LOCATION MION NM
Established Series
Rev. GWA/BDS/CDL
12/2022
MION SERIES
The Mion series consists of shallow, well drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in material weathered from shale on hills and uplands with slopes of 1 to 35 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 16 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 48 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Mion silt loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, plastic; many fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
AC--4 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; many fine roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--14 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) shale, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; many fine roots between plates in upper inch; thin lime deposits between plates in upper few inches.
TYPE LOCATION: Colfax County, New Mexico; about 9 miles west of Maxwell; 350 feet south and 1,580 feet west of NE corner of section 28, T. 26 N., R. 21 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to shale or claystone ranges from 10 to 20 inches. The soils are neutral to moderately alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, gravelly sandy loam or gravelly clay loam.
The AC horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is silty clay, clay loam or clay and has 35 to 60 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Orella series. Close competitors in other families are the
Chantier,
Danko,
Epsie,
Lismas,
Midway, and
Samsil series. Chantier, Danko, Epsie, Lismas, Midway and Samsil soils have montmorillonitic mineralogy. Orella soils are strongly or very strongly alkaline and have 8 to 30 percent exchangeable sodium.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Mion soils are on hills, ridges, and plains at elevations of 5,500 to 7,800 feet. Slopes are 1 to 35 percent. The soils formed in fine textured material weathered from shale, claystone or sandstone. The climate is semiarid continental with mean annual air temperature of 47 to 56 degrees F., and a mean summer temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F. Annual precipitation is 10 to 18 inches with about 70 percent falling during the frost-free season, which lasts 115 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Colmor,
Litle,
Penrose,
Philmont and
Vermejo soils. Colmor, Philmont, and Vermejo soils lack a paralithic contact. Litle soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Penrose soils have limestone at depths of 10 to 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Range, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation is sideoats grama, blue grama, little bluestem, needleandthread, fringed sage, yucca, oak, pinyon, and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico and possibly Colorado and Wyoming. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colfax County, New Mexico, 1974.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 5/83.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.