LOCATION TIJERAS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Tijeras gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure in upper .5 to 1 inch with weak fine granular structure in lower part; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; about 15 to 20 percent very fine granitic pebbles; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in tubular pores; about 5 percent very fine granitic pebbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt2--9 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and many moderately thick clay films in tubular pores; about 5 percent very fine granitic pebbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btk--14 to 19 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; few moderately thick clay films on surfaces of peds and many moderately thick clay films in tubular pores; about 15 percent very fine granitic pebbles; slightly effervescent, lime is segregated as thin threads on surfaces of peds and in pores; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
2Bk--19 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) strata of very gravelly sandy loam and very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose; few fine and very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, lime is segregated as few fine soft masses; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Bernalillo County, New Mexico; SE1/4 SE1/4 sec. 4, T.10N. R. 4E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in the soil moisture control section December through March and July through September. The soil is driest during May and June. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 56 to 59 degrees F.
Rock fragments - 5 to 15 percent pebbles above 2Bk horizon
Reaction - neutral to slightly alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5
Texture: sandy loam, loam, and sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent clay and more than 45 percent sand
2Bk horizon
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent granite pebbles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bacobi (AZ),
Frisite, (WY),
Grazane (AZ),
Griffy (WY),
Kiki (NM),
Neiber (WY),
Papoose (NV),
Redlands (CO),
Saddle (WY), and
Starmountain (AZ) series. Bacobi, Kiki, Neiber and Saddle soils are less than 40 inches to bedrock.
Frisite,
Fruitvale, Grazane, Griffy, Neiber, Redlands, and Starmountain soils lack very gravelly substrata. Papoose soils are drier during the summer and lack granitic pebbles.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tijeras soils are on nearly level to gently rolling fan remnants at elevations of 4500 to 6500 feet. They formed in sandy to medium textured sediments of mixed origin; many of the sediments were derived from decomposing granitic rocks. The climate is semiarid continental inches with a marked summer maximum characterized by frequent heavy thunderstorms of short duration. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 53 to 57 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brazito, and Tesajo soils. Brazito soils lack argillic horizons and are coarser than loamy very fine sand throughout the control section. Tesajo soils have mollic epipedons and average more than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately permeable subsoil and rapidly permeable substrata.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major use is rangeland but some areas have been subdivided for urban development. The native vegetation is dropseed, black grama, burrograss, annual grama, yucca, and cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The series is moderately extensive in central New Mexico. MLRA 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Middle Rio Grande Valley Area, New Mexico, 1912.
REMARKS: The classification of this soil is changed from thermic to mesic additional information is now available on soil temperature in New Mexico. The type location has not been relocated.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 4 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 4 to 19 inches. (Bt horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.