LOCATION GUAJE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, mixed, mesic Aridic Calciustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Guaje gravelly sandy loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 20 percent fine pebbles; slightly alkaline. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 40 percent fine pebbles; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 14 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 55 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and as common fine irregular soft masses, coatings on pebbles and lining pores of pebbles; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bk2--14 to 60 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) very gravelly sandy loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few medium tubular pores; 55 percent pebbles; weakly cemented; strongly effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated and as soft masses and coatings on pebbles; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; NE 1/4 SW 1/4 sec. 31, T.20N., R.7E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent pebbles, 0 to 10 percent cobbles on a weighted average
Soil temperature: 47 to 59 degrees F.
Soil moisture: Moist in the soil moisture control section more than 50 percent of the time the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. The driest periods occur between October and the middle of May.
Reaction: neutral through strongly alkaline
A horizon: Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist Chroma: 2 through 4
Bk horizon: Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist Chroma; 0 through 4 Texture: Sandy loam, loam with 50 to 75 percent pebbles on a weighted average Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. A similar soil is Tinaja. Tinaja soils lack calcic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Guaje soils are on footslopes, hills, and volcanic cones in the pinyon-juniper type at elevations of about 5,500 to 7,400 feet. The soils formed mainly in basalt pumice and ash with additions of eolian material and calcium carbonate. The climate is semiarid continental. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches and mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. The precipitation has a summer maximum distribution pattern.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calabasas, Los Alamos, Panky and Silver soils. Calabasas soils lack calcic horizons. Los Alamos, Panky and Silver soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained to excessively drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Pumice mining, woodland and wildlife habitat. The principal plants are pinyon pine, oneseed juniper, cholla, cacti, blue grama, ring muhly, and several annuals.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are of moderate extent in north central New Mexico.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County (Santa Fe Area), New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: In October 2000, taxonomic classification was converted to the closest match found in Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition 1999. Some update was made to horizon nomenclature, competing series section, etc. Other placements may be more appropriate after a complete update.
The classification of this soils is changed from medial skeletal, mesic shallow Ustollic Calciorthids to medial-skeletal, mesic Aridic Ustochrepts. The aridic soil moisture regime placement was done when the aridic and ustic soil moisture regime concepts were vague. The Bk horizon is weakly cemented but is not a paralithic contact.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 9 inches. (A horizons)
Calcic horizons: The zone from 9 to 60 inches. (Bk horizons)