LOCATION CATMAN NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Catman clay--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; cracks 1 to 3 cm. wide; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine, coarse and common very fine roots; cracks 1 to 2 cm. wide; many intersecting slickensides; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bw2--12 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky an very plastic; few fine, coarse and common very fine roots; cracks 1 to 2 cm. wide; many intersecting slickensides; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bw3--30 to 43 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; cracks 1 to 2 cm. wide; common intersecting slickensides; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C1--43 to 51 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine platy structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C2--51 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Catron County, New Mexico; about 7 miles west of Zuni Salt Lake, SW 1/4, NW 1/4, NW 1/4, sec. 8, T. 3 N., R. 19 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through September and December through March. The soil is driest April through June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 49 to 56 degrees F.
SAR: Less than 12
Salinity: 4 to 16 dS/m
Vertical cracks: cracks about 0.5 inches wide extend from the surface to depths of 20 to 35 inches, and remain open about 135 days cumulative
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, clay; contain more than 30 percent clay.
Bw and C horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 60 to 75 percent
Below 40 inches texture of the strata range from sandy loam to clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kyle (SD), Mcnary (AZ), Swanboy (SD), Twotop (SD) and Venzuni (NM) series. Kyle, Swanboy, and Twotop soils are in LRR-G and are more moist in May and June. Mcnary soils have secondary accumulations of calcium carbonate. Venzuni soils have hue redder than 10YR in the upper part of the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Catman soils are at elevations of 6,000 to 7,600 feet on flood plains, upland drainageways, and playas. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. The average annual temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F, and the average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches with the majority received from convective storms and during the period of July through September. Flooding and ponding occurs during this period. The frost-free period is 100 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Goesling, Hickman, Jacee, Jacques, and Pietown series. Goesling and Jacee soils have an argillic horizon, and Jacee soils are also moderately deep. Hickman soils have less than 35 percent clay. Jacee soils have a mollic epipedon. Pietown soils have less than 18 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; and very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is western wheatgrass, vine-mesquite, alkali sacaton, and fourwing saltbush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Westcentral New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Catron County, New Mexico. 1982.
REMARKS: The classification of this series is changed from very-fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Vertic Ustifluvents.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Clayey to the surface - Greater than 30 percent clay in surface layer
Intersecting slickensides - The zone from 3 to 43 inches (Bw1, Bw2 and Bw3 horizons)
Cracks- cracks 1 cm wide to a depth of 50 cm or more that remain open for about 135 days cumulative
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Update and revision for the competing series section 2/08 DWD