LOCATION ETOE NM+CO

Established Series
Rev. GWA/BDS/KLS
09/2022

ETOE SERIES

The Etoe series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvial-colluvial material from sandstone and shale. Etoe soils are on steep and very steep slopes. The mean annual precipitation is about 560 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Ustic Palecryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Etoe loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 cm; undecomposed and slightly decomposed forest litter.

Oe--3 to 6 cm; moderately decomposed forest litter.

E1--6 to 14 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak, very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; less than 5 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

E2--14 to 34 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grained and weak very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly plastic; many few fine coarse and medium roots; many fine pores; less than 10 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

E/B--34 to 67 cm; 85 percent (E) pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; and 15 percent (B) strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) cobbly fine sandy loam, dry and moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine, few coarse and medium roots; many fine tubular pores; 25 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

B/E--67 to 97 cm; 25 percent (B) strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry and moist, very cobbly fine sandy loam and 75 percent (E) pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; few coarse and medium roots; many fine tubular pores; 40 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

Bt1--97 to 138 cm; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky and moderate fine granular structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many fine pores; thick, patchy clay films; 60 percent rock fragments; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (30 to 50 cm thick)

Bt2--138 to 191 cm; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many fine pores; thick patchy clay films; 70 percent rock fragments; neutral.

TYPE LOCATION: Colfax County, New Mexico; about 19 km south of Eagle Nest, about 2 km north-northwest of point where U. S. Highway 64 leaves the Morino Valley

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--4 degrees to 8 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--8 degrees to 10 degrees C
Thickness of solum--150 to 230 cm
Depth to the argillic horizon--60 to 100 cm
Rock fragment content--A horizon: 0 to 60 percent; A/B and B/A horizons: 20 to 65 percent; Bt horizons: 50 to 85 percent. Fragments are angular pebbles, cobbles, and stones of sandstone lithology.
Some pedons have a thin A horizon.

E horizons
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry and moist
Texture--loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam

E/B and B/E horizons
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 through 6, dry and moist
Texture--loam, sandy clay loam or fine sandy loam
Structure--weak or moderate, medium or coarse subangular blocky structure

Bt horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 5YR
Value--3 through 7 dry; 3 through 5 moist
Chroma--2 through 6, dry and moist
Texture--heavy sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content--10 to 25 percent clay
Sand content--more than 45 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Angostura, Bundo, Coldcreek, Cundiyo, Gambler, Jorge, Lake Creek, Marosa, Tecolote, Tigeron and Yourame series. Angostura, Coldcreek, Cundiyo, Gambler, Jorge, Lake Creek, Tecolote and Yourame soils have argillic horizons whose upper boundary is shallower than 60 cm. Bundo soils have argillic horizons whose upper boundary is deeper than 115 cm. Marosa soils lack E/B and B/E horizons. Tigeron soils are strongly or medium acid.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--steep and very steep, stony, convex northerly facing slopes
Elevations--2750 to 3350 meters
Slope--20 to 60 percent
Parent material--colluvial-alluvial material derived from sandstone and shale of the Magdalena formation
Mean annual precipitation--460 to 640 mm, with about 75 percent falling during the frost-free season
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 7 degrees C
Mean summer temperature--7 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free period--less than 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife, recreation and watershed. Overstory is Douglas-fir, white fir and aspen. Understory is shrubs and scattered mountain grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Etoe soils are moderately extensive in northern New Mexico and western Colorado. MLRAs 48A and 48B

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colfax County, New Mexico, 1974

REMARKS: Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 3/2022

ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Lab. S66NMex-4-1 (66L595).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.