LOCATION CAPILLO NM
Established Series
Rev. RJA/LWH/KLS
11/2022
CAPILLO SERIES
The Capillo series consists of deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed from alluvium and colluvium derived dominantly from interbedded shales, sandstone and limestone. Capillo soils are on mountain, hill, terrace and mesa sideslopes. Slopes range from 0 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 510 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Capillo loam--mixed forest. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 5 cm; decomposing needles, bark, and twigs; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)
A--5 to 13 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
Bt1--13 to 21 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; few large pores; few thin clay films lining pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--21 to 34 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; few large pores; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--34 to 59 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine pores; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons - 25 to 80 cm)
Bt4--59 to 82 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine pores; few thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)
C--82 to 107 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 90 cm thick)
2Cr--107 to 158 cm; Soft shale with partially weathered thin, fractured layers or coarse fragments of sandstone; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Torrance County, New Mexico; NE 1/4 Sec. 15, T.5N., R.5E.; Long. 106 degrees, 23 minutes, 50 seconds west; Lat. 34 degrees, 39 minutes, 52 seconds north.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture--Moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through October.
Mean annual soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Mollic epipedon thickness--25 to 41 cm
Depth to Cr horizon--100 to 150 cm or more
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.8
Some pedons have BA horizons above the Bt horizon
A horizon
Hue--10YR through 5YR
Value--2 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 through 3
Texture--Loam or silt loam
Rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent pebbles
Bt horizon
Hue--10YR through 5YR
Value--3 through 6 dry, 2 or 5 moist
Chroma--2 through 5
Texture--Clay or silty clay loam
Clay content--35 to 45 percent
Sand content--less than 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent
C horizon
Hue--7.5 YR or 10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--4 through 6 moist
Texture--clay, clay loam, or silty clay
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Barela(NM),
Charo(NM),
Darret(MT),
Fergus(MT),
Microy(NM),
Moreno(NM),
Pino(NM),
Terrad(MT),
Turkeysprings(MT),
Wilcoxson(MT) and
Zau(CO) soils. Barela and Moreno soils have more than 15 percent rock fragments in the Bt horizon. Charo, Darret, Microy, Pino and Zau soils are 50 to 100 cm to a lithic or paralithic contact. Fergus, Terrad, Turkeysprings, and Wilcoxson soils are calcareous in the lower Bt horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform-mountain, hill, and mesa sideslopes. Rock outcrop is common where the landscapes are undulating.
Elevation--2125 to 3350 meters
Slope--0 to 70 percent
Parent material--moderately fine textured interbedded shale, sandstone and limestone
Mean annual precipitation--410 to 560 mm. Most of the precipitation falls during the summer months.
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 7 degrees C
Frost free period--80 to 100 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; slow permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Recreation, wildlife, and forest products. Present vegetation is Douglas and white fir, ponderosa pine, gambel oak, lupine, blue grama, brome, pine dropseed, and Arizona fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Capillo soils are moderately extensive in the mountains of central New Mexico; MLRA 48A
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County (Santa Fe Area), New Mexico, 1970
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--5 to 34 cm (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Argillic horizon--13 to 82 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizons)
Particle-size control section--13 to 63 cm (All of the Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons and part of the Bt4 horizon)
Capillo soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic soil moisture regime with a typic subclass.
Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 10/2022
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.