LOCATION CHUZZIE            NM
Established Series
Rev. DGS/RLB
07/2006

CHUZZIE SERIES


The Chuzzie series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slow over rapidly permeable soils that formed in alluvium from tuff and monzonite. These nearly level to gently sloping soils are on stream terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Pachic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Chuzzie very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

A--0 to 2 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) crushed, very gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) crushed, moist; 14 percent clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; 50 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 3- to 10-inch tuff cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

C1--2 to 8 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) crushed, dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) crushed, moist; very gravelly loam; 14 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; 30 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 3- to 10-inch tuff cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

C2--8 to 16 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) crushed, gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) crushed, moist; 16 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; 30 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite fragments; 5 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 3- to 10-inch tuff cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

2C3--16 to 34 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) crushed, extremely gravelly loamy sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) crushed moist; 10 percent clay; massive; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; 60 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel; 20 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 3- to 10-inch tuff cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

2C4--34 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) crushed, extremely gravelly sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) crushed moist; 4 percent clay; massive; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; very few fine roots throughout; 60 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 30 percent nonflat subrounded indurated 3 to 10-inch monzonite cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana New Mexico; approximately 3.6 miles W. and 5.5 miles S. of White Sands; 1,000 feet west and 2,050 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 21, T. 23 S, R. 4 E. USGS Organ Peak topographic quadrangle; latitude: 32 degrees 17 minutes 30.65 seconds north and longitude: 106 degrees 32 minutes 35.34 seconds west. UTM zone 13S, 354645E, 3573560 N, NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Aridic ustic moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry in some or in all parts for six-tenths or more of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Some part of the epipedon is moist for more than 90 cumulative days in most years when the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F.

Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 62 degrees F.

Thickness of mollic epipedon: 20 to 40 inches

Particle-size control section weighted average:

Clay content: 10 to 18 percent

Coarse fragment content: 60 to 80 percent

Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: mixed igneous fragments; 35 to 60 percent coarse fragments, 35 to 55 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles

C horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: 35 to 50 percent total coarse fragments 25 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Texture: loam or sandy loam

2C horizons:
Hue: 5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: 65 to 90 percent total coarse fragments, 50 to 70 percent gravel, 15 to 35 percent cobbles
Texture: loamy sand or sand

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Alluvium from monzonite and tuff
Landform: Stream terrace
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual temperature: 58 to 61 degrees
Mean annual precipitation: 13 to 15 inches
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April. Precipitation during the months of January, February, and March is less than 13 percent of the total.
Frost-free period: 140 to 180 days
Elevation: 4,700 to 6,300 feet

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Thaad, Brewster, Poblano, and Arbol soils.
Brewster and Arbol soils are shallow to very shallow and are on mountain tops and flanks.
Thaad and Poblano soils are moderately deep to bedrock and are on mountain flanks and bases.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow over rapidly permeable. Runoff is medium.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the mixed prairie type consisting of sideoats grama, blue grama, oak spp., Apache plume, and alligator juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42. The series is of minor extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; 2001. Fort Bliss Military Reservation.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (C1, C2, 2C3 and 2C4 horizons)

Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 34 inches. (A, C1, C2, 2C3)

The assignment of the cation exchange capacity is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.