LOCATION CARJO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey over loamy, smectitic over mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Carjo loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A-- 0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
BA-- 4 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; sticky and plastic; many fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt-- 12 to 20 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 28 inches thick)
2C-- 20 to 25 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
3R-- 25 inches; tuff bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Los Alamos County, New Mexico east end of 2 mile mesa; 1100 feet south and 1500 feet west of the northeast corner of Sec. 20. T. 19 N., R. 6 E. ; 106 degrees, 18 minutes, 56 seconds west longitude; 35 degrees, 52 minutes, 09 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil is moist in some part of the soil moisture control section November through April and July through August. The soil is driest in May and June.
Soil temperature 42 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock 20 to 40 inches.
A horizon Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR. Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist. Chroma: 1 through 5. Texture: Fine sandy loam or loam. Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent cobbles or flagstones, 0 to 15 percent pebbles or channers.
B horizon Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR. Value: 3 through 6 dry, 2 through 5 moist. Chroma: 2 through 6. Texture: clay or clay loam. Rock fragments: less than 15 percent.
C or BC horizon Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR. Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist. Chroma: 3 or 4. Texture: sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or clay loam.
Other features In some pedons, a B/E or E horizon occurs.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hogg(AZ), Mirand(NM), Naytahwaush (MN), Rocio(NM), and Valnor(NM) series. Hogg, Mirand, and Rocio soils are deep. Valnor soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches and have carbonates within the profile. Naytahwaush soils are substantially more moist in the moisture control section for the 120 days following the summer solstice.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Carjo soils are on mesa tops, ridges, hills and mountain sides. Slopes are 0 to 20 percent. The soil formed in material from tuff and sandstone. The elevation is 7,000 to 8,300 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches, the mean annual temperature is 40 to 46 degrees F., and the frost free season is 60 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Capillo, Pino and Tocal series. Capillo and Pino soils have mollic epipedons. Tocal soils are less than 20 inches deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for urban development and timber production. Native vegetation is blue grama and ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral New Mexico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 4 inches (A horizon).
Mollic feature: ochric epipedon has color value less than 6 dry and less than 4 moist.
Argillic horizon The zone from about 12 to 20 inches (Bt horizon).
Lithic contact The boundary at about 25 inches (2R horizon).