LOCATION GRAZANE AZ+NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Grazane very cobbly fine sandy loam -- on a fan terrace riser sloping 46 percent to the north at 5,180 feet elevation -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the pedon was moist from 0 to 20 inches and otherwise dry throughout.)
A--0 to 2 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very cobbly fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure parting to weak medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; common fine irregular and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 30 percent cobble and 1 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
BA--2 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and common very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Btk1--6 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium and common very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated in few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments and on ped faces; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Btk2--10 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated in few fine and medium irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments and on ped faces; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2Btk3--16 to 20 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 15 percent soft rock fragments; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated in few fine and medium irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments and on ped faces; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
2C--20 to 26 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; 60 percent soft rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
2Cr--26 inches; shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 4 miles northwest of Teec Nos Pos; 2,325 feet east and 250 feet south of the northwest corner of section 20, T.41 N., R.30 W., Latitude 36 degrees 57 minutes 6 seconds North and Longitude 109 degrees 8 minutes 54 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section from July to October and December to mid-April. The winter moisture peak is not as high as the summer peak. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 54 to 56 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 10 to 30 inches
Reaction - moderately to strongly alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: less than 0.6 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
10 to 20 percent gravel
25 to 35 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
BA horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: less than 0.6 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent
10 to 20 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
Btk horizons
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: less than 0.6 percent
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 15 percent
Salinity, dS/m: 2 to 4
SAR: 5 to 13
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
0 to 10 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobble
Other features: 0 to 20 percent soft, slakable shale or sandstone fragments
C horizon
Hue: 5GY through 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: less than 0.6 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam
Salinity, dS/m: 4 to 8
SAR: 5 to 13
Other features: 0 to 60 percent soft, slakable shale or sandstone fragments; some pedons have minor amounts of secondary gypsum
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bacobi (AZ), Frisite (WY), Griffy (WY), Kiki (NM), Neiber (WY), Papoose (NV), Redlands (CO), Saddle (WY), Starmountain (AZ) and Tijeras (NM) series. Bacobi soils have less than 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Kiki soils have a lithic contact within 40 inches of the surface. Neiber and Saddle soils have mean annual soil temperatures less than 51 degrees F. Frisite and Griffy soils are moist in the soil moisture control section during May and June. Redlands, Starmountain and Tijeras soils are very deep. Papoose soils are dry in the soil moisture control section during the summer months.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grazane soils are on risers of fan terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from quartz diorite and residuum derived from interbedded Jurassic shale and sandstone. Slopes range from 20 to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,900 to 5,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 8 inches about half of which falls as rain from high-intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The remainder falls as gentle rain or snow between December and mid-April. The mean annual air temperature is 52 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Blackston soil. Blackston soils are loamy-skeletal and are on treads of fan terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Grazane soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is galleta, Indian ricegrass, shadscale, sand dropseed and black grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Grazane soils are of small extent on the Blanding Basin portion of the Colorado Plateau province in northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. They may also occur in southeast Utah. 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 6 inches (A, BA horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 6 to 20 inches (Btk1, Btk2, 2Btk3 horizons)
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 26 inches (2Cr horizon)
Keys to Soil Taxonomy - Soils classified according to the Eighth Edition, 1998.