LOCATION FLORITA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Florita sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and few fine continuous pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
C1--4 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine continuous pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
C2--12 to 21 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine continuous pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C3--21 to 43 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 23 inches thick)
C4--43 to 65 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6)
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; 3,674 feet west, 1,169 feet north of southeast corner Sec. 24, T. 32 N., R. 12 W.; 36 degrees, 58 minutes, 00 seconds west longitude; 108 degrees, 2 minutes, 56 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through March and July through September. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic Aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 50 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to carbonates: greater than 40 inches
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 through 6 dry, 2 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent gravel
C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam above 40 inches; sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy fine sand, coarse loamy sand, coarse sand below 40 inches. Some pedons are stratified.
COMPETING SERIES: this is the Embry (WY) series. Embry soils are slightly acid or neutral and lack carbonates within 60 inches of the surface and are dry for 60 consecutive days and 90 cumulative days between July 15 and October 25.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Florita soils are on hills and valley sides. Slope is 2 to 45 percent. The soils formed in coarse-textured alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. Elevation is 5,700 to 7,200 feet. Climate is semiarid continental. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches. Average annual temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. Average frost-free period is 115 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Skyvillage and Atrac soils. Skyvillage soils are shallow to sandstone. Atrac soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately rapid to rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing and fuel wood production. Present vegetation is sideoats grama, oneseed juniper, big sagebrush, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern New Mexico. It is of small extent. MLRAs 35, 36 and 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan County, New Mexico, Eastern Part, 1978.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 4 inches (A horizon)
Entic feature - lack of diagnostic horizons.
Updates and revisions for the Correlation of Navajo Mountain Area, AZ711, May 31, 2008, CEM