LOCATION MICROY NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Microy cobbly loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent pebble-size cinders and 15 percent cobble-size cinders; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 12 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) cobbly clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and plastic; few coarse, common medium and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common, moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 15 percent cobble-size cinders and 15 percent pebble-size cinders; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 28 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) cobbly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and plastic; few coarse and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 15 percent cobble-size cinders and 15 percent pebble-size cinders; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
C--28 to 36 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) very cobbly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and plastic; few medium and very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 20 percent cobble-size cinders and 20 percent pebble-size cinders; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
2R--36 inches; basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; Chivato Mesa; latitude 107 degrees, 29 minutes, 36 seconds; longitude, 35 degrees, 17 minutes, 39 seconds; about 100 feet southwest of the summit of Cerro Redondo.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in at least some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and July through October. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon - 9 to 15 inches.
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon: 14 to 31 inches
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3
Rock fragments by volume: Dominantly cinders, 10 to 20 percent cobbles and 5 to 15 percent pebbles
Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Rock fragments by volume: Dominantly cinders, 10 to 20 percent cobbles and 5 to 15 percent pebbles
C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Rock fragments by volume: Dominantly cinders, 15 to 20 percent cobbles and 5 to 20 percent pebbles
COMPETING SERIES:
Alder (MT) - moderately deep to a paralithic contact and has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Bacbuster (MT) - moderately deep to a paralithic contact and has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Bigbear (MT) - has a calcic horizon.
Billman (MT) - moderately deep to a paralithic contact.
Charo (NM) - rock fragments are not cinders.
Darret (MT) - moderately deep to a paralithic contact and has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Durston (MT) - has a calcic horizon.
Mishakal (MT) - moderately deep to a paralithic contact.
Pino (NM) - has a lithic contact at 40 to 60 inches.
Roaringlion (MT) - is very deep.
Wilcoxson (NM) - has a lithic contact at 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Microy soils formed in windblown and alluvium sediments derived from pyroclastics and are on hills. Slopes are 5 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 8,000 to 8,900 feet. Climate is semiarid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 22 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free period ranges from 90 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Borrego, Cebolleta, Charo, and Raton series. Cebolleta soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments. Borrego and Raton soils have lithic contact within 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is ponderosa pine, pinyon, Gambel oak, Arizona fescue, mountain muhly, western wheatgrass, and lupine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: It occurs in the west central mountains of New Mexico. It 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 the pedon are:
Argillic horizon: The zone from about 3 to 28 inches. (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from about 0 to 12 inches. (A, Bt1 horizons)
Lithic contact: Basalt occurs at about 36 inches. (2R horizon)