LOCATION HIGHDYE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Highdye fine sandy loam - in pinyon-juniper woodland on a convex surface of 2 percent slope at an elevation of 7,360 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 10 percent sandstone pebbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 5 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and bridges; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
2Bt2--5 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; few fine irregular pores; 5 percent sandstone pebbles; many prominent clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 4 to 17 inches.)
2R--12 inches; sandstone--weathered in the upper part
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Pescado Quadrangle; about 3.4 miles southwest of Pescado Reservoir on the Zuni Indian Reservation; 2,100 feet west and 1,700 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 22, T. 10 N., R. 17 W.; 108 degrees 37 minutes 00 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 4 minutes 49 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: In most years, the soil is continuously moist in some part of the soil moisture control section November through April and intermittently moist July through October. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 48 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to the lithic contact: 6 to 20 inches to sandstone
Particle-size control section: 35 to 55 percent clay
Reaction: moderately acid or neutral
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent (total range)
0 to 15 percent gravel
0 to 20 percent cobbles or channers
Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist.
Texture: Clay loam, clay, or sandy clay.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent (total range)
0 to 10 percent gravel
0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Some pedons have a paralithic contact of interbedded shale and sandstone above the lithic contact.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Dye series. The Dye soils have mean annual soil temperatures of 52 to 58 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Highdye soils are on summits of mesas, hills and ridges, and dipslopes of cuestas. Highdye soils formed in eolian and alluvium and slope alluvium derived from sandstone over residuum derived from sandstone and shale. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,600 to 8,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 13 to 16 inches with the majority falling as rain from high intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 52 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 100 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the proposed Bryway, Evpark, Galzuni, and Parkelei soils on summits of mesas and dipslopes of cuestas; and the Toldohn and Vessilla soils on escarpments. The Bryway and Evpark soils are moderately deep to shale and sandstone respectively. The Galzuni and Parkelei soils are very deep. The Toldohn and Vessilla soils lack argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low to high runoff, and slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mostly for wood products and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is pinyon and oneseed juniper with an understory of mountainmahogany, antelope bitterbrush, Gambel oak, big sagebrush, blue grama and muttongrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern New Mexico. MLRAs 35 & 36, LRR-D. This series is of moderate extent.
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 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 12 inches. (Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact: The boundary with sandstone bedrock at 12 inches. (2R layer) horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.