LOCATION AKELA NM+AZ
Established Series
Rev. WAB/RJA
11/2014
AKELA SERIES
The Akela series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in medium to moderately coarse textured very gravelly calcareous material some of which is alluvium from basalt and rhyolitic tuff and some of which is eolian in origin. Akela soils are on uplands, rolling hills, lava flows, and basalt mountain sides and have slopes of 0 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Lithic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Akela very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; few fine and very fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; 50 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bk--3 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; few fine irregular and common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated as soft masses and as coatings on the basalt gravel and cobble; 55 percent basalt gravel and 15 percent cobble; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 19 inches thick)
R--18 inches; calcium carbonate coated basalt rock that is continuous or is fractured in some places.
TYPE LOCATION: Luna County, New Mexico; five yards south of State Highway 9, SW 1/4, SW 1/4 of Section 2, T. 29 S., R. 10 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: These soils are usually dry between depths of 4 and 12 inches. They are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days cumulative during July through September. Driest periods occur between October and May. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 59 to 72 degrees F.
Depth to Bedrock: 4 to 20 inches
Control section textures: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam (less than 20 percent clay)
Coarse fragments: 35 to 80 percent
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Organic matter: 0.25 to 1.0 percent
Effervesence: strongly and violently effervescent
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Beach (T) (TX),
Chatticup (NV),
Dalvord (CA),
Galehills (NV),
Haleburu (CA),
Hindu (AZ),
Hulda (AZ),
Noble Pass (CA),
Paintrocks (CA),
Pearce (AZ),
Razorback (AZ),
Spripar (CA),
Sutra (AZ),
Tecopa (CA), and
Upspring (CA) series. The tentative Beach series does not contain proper series differentia and should be dropped. Hindu soils average more than 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and are moist for more than 20 days cumulative during July September. All other competitors are moist for less than 20 days cumulative during July September.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on gently sloping uplands, rolling hills, lava flows, and steep basalt mountains with 0 to 70 percent slopes. The soils formed in medium to moderately coarse textured very gravelly calcareous material, part of which has been deposited by wind action and part has formed in place from basalt and rhyolitic tuff. Elevations are 2,000 to 6,000 feet. The climate is arid to semiarid. Mean annual rainfall is 4 to 12 inches with a distinct summer maximum. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 57 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 170 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Lehmans,
Mimbres,
Mohave, and
Stellar soils. Lehmans soils are underlain by acid igneous bedrock at depths of less than 20 inches and have 35 to 60 percent clay in the control section. Mimbres, Mohave, and Stellar soils do not have bedrock within 40 inches of the surface and have less than 15 percent coarse fragments in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Native vegetation is creosotebush, tarbush, fluffgrass, black grama, tobosa, and mesa dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern and central New Mexico and Arizona. The soils are of moderate extent. This soil occurs in LRR-D, MLRAs 40, 41, and 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Valencia County (East Valencia Area), New Mexico; 1970.
REMARKS: diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Entisol feature - the absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; and Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 11/08, PDC
Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.