LOCATION GISH NM+AZ

Established Series
Rev. SAZ
06/2013

GISH SERIES

The Gish series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly to very slowly permeable soils that developed in fan alluvium derived from shale. Gish soils are on alluvial fans on valley sides and drainageways. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches. Mean annual air temperature is about 48 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Gish clay loam-in rangeland on an east facing slope of about 3 percent at an elevation of 6,840 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 3 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; thin surface crust above strong very fine granular structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bw--3 to 13 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; strong very fine, fine and medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; few sand coatings on ped faces; few pressure faces; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 24 inches thick)

Bky1--13 to 27 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 1 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; common very fine masses of gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bky2--27 to 55 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; few pressure faces; very slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; common very fine masses of gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary.

Bky3--55 to 64 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 4 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; few very fine masses of gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.

Bky4--64 to 70 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; 1 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; few very fine masses of gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6). (The combined thickness of the Bky horizons is 36 to 60 inches thick)

TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Gallup East Quadrangle; about 5 miles northeast of Gallup, New Mexico; about 2,600 feet west and 900 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 21, T. 16 N., R. 17 W. 35 degrees, 35 minutes, 52 seconds north latitude and 108 degrees, 38 minutes, 37 seconds west longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
The SMCS is dry, in all parts more than 50 percent of the time from April through October. It is intermittently moist in some part November through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 47 to 56 degrees F.

Particle-size control section: 35 to 50 percent clay

Calcium carbonate equivalence: 0 to 2 percent in the upper part of the soil and 1 to 10 percent in the lower subsoil.

Gypsum percent: 0 to 2 percent in the By horizons

Salinity: 0 to 2 ds/m

Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline

A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y, 10YR
Value: 4 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry and moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel

Bw horizon
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry and moist
Texture: clay, clay loam, silty clay loam

Bky and Bk horizons
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry and moist
Texture: clay, clay loam, loam, silt loam

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ordway (CO) and Ponciano (NM) series. Ordway soils are 20 to 40 inches to paralithic contact of gypsiferous shale. Ponciano soils have mean annual air temperatures of 52 to 57 degrees F and hues of 2.5YR and 7.5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gish soils formed in fan alluvium derived from shale and are on alluvial fans and drainageways. Slopes are 1 to 8 percent. Elevation is 5,850 to 7,200 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 165 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Atrac, Mentmore, and Nahodish soils. The Atrac soils are medium textured and on alluvial fans. The Mentmore soils are medium to moderately fine textured soils in drainageways and fan remnants. The Nahodish soils are fine textured and on stream terraces on valley floors.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; and slow to very slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is big sagebrush, galleta, western wheatgrass, winterfat, and four-wing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central, New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from about 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: - the zone from 3 to 13 inches (Bw horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999. Keys to Taxonomy, 11th Edition, 2010.

Cation exchange activity class was changed from active to superactive in December 2000.

Update and revisions for the correlation of Ft. Defiance Area AZ715, 2/08, DWD
Updated the competing series section May 31, 2008
Update and revisions for the correlation of Chinle Area (AZ713), August 2011, LJG2
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.