LOCATION CLOVERDALE              NM+AZ

Established Series
Rev. DNC/VGL
04/2011

CLOVERDALE SERIES

The Cloverdale series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in calcareous alluvium derived mainly from rhyolite and basalt. These soils are on long broad slopes of alluvial fans and plains. Mean annual temperature is about 58 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is about 15 inches. Slopes are 1 to 15 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Torrertic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Cloverdale clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky; many fine roots; many medium and fine irregular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick).

Bt1--4 to 9 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky, very plastic; many fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; common, moderately thick clay films on ped faces; few indistinct slickensides; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Bt2--9 to 18 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very coarse prismatic and moderate coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky; few fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on ped faces; few indistinct slickensides; weakly calcareous, slightly alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

B--18 to 36 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak very coarse prismatic and weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous, moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

Bk--36 to 84 inches; mixed reddish brown (5YR 5/3), light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) and light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly clay, mostly structureless, massive, a few pockets have moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; common medium prominent black concretions and stains; common fine distinct lime bodies; strongly calcareous, moderately alkaline. (1 to several feet thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Hidalgo County, New Mexico; near Cloverdale, 900 feet east, 50 feet north of the SW corner of sec. 32, T. 32 S., R. 20 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Cloverdale soils are usually dry in the control section for more than 90 cumulative days, but they are not dry for 60 consecutive days. The dry periods are in the spring and autumn. The moisture regime is Aridic ustic.
Solum thickness is 20 to 46 inches.

Mean annual soil temperature: 59 degrees to 72 degrees F.
The control section is commonly clay but some is heavy clay loam. It contains from 35 to 60 percent clay.

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 10 to 40 percent cobble and stones of basalt

B horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 through 5 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry, 1 to 6 moist
Structure: weak to moderate prismatic and subangular blocky
Clay films: few thin to common moderately thick
Texture: clay, clay loam

Bk horizon
Texture: clay loam, clay
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent gravel
Varies widely in hue, value, and chroma. This horizon appears to indicate that the soil had poor drainage at some time in the past.

Some pedons have Btk horizons

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on long broad slopes of alluvial fans and plains. These fans and plains are dissected by narrow intermittent drainage ways that are two to ten feet lower in relief. Slopes range from 1 to 15 percent. The regolith is moderately fine and fine calcareous alluvium derived mainly from rhyolite and basalt. Elevation ranges from 4,200 to 6,000 feet. The mean annual air temperature is about 57 to 62 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 20 inches. The frost-free period is 160 to 210 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Stanford and Rafter series. The Stanford and Rafter soils are in narrow intermittent drainageways that dissect the long broad slopes of alluvial fans and plains where Cloverdale soils occur.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is moderate; permeability is very slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used almost entirely for native grazing. The principal vegetation is short and mid grasses, essentially tobosa, vine mesquite, sideoats grama, blue grama, and cane beardgrass. Goldeneye is a common annual forb on these soils. Cholla cactus is a common invader on more sloping areas.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Present known distribution is southwestern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs are 38 and 41.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Animas Valley Area, SCS W102, 1938, Hidalgo County, New Mexico.

REMARKS: This revision does not change the series concept but it better defines it. The original type location could not be located. The above typifying pedon was described very near the old location in the same landscape.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to depth of 36 inches (A, Bt1, Bt2, B horizons)

Argillic horizon - the zone from 4 to 18 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

Revised for the correlation of AZ675, 5/2009, WWJ

Revised for the correlation of Graham County, AZ, Southwestern Part; March, 2011, WWJ

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.