LOCATION CHINDE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Leptic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Chinde loam -- on a south facing toeslope of 1 percent at 5,330 feet elevation -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist from 6 to 22 inches and dry below.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate very fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few very fine vesicular pores; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (1 or 2 inches thick)
By--2 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gypsiferous clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine irregularly shaped pores; secondary gypsum crystals segregated in few fine irregularly shaped soft masses; few coarse sand and fine pebble-sized primary gypsum crystals; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
BCy--6 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gypsiferous clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine discontinuous tubular pores; secondary gypsum crystals segregated in few fine irregularly shaped soft masses, few fine pebble-sized primary gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Cn1--9 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine granular; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pebble-sized primary gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Cn2--20 to 33 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine granular; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine pebble-sized primary gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Cnz1--33 to 55 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine granular; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine pebble-sized primary gypsum crystals; few fine irregularly shaped soft masses of sodium sulfate salts; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
Cnz2--55 to 64 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine pebble-sized primary gypsum crystals; common fine and medium irregularly shaped soft masses of sodium sulfate salts; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5).
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 18 miles south-southeast of Shiprock; 375 feet west and 325 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 2, T.27N., R.17W.; Latitude 36 degrees 31 minutes 25 seconds N and Longitude 108 degrees 36 minutes 45 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Typically, the soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 54 to 57 degrees F.
Depth to gypsic horizon - 2 to 7 inches
Depth to salic horizon - 30 to 50 inches
Silicate clay content, control section weighted average - 35 to 45 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 15 percent pebbles or small channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 3 to 5 percent
Linear extensibility (LE) - 6.0 to 11.0 cm
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline.
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 4 to 8.
Sodicity, SAR: 5 to 13.
By horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline.
Gypsum content: 10 to 20 percent.
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 8 to 16.
Sodicity, SAR: 13 to 30.
Texture: clay loam or loam.
BCy horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Gypsum content: 5 to 15 percent.
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 8 to 16.
Sodicity, SAR: 30 to 60.
Texture: clay loam or loam.
Cn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Gypsum content: 0 to 1 percent as primary crystals.
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 8 to 16.
Sodicity, SAR: 30 to 60.
Texture: clay or clay loam.
Cnz horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Gypsum content: 0 to 1 percent as primary crystals.
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 16 to 30.
Total soluble salts: 2.0 to 2.5 percent.
Sodicity, SAR: 80 to 160.
Texture: clay or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chinde soils formed in alluvium derived from Cretaceous marine shale. They are on toeslopes and knolls of undulating plateaus. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,200 to 5,600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 8 inches with 35 to 60 percent falling as rain from high-intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual temperature is 51 to 54 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Benally, Fordbutte, Hamburn, Persayo, and Ravola soils. Benally soils are fine-loamy with natric horizons. Fordbutte soils are moderately deep to soft bedrock and have cambic horizons. Persayo soils are shallow to soft bedrock. Hamburn and Ravola soils lack diagnostic horizons and occur in adjacent flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability due to flocculation of clays by high content of soluble salts.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chinde soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is mat saltbush, alkali sacaton, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and sickle saltbush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Chinde soils are of small extent in the western San Juan Basin and Four Corners Platform portions of the Colorado Plateau province in northwest New Mexico and possibly southwest Colorado. LRR-D; MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shiprock Area, Parts of San Juan County, New Mexico and Apache County, Arizona; 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 2 inches. (A horizon)
Gypsic horizon - The zone from 2 to about 9 inches. (By and BCy horizons)
Salic horizon - The zone from 33 to 64 inches. (Cnz1 and Cnz2 horizons)
Shrink-swell potential - This soil has high shrink-swell potential below the gypsic horizon. The linear extensibility (LE) of the typical pedon from the soil surface to a depth of 40 inches is 10.34 cm.
Keys to Soil Taxonomy - Soils classified according to the Eighth Edition, 1998.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The series type location was sampled for full characterization by the National Soil Survey Laboratory (NSSL) as pedon S86NM-045-012. Lab results confirm the presence of a gypsic and a salic horizon. Also, see: Soil and Range Inventory Report of District 12; USDI-BIA, Shiprock Agency, 1978; pedon number 4657-1. Salinity values were also determined on three pedons, including the type location, with a Wheatstone bridge.