LOCATION BARELA NM COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Barela silt loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine and very fine roots; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
BA--4 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to strong, very fine granules; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; many fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine and very fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, very plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; continuous thin clay films on faces of peds; few basalt stones and cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--12 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) stony clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium prisms parting to strong fine angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky, very plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; continuous thin clay films on faces of peds; 20 percent basalt stones, cobbles and gravel; neutral (0H 7.1); clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--31 to 41 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak and moderate, medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very fine, sticky, very plastic; 50 percent basalt stones, cobbles and gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 33 to 50 inches)
R--41 inches; hard basalt bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Colfax County, New Mexico; 2,900 feet north, 40 feet west of SE corner sec. 6, T.31N., R.23E.; Brilliant Coal Mine Quadrangle; 36 degrees, 57 minutes, 10 seconds north latitude; 104 degrees, 31 minutes, 58 seconds, west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: moist intermittently April through August; ustic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature is about 43 to 46 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature is about 59 to 61 degrees F.
The solum ranges from 40 to 60 inches thick and may rest directly on hard basalt bedrock.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 11 to 15 inches.
The B21t and B22t horizons range in thickness from 26 to 36 inches.
Rock fragment content: Basalt stones, cobbles and gravel range from a trace to 10 percent of the A horizon, from 5 to 20 percent in the upper 20 inches of the B2t horizon, and from 15 to 50 percent in the B23t to C horizon, where present.
The A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3
Texture: silt loam or loam
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent.
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
This horizon has weak and moderate, fine and very fine granular structure.
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
The Bt1 and Bt2 horizons:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: of 2 to 4
Texture of the fine earth fraction: silty clay, clay, silty clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragment content: 5 to 20 percent
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
The Bt3 horizon (if present):
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: of 2 through 4 dry and moist
Texture of the fine earth fraction: silty clay, clay, silty clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragment content: 15 to 50 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
They have moderate, medium prisms that part to moderate and strong, very fine, fine and medium angular and subangular blocky structure.
The C or BC horizons, where present, have colors similar to the Bt horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Absarokee (MT),
Acree (CO),
Capillo (NM),
Delson (CO),
Ekah (MT),
Herm (CO),
Morapos (CO)
Moreno (NM),
Nortez (CO),
Pramiss (CO),
Ricot (CO),
Tamaneen (MT),
Tukuhnik (UT),
Work (MT), and
Zau (CO) series.
Absarokee and Nortez soils: 20 to 40 inches to lithic contact.
Acree, Morapos, Ricot, Tamaneen, and Work soils: very deep with secondary carbonates above a depth of 40 inches.
Capillo soils: 40 to 60 inches to paralithic contact.
Delson soils: very deep with peak precipitation from August to October.
Herm and Moreno soils: very deep with less than 30 percent rock fragments throughout.
Pramiss and
Zau soils: 20 to 40 inches to paralithic contact.
Tukuhnik soils: 40 to 60 inches to secondary carbonates, slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in the Bt horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium and residuum weathered mainly from basalt with some influence of ash and other volcanic debris.
Landform: nearly level to moderately sloping basalt-capped mesas and lava plateaus.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000 feet.
Slopes: 0 to 9 percent.
Mean annual temperature: 42to 46 degrees F.
Mean summer temperature: 59 to 61 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 24 inches with more than 3/4 during the period of April through September.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hillery, Raton, and Trinchera soils. Hillery soils have a mollic epipedon greater than 16 inches thick. Raton soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches and are clayey-skeletal. Trinchera soils have E horizon materials in the upper part of the Bt horizon and have an abrupt boundary between the A and B horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native range and wildlife. The principal plants are blue grama, Arizona fescue, mountain muhly, and western wheatgrass. Small areas may be cropped too small grains and hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. The soil is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colfax County, New Mexico, 1974.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: the zone from 12 to 32 inches. (Bt1, Bt2 and part of the Bt3 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: the zone from 0 to 12 inches. (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon: the zone from 8 to 41 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons)
Paralithic contact: hard basalt at a depth of 41 inches. (R horizon)
Last updated 4/2001.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Lab. S66-NMex-4-8 (661590-592), S93-CO-071-12