hues of 2.5YR or 5YR in the C horizon. Casmos and Juanalo soils have particle-size control sections with 18 to 35 percent clay. Juanalo soils have thin Bw and Bk horizons overlying Juana Lopez limestone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Farb soils are on hills, mesas, cuestas, escarpments, canyons and structural benches. Slopes range from 2 to 40 percent. The soils formed in eolian material, residuum, colluvium and slope alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 57 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is 6 to 10 inches. The frost-free period is 130 to 160 days. Elevation ranges from 3,670 to 6,800 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Persayo soil. Persayo soils have a paralithic contact within a depth of 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: excessively or somewhat excessively drained, very low to very high runoff, moderately rapid permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Used extensively for livestock grazing. Present native vegetation is blue grama, broom snakeweed, Indian ricegrass, big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, oneseed juniper and pinyon pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Throughout central and northwest New Mexico, southwest Colorado, Northeast Arizona, and Southeast Utah. LRR D, MLRA 35. This series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Valencia County, New Mexico (East Valencia Area). 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A horizon)
Lithic contact - the zone at 10 inches (R horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (A and C horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.
Updated competing series section June 13, 2008, CEM
Update and revisions for the correlation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, January 2010, CEM
Update and revisions for the correlation of Emery Soil Survey, Utah, September 2010, JWB