LOCATION DEMAYO COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Demayo very cobbly clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very cobbly clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary (5 to 9 inches thick).
Bw--5 to 12 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very cobbly clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; 20 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt irregular boundary (5 to 11 inches thick).
R--12 inches; hard basalt bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Las Animas County, Colorado; approximately 8 miles southeast of Kim, Colorado on the Tecolote Mesa; about 950 feet east and 1,600 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 20, T. 33 S., R. 52 W.; Kim South USGS quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees, 09 minutes, 30 seconds north; longitude 103 degrees, 16 minutes, 42 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. Moist intermittently April through August. Driest December through February.
Mean annual soil temperature:50 to 55 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 20 inches
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches.
Most pedons are noncalcareous; however, some pedons may have calcium carbonate accumulation on the underside of rock fragments.
Particle size control section: (weighted average)
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Sand content: 15 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent, and are dominantly basalt pebbles and cobbles.
The surface is commonly covered with 5 to 20 percent stones.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
Rock fragment content: 35 to 50 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 70 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Arbol (NM),
Far (AZ),
Faraway (AZ),
Huachuca (AZ),
Rotagilla (NM), and
Seralin (NV) series. Potential competitors were superactive cation exchange activity class assigned are
Baller, (CO),
Boriana (NM),
Docdee (NM),
Oro Grande (NM) and
Yaquican (AZ) series.
Arbol soils: has a paralithic contact above the lithic contact and are dry March and April.
Far soils: average less than 18 percent clay in the control section and are dry in
May and June.
Faraway soils: average less than 18 percent clay in the control section and are dry in May and June.
Huachuca soils: have secondary carbonates and are dry in May and June.
Rotagilla soils: rock fragments are derived from monzonite and are dominantly gravel size, are dry in March and April.
Saralin soils: average less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Baller soils: average 5 to 18 percent clay in the control section.,
Boriana soils: average less than 18 percent clay in the control section and are dry in May and June.
Docdee soils: receive significant amounts of winter precipitation
Oro Grande soils: have significant accumulations of calcium carbonate in the control section, and have a calcium carbonate equivalent of 8 to 14 percent.
Yaquican soils: are dry in May and June and have an E horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Slope alluvium and residuum from basalt.
Landform: Demayo soils are on steep ridges and hills on basalt capped mesas and lava plateaus.
Slope: 1 to 30 percent.
Elevation: 5,500 to 7,000 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 17 inches
Mean annual temperature: 50 to 53 degrees F.
Frost-free season: 125 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Apache,
Ayon,
Eguaje, and
Torreon soils.
Apache soils: calcareous throughout the control section.
Ayon, Eguaje, and Torreon soils: greater than 60 inches to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is very high; permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Demayo soils are used primarily for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly sideoats grama, little bluestem, big bluestem, blue grama, needlegrasses, Gambel oak, true mountainmahogany, pinon, and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Basalt capped mesas of southeastern Colorado. LRR G, MLRA 70; the series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES PROPOSED: Las Animas County, Colorado, 1989. Demayo series is a coined name. It is derived from the Mesa de Mayo, a major landmark in the area. The name is pronounced Da-my-o.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 12 inches. (A and Bw horizons)
Lithic contact: basalt bedrock at 12 inches. (R horizon)
Taxonomic Version: Second Edition, 1999
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data number: S88CO-071-001.