LOCATION CHINLINI AZ+NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Petrocalcic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Chinlini loam -- on the tread of a high fan terrace sloping 2 percent to the west at 6,450 feet elevation -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist from 3 to 24 inches and otherwise dry throughout.)
A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very thick platy structure parting to moderate coarse granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)
BA--3 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and few very fine roots; common very fine continuous tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 16 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and very fine and common fine roots; common fine continuous tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)
Btk1--16 to 26 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few coarse to very fine roots; common fine continuous tubular pores; few distinct and common fain clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated in very few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
Btk2--26 to 38 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common fine continuous tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated in common medium irregularly shaped accumulations on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 29 inches thick)
2Bk--38 to 50 inches; white (N 8/0) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, white (N 8/0) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 15 percent cobble, and 2 percent stones; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonate and as thick coatings on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
2Bkm--50 inches; indurated calcium carbonate hardpan.
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 7.5 miles east of Totacon (Sweetwater community); 2,300 feet west and 1,150 feet south of the northeast corner of section 2, T.39 N., R.28 E.; Latitude 36 degrees 49 minutes 16 seconds North and Longitude 109 degrees 17 minutes 21 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent of the time and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. December and August are the wettest months and May and June are the driest. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 52 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to petrocalcic horizon - 40 to 60 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 20 to 40 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 38 to 43 inches
Clay content - averages 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments - averages 0 to 5 percent
Reaction - ranges from slightly alkaline in the surface to strongly alkaline in the substratum
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
BA horizon
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam
Btk horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
2Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR or N (neutral)
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 through 8 moist
Chroma: 0 through 3, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
30 to 40 percent gravel
5 to 15 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
SAR - 0 to 5
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chinlini soils are on treads of fan terraces and on summits of mesas. They formed in eolian material and alluvium derived from Jurassic and Triassic siltstone and sandstone and Tertiary quartz diorite. Slopes are 2 to 6 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,300 to 6,700 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches with about half falling as winter snow and half falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chazner, Katzine, Tsezhin, and Wetherill soils. Chazner soils are moderately deep to a petrocalcic horizon and occur under pinyon-juniper woodland. Katzine soils are loamy-skeletal and occur on adjacent risers of terraces. Tsezhin soils are loamy-skeletal and occur under pinyon-juniper woodland. Wetherill soils are very deep, fine-silty, and occur on eolian-mantled surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chinlini soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, datil yucca, green Mormon-tea, broom snakeweed, muttongrass, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Chinlini soils are of small extent on the Blanding Basin and Red Rock Bench portion-Canyon Lands Section of the Colorado Plateau province in northeast Arizona. 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 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 9 to 38 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 38 to 50 inches (2Bk horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon - The zone from 50 to 56 inches or more (2Bkm horizon)
Keys to Soil Taxonomy - Soils classified according to the Eighth Edition, 1998.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined with a field volume calcimeter. The control sections of two pedons were wet sieved to determine the percent of size fraction larger than very fine sand (less than 0.1 mm). The weighted averages of the two pedons ranged from 7 to 11 percent coarser than very fine sand.