LOCATION BRYWAY NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bryway sandy loam--in a pinyon-juniper woodland on northeast-facing convex slope of 6 percent at an elevation of 7350 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 2 percent sandstone pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
2Bt1--4 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; common fine irregular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
2Bt2--10 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds; few soft shale fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 5 to 29 inches thick)
2Cr--23 inches; shale.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Pescado Quadrangle; about 3.4 miles southwest of Pescado Reservoir on the Zuni Indian Reservation; 2,200 feet west and 1,900 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 22, T. 10 N., R. 17 W.; 108 degrees 37 minutes 1 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 4 minutes 50 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually dry, in some part, for more than 120 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through April, but not moist in all parts for 45 consecutive days from January through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 48 to 52 degrees F
Particle-size control section: 35 to 55 percent clay
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to shale or shale interbedded with soft sandstone.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
When this horizon has mollic colors it is too thin to qualify for a mollic epipedon.
Texture: sandy loam or loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4, or 6 moist
Texture: Dominantly clay and clay loam, but some sandy clay textures do occur.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline
Bk horizon (when present):
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist
Textures: Dominantly clay and clay loam, but some sandy clay textures do occur.
Percent calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 5 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Galestina, Galzuni and Regracic series. Galzuni and Regracic soils are very deep. Galestina soils are deep to shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Bryway soils formed in alluvium, slope alluvium, and residuum derived from upper Cretaceous Era shale or interbedded shale and sandstone; and are on mesas, cuestas, ridges and hills. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 6800 to 7600 feet. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 51 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 13 to 16 inches. The frost free period is 100 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Evpark, Galzuni, Highdye, and Parkelei soils on mesas, cuestas, and hills; the Silcat soils on valley floors, valley sides, and hills; and the Toldohn and Vessilla soils on escarpments. The Evpark and Parkelei soils have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. The Galzuni and Silcat soils are very deep. The Toldohn and Vessilla soils are shallow to shale and sandstone.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to very high runoff, and slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for wood products and rangeland. The present vegetation is pinyon and juniper with an understory of big sagebrush, mountain mahogany, antelope bitterbrush, blue grama, muttongrass, prairie junegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, wolftail, and Gambel oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. This series is of moderate extent. MLRA 35, LRR-D.
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, New Mexico; 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 4 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 4 to 23 inches, with abrupt boundary. (2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons)
Paralithic contact: 23 inches--shale. (2Cr horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.