LOCATION ADORNADO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-pumiceous, glassy, mesic Vitrandic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Adornado very paragravelly ashy sandy loam--on a footslope of an undulating plateau sloping 13 percent to the east at 7,316 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 8, 2000, the soil was dry throughout.) Surface is covered with 50 percent pumice paragravel.
A1--0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and many very fine roots; 40 percent paragravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A2--2 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely paragravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and many very fine roots; one 7-cm krotovina; 65 percent paragravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Bt--11 to 30 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely paragravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and many very fine roots; few faint clay films on pararock fragments; 70 percent paragravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 19 inches thick)
2E and Bt1--30 to 47 inches; white (10YR 8/1) extremely paragravelly ashy coarse sand (E), light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; one 20-cm krotovina; 75 percent paragravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); common lamellae of brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very paragravelly ashy coarse sand (Bt), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 50 percent paragravel; lamellae are continuous, nearly horizontal, 0.5 to 1 cm thick, total thickness is 3 cm; gradual smooth boundary. (9 to 46 inches thick)
2E and Bt2--47 to 64 inches; white (10YR 8/1) extremely paragravelly ashy coarse sand (E), light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and common very fine roots; one 20-cm krotovina; 80 percent paragravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); common lamellae of brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very paragravelly ashy coarse sand (Bt), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 55 percent paragravel; lamellae are continuous, nearly horizontal, 0.5 to 1 cm thick, total thickness is 7 cm; gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 17 inches thick)
2C--64 to 82 inches; white (10YR 8/1) extremely paragravelly ashy coarse sand, light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 85 percent paragravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Bandelier National Monument; Los Alamos County, New Mexico; USGS Frijoles 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; about 4 miles south of Los Alamos; Latitude 35 degrees 49 minutes 30.69 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 19 minutes 43.40 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (SMCS) is moist in all parts from January to May and intermittently moist in some part from June to December. The SMCS is dry in some part less than 60 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soil moisture regime is typic ustic.
Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 49 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 14 to 35 inches
Lithology of pararock fragments: Pumice
Depth to buried horizons: 60 to 80 inches or more
Volcanic glass content: 70 to 90 percent in the coarse silt plus sand fraction
Oxalate extractable Al + 1/2Fe: .01 to .10 percent
Particle-size control section:
Paragravel content (pumice fragments): 45 to 90 percent
Volcanic glass content: 70 to 95 percent in the coarse silt plus sand fraction
A1 horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 2 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture - very paragravelly ashy sandy loam or very paragravelly ashy coarse sandy loam
Clay content - 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 55 to 65 percent
Pararock fragments - 35 to 60 percent paragravel
A2 horizon
Value - 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry
Clay content - 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 55 to 65 percent
Pararock fragments - 45 to 65 percent paragravel
Bt horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture - extremely paragravelly ashy sandy loam, very paragravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, or extremely paragravelly ashy coarse sandy loam
Clay content - 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 55 to 65 percent
Pararock fragments - 45 to 75 percent paragravel
2E and Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 to 8 dry, 7 or 8 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry, 1 to 4 moist
Clay content - 2 to 8 percent
Sand content: 80 to 95 percent
Pararock fragments - 70 to 90 percent paragravel
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
2C horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Chroma - 1 or 2 moist
Clay content - 0 to 4 percent
Sand content: 80 to 95 percent
Pararock fragments - 75 to 90 percent paragravel
Buried horizons (when present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or paragravelly clay loam
Clay content - 18 to 35 percent
Pararock fragments: 5 to 25 percent paragravel
Lithology of pararock fragments: rhyolitic tuff
Reaction: neutral
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils in different families are the Armenta and Cajete series. Armenta soils are in an aridic ustic moisture regime. Cajete soils are in a frigid temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Adornado soils are on backslopes and footslopes of interfluves on undulating plateaus. They formed in slope alluvium derived from air-fall pumice of the Quaternary Age Cajete Member. Slopes are 8 to 20 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,400 to 7,600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 20 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 49 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canuela, Letrado, Nyjack, and Tocal soils. Canuela soils are loamy, shallow, and occur on narrow summits of undulating plateaus at lower elevations. Letrado soils are fine-loamy, do not have mollic epipedons, and occur on toeslopes of interfluves on undulating plateaus. Nyjack soils are fine-loamy, moderately deep, and occur on summits of interfluves on undulating plateaus at lower elevations. Tocal soils are clayey, shallow, and occur on shoulders of interfluves on undulating plateaus.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, low runoff; permeability is moderately rapid in the upper part and very rapid in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Adornado soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The historic climax vegetation is ponderosa pine, Gambel's oak, Rocky Mountian juniper, blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, and little bluestem. The ecological site is Pinus ponderosa/Quercus gambleii (F048AY010NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Adornado soils are of small extent on the southwestern Jemez Volcanic Field part of the Southern Rocky Mountain province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 48A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update, 2008. Series proposed in Los Alamos County, New Mexico; Bandelier National Monument Soil Survey, 2000. Adornado is a coined name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 30 inches. (A1, A2, and Bt horizons)
This pedon has a Bt horizon that does not qualify as an argillic horizon.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (A2, Bt, and 2E and Bt1 horizons)
Vitrandic feature - Based on both the content of pumice and on the estimated content of volcanic glass throughout the upper 30 inches (A1, A2, and Bt horizons).
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.