LOCATION AZABACHE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Azabache extremely gravelly clay loam--in rangeland on a northeast facing slope of 4 percent at an elevation of 6,780 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong medium and thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 75 percent basalt gravel and 1 percent basalt cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0.5 to 3 inches thick)
Btn--1 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse columnar structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films coating faces of peds; EC is 4.9 mmhos/cm; SAR is 22; 1 percent basalt gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
2Btknz--5 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular and few very fine vesicular pores; many prominent clay films bridging sand grains and coating faces of peds; carbonates are disseminated and segregated as many very fine and fine soft masses and coating rock fragments; violently effervescent (9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common sodium sulfate crystals; EC is 8.9 mmhos/cm; SAR is 21; 30 percent basalt gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary.
3Btknz1--17 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular and vesicular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds; carbonates are disseminated and segregated as many fine and medium soft masses and coating rock fragments; violently effervescent (10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common sodium sulfate crystals; EC is 8.5 mmhos/cm; SAR is 21; 70 percent basalt gravel and 5 percent basalt cobbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary.
3Btknz2--25 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular and vesicular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds; carbonates are disseminated and segregated as many fine and medium soft masses and coating rock fragments; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common sodium sulfate crystals; EC is 4.3 mmhos/cm; SAR is 27; 70 percent basalt gravel and 5 percent basalt cobbles; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual wavy boundary.
3Btknz3--32 to 50 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular and vesicular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds; carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine and medium soft masses and coating rock fragments; strongly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common sodium sulfate crystals; EC is 5.5 mmhos/cm; SAR is 17; 70 percent basalt gravel and 5 percent basalt cobbles; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary.
3Btnz--50 to 62 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds; carbonates are disseminated and segregated as very few fine soft masses; strongly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common sodium sulfate crystals; EC is 5.5 mmhos/cm; SAR is 17; 35 percent basalt gravel and 1 percent basalt cobbles; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0). (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is greater than 55 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Cerro Alesna Quadrangle; about 0.9 miles northeast of the peak of Cerro Alesna; 107 degrees 32 minutes 59 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 28 minutes 25 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually dry, in all parts, 105 to 160 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually moist, in some part, 50 to 105 cumulative days during the same period. It is intermittently moist in some part November through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 51 to 56 degrees F
Particle size control section: 20 to 35 percent clay with greater than 35 percent sand
Depth to horizons with greater than 35 percent rock fragments: 15 to 40 inches
Depth to visible secondary calcium carbonate: 5 to 15 inches
Depth to sodium sulfate crystals: 5 to 30 inches
A horizon:
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Rock fragments: 30 to 80 percent total range
30 to 75 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
0 to 1 percent stones
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
EC: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm
SAR: 10 to 20
Bt and 2Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Texture: clay, clay loam, or sandy clay with PSCS less than 35 percent clay
Rock fragments: 1 to 35 percent total range
1 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately through very strongly alkaline
EC: 4 to 16 mmhos/cm
SAR: 20 to 30
Gypsum: 0 to 1 percent
3Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Texture: sandy clay loam and fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent total range
35 to 70 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately through very strongly alkaline
EC: 4 to 16 mmhos/cm
SAR: 20 to 30
Gypsum: 0 to 1 percent
Note--When a horizon has greater than 35 percent rock fragments it is too thin or is below the particle size control section to affect the particle size class.
Some pedons have Bk horizons below the Bt horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fajada (NM), Hadden (UT) (T), Highrock (CA), Homko (UT), Leebench (UT), Leeko (UT), Muff (WY), Pizene (NV), Recapture (UT), Rusty (NV), Swasey (UT), Terlco (NV), and Uffens (UT) series. The Fajada, Hadden, Muff, and Swasey soils are moderately deep or deep to a lithic or paralithic contact. The Highrock, Pizene, Recapture, and Uffens soils lack horizons with greater than 35 percent basalt rock fragments and sodium sulfate accumulations. The Homko, Leebench and Leeko soils have calcic horizons. Rusty soils have relict redoximorphic features. The Terlco soils have natric horizons less than 18 inches deep and lack sodium sulfate accumulations.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Azabache soils formed in eolian and slope alluvium derived from basalt, sandstone, and shale and are on relict stream terraces on valley sides and floors, and toeslopes of lava plateaus and volcanic cones. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 6,500 to 7,000 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 49 to 54 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The frost free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alesna soils on sides of volcanic cones and the Notal soils on stream terraces. These soils lack natric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high to very high runoff, and very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for rangeland. The present vegetation is mound saltbush, broom snakeweed, cholla, galleta, alkali sacaton, and sand dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central, New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small extent.
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 1 inch. (A horizon)
Natric horizon: The zone from 1 to 62 inches. (Btn, 2Btknz through 3Btknz3, and 3Btnz horizons)
Sodium sulfate accumulations from 5 to 62 inches. (2Btknz through 3Btknz3, and 3Btnz horizons)
Skeletal feature: The zone from 17 to 62 inches. (2Btknz1 through 3Btknz3, and 3Btnz horizons)
Lithologic Discontinuity: The contact at 5 inches. (2Btknz1 horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.
Classification changed from an Ustic subgroup to a Typic subgroup in January 2000.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
NSSL Sample S92NM031005