LOCATION GRIETA NM+AZ

Established Series
Rev. LWH/GBM/LWH/
10/2011

GRIETA SERIES

The Grieta series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that developed in eolian sediments on ridges, fan terraces, plateaus and mesas. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches, and the mean annual air temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Calciargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Grieta loamy fine sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bt1--7 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)

Bt2--14 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few faint discontinuous clay films in root channels, clay bridges between sand grains; 5 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 18 inches thick)

Bk1--21 to 38 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 10 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and few fine irregular soft masses and coatings on undersides of pebbles; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)

Bk2--38 to 50 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 2 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and as coatings on sand grains and common fine irregularly shaped soft masses; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick)

Bk3--50 to 65 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and as few, fine irregularly shaped soft masses; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico; approximately 6 miles northwest of Rio Rancho and 450 feet north and 720 feet east of the southwest corner of section 20, T. 13 N., R. 2 E.; 106 degrees, 44 minutes, 32 seconds - west longitude; 35 degrees, 14 minutes, 46 seconds - north latitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Usually dry, the soil moisture control section is typically dry in all part during April, May and June and is moist intermittently in some part July through October. It is dry in all parts more than 75 percent of the time that the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 52 to 59 degrees F.

Depth to the base of the Bt: 20 to 40 inches

Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches

Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: loamy fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam

Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
Sand content: greater than 35 percent
Other features: In some pedons, a Btk horizon may be present
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent

Bk horizon
Hue 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, loam or sandy clay loam
Other features: In some pedons, loamy sand occurs at depths below 40 inches Calcium carbonate equivalent: more than 15 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cataract (UT), Chattin (ID), Mack (CO), Mesa (CO), Nannyton (ID), Neiberger (CO), and Threedogs (NV) series. Cataract soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Chattin soils have more than 50 percent silt and 2 to 15 percent volcanic glass in the particle-size control section. Mack soils are more than 40 inches deep to the base of the argillic and have more than 18 percent clay in all parts below the argillic horizon. Mesa soils have a loamy-skeletal substratum above 40 inches. Nannyton soils are less than 20 inches deep to the calcic horizon and have sand and/or loamy sand textures above 40 inches. Neiberger soils are 20 and 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Threedogs soils have more than 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in all parts of the profile and are strongly and very strongly alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grieta soils are on ridges, fan terraces, plateaus, and mesas. Slopes are 0 to 10 percent. The soils formed in windblown sediments derived from mixed alluvial and eolian material. Climate is semiarid continental. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 10 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 51 to 57 degrees F., and the frost-free period ranges from 140 to 180 days. Elevation ranges from 4,200 to 6,000 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kiki, Sheppard, and Shiprock soils. Kiki soils are moderately deep over basalt and lack a calcic horizon. Sheppard soils lack argillic horizons. Shiprock soils have less than 18 percent clay.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate and moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for urban development and livestock grazing. Present vegetation is black grama, galleta, sand dropseed, ring muhly, sand sage, and broom snakeweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and western New Mexico and Northern Arizona. MLRAs 35 & 36. It is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - the zone from 7 to 21 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 21 to 50 inches (Bk1, Bk2 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

The classification was changed from fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplargids to fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Calciargids in 2003

Updated and revised for the correlation of Ft. Defiance Area AZ715 2/08 DWD

Update and revisions for the correlation of Little Colorado River Area (AZ707), Sept. 2011, CEM

ADDITIONAL DATA:

NSSL S81NM006011

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.