LOCATION ASAAYI AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, frigid Lithic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Asaayi fine sandy loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; decomposing pine needles and other forest litter.
A--1 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine and very fine irregular pores; few faint clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
2R--9 inches; sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Manuelito Plateau; 35 degrees 51 minutes 55 seconds north latitude and 108 degrees 58 minutes 28 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July-September and December-February. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F.
Rock Fragments: 0 to 40 percent gravel, channers, and cobbles on the surface with 0 to 10 percent gravel in the subsoil.
Clay Content - 10 to 30 percent.
Organic matter: More than 1 percent in the surface layer and less than 1 percent in the argillic horizon.
Depth to bedrock: 7 to 20 inches
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral
A horizon
Hue: 5YR to 10YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist.
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist.
Textures: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Asaayi soils are on dipslopes of cuestas and hills and have slopes of 2 to 25 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from sandstone and shale. Elevations range from 7,500 to 8000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 40 to 47 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Osoridge soil. Osoridge soils have bedrock at depths of less than 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Medium to high runoff. Moderate and moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Asaayi soils are used for timber production and grazing. The present vegetation is ponderosa pine, blue grama, muttongrass and lupine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern New Mexico and Northeastern Arizona. This series is of moderate extent. MLRA 35.
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 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 8 inches (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact - The boundary at 8 inches (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.