LOCATION TEKAPO                  NM+AZ

Established Series
CEM/RJA/SAZ/WWJ/LJGII
11/2011

TEKAPO SERIES

The Tekapo series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in slope alluvium, colluvium and alluvium over residuum derived from shale on edges of mesas, cuestas, hills, and ridges. Slopes are 10 to 55 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 51 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Ustic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Tekapo channery silty clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) channery silty clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent channers; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
C--2 to 10 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium and coarse, many fine and common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 18 inches thick)
Cr--10 inches; soft shale and siltstone.

TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; about 3 1/2 miles south of Tekapo; 108 degrees 57 minutes 44 seconds west longitude, 34 degrees 57 minutes 42 seconds north latitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and July through October. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 50 to 56 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 6 to 20 inches.
Particle-size control section: 35 to 50 percent clay, less than 35 percent sand.

A Horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent channers.

C Horizon
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: silty clay, silty clay loam, clay
Other features: 0 to 15 percent pebble-sized soft shale gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Hospah (NM), Mion (NM) and Westmion (NM) series. Hospah, Mion, and Westmion soils have hues yellower than 2.5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Tekapo soils formed in slope alluvium, colluvium and alluvium over residuum derived from red shale and siltstone and are on the edges of mesas, cuestas, hills, and ridges. Slopes are 10 to 65 percent. Elevations range from 6,100 to 7,000 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 48 to 54 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. The frost free period is 115 to 165 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alicia, Flugle, Fragua and Padilla soils on terraces and valley, Rizozo soils on hills mesas and ridges, Venadito and the proposed Ojocal soils on alluvial fans and flood plains. The Rizozo soil is loamy and has a lithic contact over sandstone. Alicia, Flugle, Fragua, Padilla, Venadito and Ojocal soils do not have a paralithic contact within 20 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for limited livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is Bigelow sage, Indian ricegrass, galleta and scattered pinyon and one seed juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small 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 depth of 2 inches (A horizon)
Paralithic contact - the boundary at 10 inches (Cr horizon)
Entisol Feature - the lack of diagnostic horizons.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010
Update and revisions for the correlation of Chinle Area (AZ713), August 2011, LJGII
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.