LOCATION CLOVIS             NM+AZ UT 
Established Series
Rev. RAH/ACT/WJG
10/2007

CLOVIS SERIES


The Clovis series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in medium and moderately fine textured sediments from quartzite gneiss, schist, sandstone, and limestone. The Clovis soils are on fan terraces, piedmont slopes, and plains. Slopes are 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Calciargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Clovis fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure, weak thin crust in the upper inch; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bt1--5 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; few clay bridges on sand grains; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--8 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine pores; common thin clay bridges and coatings on sand grains and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of Bt horizon is 8 to 20 inches)

Btk--15 to 20 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; common thin clay bridges and coatings on sand grains and in pores; slightly effervescent; few medium irregular masses of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

Bk1--20 to 25 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; few fine rounded pebbles; strongly effervescent; few fine irregular masses of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

Bk2--25 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/3) very fine sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots in upper 12 inches; common very fine pores; common fine rounded pebbles; violently effervescent; many fine and medium irregular masses of calcium carbonate decreasing in amount below 48 inches; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Torrance County, New Mexico; NE 1/4, NE 1/4, NE 1/4 of sec. 31, T. 7 N., R. 12 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: The peak moist period occurs in July, August, September, and October with 50 to 60 percent of the yearly moisture occurring. Five to 7 inches of precipitation occurs in July and August and the soil moisture control section is moist in some or all parts for 10 to 15 consecutive days in the 120 days after the summer solstice.

Soil Temperature: 52 to 59 degrees F.

Depth to the base of the Bt or Btk: 20 to 32 inches.

Depth to calcium carbonate: 12 to 18 inches.

Depth to the calcic horizon: 18 to 36 inches.

Rock fragments: less than 15 percent stones, cobbles, or pebbles.

A horizon:

Hue- 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Other feature: when mollic colors occur the epipedon is too thin to qualify for a mollic epipedon.
Texture: loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, loam, gravelly loam or sandy clay loam.

BA, Bt, Btk horizons:

Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: more than 30 percent

Bk horizon:

Hue- 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam or sandy clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 60 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alvey, Barx, Cabreros, Cerrillos, Fernando, Flaco, Horchata, Maysdorf, Millett, Palabria, Progresso, Sanostee, Scholle, Selpats, Solirec, Spenlo, Threetop, Tuweep, and Wineg series.

Alvey soils have hue of 10YR or are yellower in the particle-size control section.
Cabreros, Flaco, Horchata, Progresso, Sanostee, and Threetop soils are moderately deep over bedrock.
Cerrillos soils receive less than half of the annual precipitation between the months of July and October and receive less precipitation in May and June.
Maysdorf, Selpats, and Threetop soils receive maximum precipitation in May and June. In addition, Maysdorf soils contains 5 to 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the calcic horizon.
Millett soils contains 25 to 75 percent gravel and cobbles in the lower part of the solum.
Palabria soils are deep to bedrock and have 0 to 2 percent rock fragments in the control section.
Scholle soils contains 15 to 35 percent gravel in the control section.
Selpats soils have skeletal lithologic discontinuity at depths ranging from 15 to 39 inches.
Spenlo soils receive more than half of the annual precipitation between the months of July and October and receive more precipitation in May and June.
Tuweep soils are formed in alluvium from pyroclastics and basalt and have 10YR or yellower colors.
Wineg soils have a MAST of 56 degrees F. and MAP of over 14 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Clovis soils are on fan terraces, piedmont slopes, and plains. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The soils formed in medium and moderately fine textured mixed sediments from quartzite, gneiss, schist, sandstone, and limestone. Elevations range from 4,500 to 7,200 feet. The climate is semiarid continental. Typically, the mean annual temperature is about 49 to 57 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is typically 10 to 14 inches, but has ranged to 16 inches in some areas. Frost-free period is 140 to 185 days. In Arizona, the mean annual temperature drops to 48 degrees and the frost-free period is 120 to 165 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alicia, Dean, Harvey, LaFonda, Moriarty, Pastura and Witt soils. Alicia, Dean, Harvey, LaFonda, and Moriarty soils lack argillic horizons. Pastura soils have petrocalcic horizons at depths less than 20 inches. Witt soils are deeper than 36 inches to the calcic horizon and contain less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser in the control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate or moderately slow. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes and medium on 5 to 20 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is for livestock grazing, but also used for irrigated cropland and nonirrigated wheat. The principal native vegetation is blue grama, hairy grama, galleta, sideoats grama, buffalo grass, and yucca. Irrigated crops are alfalfa, potatoes, and sugar beets.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central New Mexico, east-central Arizona and southwest Utah. The series is of large extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Curry County, New Mexico, 1956.

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

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 5 inches. (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - 5 to 20 inches. (Bt, Btk horizons)

Calcic horizon - 25 to 60 inches. (Bk2 horizon)

Taxonomic version: Eighth edition, 1998


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.