LOCATION HORSELAKE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Torrertic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Horselake loam, on a north facing, convex, 3 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 7,350 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on July 7, 1999 the soil was slightly moist from 3 to 36 inches.
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine, medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Btss1--9 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common prominent (1 inch wide) slickensides; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Btss2--14 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; many prominent slickensides (1 to 2 inches side); slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Btk--22 to 31 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common medium and fine carbonate seams, slightly effervescent; 10 percent pararock pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); 3 percent subangular shale gravels; 35 percent clay; clear smooth boundary,
C--31 to 36 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very channery clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard; firm; sticky and plastic; slightly effervescent; 50 percent pararock channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8 ); clear smooth boundary.
Cr--36 inches; soft shale; strongly effervescent
TYPE LOCATION: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation; about 2 miles south of Stone Lake; 1000 feet north, 100 feet west SE Corner Sec. 1, T. 28 N., R. 1 E.; Cedar Canyon USGS quad; lat. 36 degrees 39 minutes 50 seconds N, long. 106 degrees 52 minutes 40 seconds W.; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that is evenly distributed throughout the year with the exception of a significant peak during July and August, and a significant decrease from April through June. June is the driest month. (Ustic moisture bordering on aridic.)
Mean annual soil temperature: 45 to 52 degrees F
Mean summer soil temperature: 55 to 65 degrees F
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 10 to 22 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent
Sand content: 15 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Size: channers and gravel
Kind: subangular shale and siltstone
A horizon:
Value: 4 to 5 dry 3 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Content: 0 to 5 percent
Size: gravel
Kind: subangular shale and siltstone
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Content: 0 to 5 percent
Size: gravel
Kind: subangular shale and siltstone
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Btk horizon:
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Content: 0 to 5 percent
Size: gravel
Kind: subangular shale and siltstone
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
C horizon: (where present)
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 50 percent
Content: 5 to 50 percent
Size: channers or gravel
Kind: subangular shale and siltstone
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Demar,
Teequee, and
Thurlow soils.
Demar, Teequee and Thurlow soils are deep or very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium and residuum derived from Mancos shale
Landform: low shale hills
Slopes: 1 to 10 percent
Elevation: 6,900 to 7,700 feet
Mean annual temperature: 45 to 48 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 16 inches
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation falls mostly during the months of November through March and July through October. June is the driest month. Total snowfall averages about 3 to 4 feet with snowmelt lasting into April.
Frost-free period: 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Menefee, Suposo, Wilmac series. The Menefee soils are shallow and are on backslopes and ridges. The Suposo soils are very deep and are in valleys. Wilmac soils are on similar positions and have less than 45 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high runoff, very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are livestock grazing. The native plant community is western wheatgrass, low sage, blue grama, galleta, and Rocky mountain juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern New Mexico; MLRA 36; moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, Jicarilla Apache Area, Parts of Rio Arriba and Sandoval Counties Soil Survey. The name Horselake is taken from a local lake.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 3 to 23 inches. (Bt, Btss1, Btss2, Btk horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 31 inches. (Bt, Btss1, Btss2, Btk horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with shale at 36 inches. (Cr horizon)
Vertic features: slickensides, cracks, and COLE of 0.06 to 0.09 between the surface and the paralithic contact.
Other features: carbonate, gypsum and pH increase with proximity to shale.
Remarks:
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Lab characterization samples taken within a Horselake mapunit S90NM-039-003, originally sampled as Rombo, and COLE samples S99-039-003 taken at this pedon from 14 to 22 inches.