LOCATION ATCHEE NM UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Lithic Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Atchee fine sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; 2 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 9 inches thick)
C1--2 to 12 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) extremely channery sandy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 70 percent channers and 15 percent flagstones; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
C2--12 to 14 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) extremely channery sandy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 70 percent channers and 15 percent flagstones; very slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 9 inches thick)
R--14 inches; fractured sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Hunter's Point Quadrangle; about 1,700 feet west and 900 feet south of the northeast corner of section 23, Township 16 N, Range 21 W; latitude 35 degrees, 36 minutes, 50 seconds and longitude 109 degrees, 02 minutes, 45 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: 47 to 54 degrees F.
Soil moisture: Ustic aridic moisture regime
Depth to bedrock: 4 to 20 inches
Particle size control section:
Clay content: 5 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 90 percent gravel, channers, flagstone and stones
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist;
Chroma: 4 or 5, dry or moist.
C horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 or 5, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, clay loam, loam
Typically rock fragments are in horizontal beds that have soil material between the rock fragments and in cracks.
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Atchee soils occur on mesas, cuestas, breaks, hills, ridges, and structural benches and form from residuum, slope alluvium and colluvium from weathered sandstone, shale, and calcareous conglomerate. Elevation is 5,300 to 7,500 feet. Slope is 2 to 60 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is 9 to 13 inches. The frost-free period is 100 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lazear, Eagleye, Gapmesa, Barboncito and Lockerby series. Lazer soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments. Eagleye and Lockerby soils have more than 35 percent clay. Gapmesa soils are very deep. Barboncito soils have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low to very high runoff; moderately rapid to moderately permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used mainly for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Native vegetation is mainly Utah juniper, one seed juniper; two needle pinyon, black sagebrush, galleta, blue grama, Indian rice grass Mormon tea, and threeawns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and Northwestern New Mexico. The 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 in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)
Lithic feature - fractured sandstone at 14 inches (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006