LOCATION AMAL                    NM

Established Series
Rev. MWR/LWH/SJJ
02/2016

AMAL SERIES

The Amal series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in slope alluvium and eolian material derived from shale. Amal soils are on plateaus and have slopes of 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is about 15 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Amal silt loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 4 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)

Bt1--4 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; few fine clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)

Bt2--13 to 25 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)

Bt3--25 to 32 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)

Bt4--32 to 43 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 13 inches thick)

2Bk--43 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) silty clay loam, yellow (10YR 7/6) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; violently effervescent; calcium carbonates disseminated and segregated as common soft masses; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico; 8 miles south of Cebolla, New Mexico; south of Berryman Ranch headquarters; 1,100 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner, Sec. 3, T.25N., R.4E. 106 degrees, 30 minutes, 19.6 seconds west longitude; 36 degrees, 25 minutes, 19.3 seconds north latitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: 47 to 51 degrees F. Soil Moisture: The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist December through April and July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic moisture regime, bordering on aridic.

Particle-Size Control Section:
Clay on a weighted average; 28 to 35 percent.
Soft shale para-fragments by volume; 0 to 15 percent small channer-size.
Reaction - neutral through moderately alkaline.

A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.

Bt horizon - Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 4 to 6.

Bk horizon - Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.
Depth to calcic horizon: 40 inches or more.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chita(NM), Elpedro(NM), Moncha(NM) and (T) Wetherill(NM) series. The Chita, Elpedro, Moncha and Wetherill soils are moist for shorter periods during the winter and summer. In addition, Chita soils have calcic horizons within 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Amal soils are on broad plateaus. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 7,400 to 7,700 feet. The soils formed in slope alluvium and eolian materials derived from shale. Mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calendar soils. Calendar soils are fine-textured and moderately deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability (1.5-5.0 um/sec).

USE AND VEGETATION: Amal soils are used for fuelwood and wood products. The present vegetation is Pinyon pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, and pinyon ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico. MLRA 36, LRR D. Series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, 1989.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon - 0 to 4 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - 4 to 43 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 horizons).
Calcic horizon - 43 to 60 inches (2Bk horizon)

(Series concept note: The survey manuscript in the area where this series was established (NM650), only indicates carbonates of 1-10% in the Bk, which is not enough to meet calcic criteria. Its unclear at this time whether the series has some secondary carbonates below 40 inches, or contains enough carbonates to qualify as a calcic horizon. It should be one or the other, but not both. The calcic horizon is retained for now, until more of this soil is observed in the field).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.