LOCATION DENAZAR NM+AZ

Established Series
Rev. JVC/WRJ/RJA/CDH/LJGII
10/2011

DENAZAR SERIES

The Denazar series consists of deep and very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in eolian material, alluvium, and residuum derived from sandstone. Permeability is rapid or moderately rapid. Denazar soils are on eolian-mantled summits of plateaus and structural benches, and on treads of high stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 7 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Typic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Denazar fine sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted, when described.)
A--0 to 4 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 14 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous irregularly shaped pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
2Bk1--14 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy fine sand, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous irregularly shaped pores; 5 percent channers and 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; secondary calcium carbonates disseminated and also segregated in common fine irregularly accumulations on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
2Bk2--24 to 31 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous irregularly shaped pores; 25 percent soft sandstone fragments; strongly effervescent; secondary calcium carbonates segregated in common fine and medium, irregularly shaped masses and as coatings on soft rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear irregular boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
3C--31 to 42 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) moist; massive, platy rock structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common thin strata of soft weathered sandstone; 40 percent soft sandstone fragments; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
3Cr--42 inches; soft sandstone bedrock with interbedded hard strata 2 to 4 inches thick.

TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 5 miles east of Little Water; 2,075 feet west and 1,500 feet south of the northeast corner of section 3, T. 25 N., R. 17 W. (projected from BLM cadastral survey 1983, 1984); Latitude 36 degrees 25 minutes 59 seconds N and Longitude 108 degrees 38 minutes 11 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typically, the soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to September and December to March. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 54 to 59 degrees F.
Soil depth: 40 to more than 60 inches to soft bedrock
Clay content of the control section average: 2 to 15 percent
Reaction: ranges from neutral in the surface to strongly alkaline in the underlying horizons
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 35 inches

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist

Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: fine sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sand

Bk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 2.5Y, 10YR, 5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sand, fine sand
Rock fragments: Total range is 0 to 10 percent; 5 to 10 percent gravel; 0 to 5 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
Other features: 0 to 25 percent soft sandstone fragments

Bkb horizons (in very deep phase)
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 50 percent

Ck or C horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent small channers or gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Other features: 30 to 50 percent soft sandstone fragments; some pedons contain up to 5 percent secondary gypsum

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Lynndyl (UT), Sandbench (UT), and Tohatin (AZ) series. Lynndyl soils have mean annual soil temperature less than 54 degrees F. In addition, Lynndyl soils are in the Great Basin Desert (MLRA 28A) and have precipitation more evenly distributed throughout the year. Sandbench soils are moderately deep to hard bedrock. Tohatin soils have hues of 5YR and depth to calcic horizon 2 to 6 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Denazar soils are on eolian-mantled summits of plateaus and structural benches, and treads of high stream terraces. Denazar soils formed in eolian material, alluvium, and residuum derived from sandstone. The lower part of some profiles formed in weathered sandstone over a base of interbedded soft and hard sandstone. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,400 to 5,900 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 10 inches with 35 to 60 percent falling as rain from high intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 54 to 57 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 140 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Farb and Nageezi soils. Farb soils are shallow to sandstone bedrock and are associated with areas of sandstone rock outcrop. Nageezi soils are coarse-loamy and occur on adjacent treads of high stream terraces which have thinner eolian mantles.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, very slow runoff, rapid or moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Denazar soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta, sand dropseed, sandhill muhly, Mormon-tea, fourwing saltbush, sand sagebrush and Greene and rubber rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Denazar soils are of moderate extent in the western San Juan Basin portion of the Colorado Plateau in northwest New Mexico. 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 14 inches (A and Bw horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 14 to 31 inches (2Bk1 and 3Bk2 horizons)
Paralithic contact - the presence of soft sandstone bedrock at 42 inches
Calcium carbonate equivalence determined visually and with the use of a field volume calcimeter.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 11th Edition, 2010.
Updates and revisions for the correlation of Navajo Mountain Area (AZ711), May 28, 2008
Updates and revisions for the correlation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, January 2010, CEM
Update and revisions for the correlation of Chinle Area (AZ713), August 2011, LJG2

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.