LOCATION FUERA NM COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Lamellic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fuera cobbly loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi&Oe--0 to 1 inches; slightly decomposed and partially decomposed forest litter. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy and weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and coarse roots; few fine tubular and many fine interstitial pores; 15 percent angular cobbles and gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
E--4 to 11 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and coarse roots; many fine tubular pores; 15 percent angular cobbles and gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
E and Bt--11 to 16 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) cobbly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; (Bt) lamellae and bands of brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse and few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent angular cobbles and gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--16 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular structure; very hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; common medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on peds; 20 percent angular cobbles and gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
Bt2--32 to 47 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on peds; scattered small pockets and discontinuous thin lenses of very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist carbonaceous material; 40 percent angular gravel, cobbles, and stones; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C1--47 to 59 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; scattered small pockets and discontinuous lenses of olive gray (5Y 4/2) weathered shale, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; 50 percent angular cobbles and stones; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C2--59 to 65 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry and moist, very stony clay; common medium distinct mottles of yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry and moist; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 60 percent shale and sandstone fragments; neutral (pH 6.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Colfax County, New Mexico; about 8 miles northwest of Loehler; 3.5 miles south on Crow Creek Road from junction with NM-555, and 1,490 feet west on logging road on north-facing slope. Unsectionized area.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Ustic moisture regime bordering on udic.
Mean annual soil temperature is 40 degrees to 44 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature is 50 degrees to 53 degrees F.
Solum thickness ranges from 28 to 60 inches.
Rock fragment content in the control section: averages 15 to 35 percent and generally increases with depth.
Some pedons lack an A horizon.
The E horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock fragment content: 15 to 35 percent, dominantly gravel, cobbles and stones
Reaction:: slightly acid or neutal
The Bt horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR, and less commonly of 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6
Texture of the fine earth fraction: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content: 5 to 30 percent in the Bt1 and 25 to 70 percent in the Bt2 horizon
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
The C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Rock fragment content: 40 to 90 percent (including parafragments)
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are presently no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: hills and convex mountain slopes
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000 feet
Slope: 10 to 60 percent
Parent material: colluvium, alluvium, and residuum derived from sandstone, shale and acid igneous rocks. A typical geologic formation is the Raton formation.
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 22 inches, of which more than half falls during the frost-free period.
Mean annual temperature is 38 degrees to 45 degrees F., mean summer temperature is 48 degrees to 51 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dargol, Jeckley, Midnight, Pino, Ponil, Rombo, Stout, Vamer and Wilcoxson soils. Dargol soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Jeckley, Pino and Wilcoxson soils have mollic epipedons. Midnight, Stout and Vamer soils have sandstone or shale at depths of less than 20 inches. Rombo soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland, wildlife, watershed, and recreation. The principal plants are Douglas-fir, white fir, ponderosa pine, oak, currant, mountain muhly, pine dropseed, Arizona fescue, and timber oatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of central and northern New Mexico; LRR E, MLRA's 39, 49, 48A. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colfax County, New Mexico, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: the zone from 16 to 36 inches. (Bt1 and part of the Bt2 horizon)
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 1 to 11 inches. (A and E horizons)
Lamellae: the zone from 11 to 16 inches. (E and Bt horizon)
Argillic horizon: the zone from 16 to 47 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Fuera soils were formerly classified as Gray Wooded soils.
Recent classification changed from a Typic Eutroboralf to a frigid Lamellic Haplustalf. The 11/2007 revision specifies an ustic moisture regime bordering on udic, based on the Douglas-fir and white fir in the plant community.
Taxonomic Version: Tenth Edition, 2006
ADDITIONAL DATA: S66NMex-4-5 and S66NMex-4-7. Lincoln Lab. 66L603, 66L602, S93CO071-009.