LOCATION KATLON                  NM

Established Series
Rev. MWR-LWH-KLS
05/2023

KATLON SERIES

The Katlon series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in colluvium derived from igneous materials and shale. These soils are on mountain slopes and have slopes of 25 to 45 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 710 to 810 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 2 to 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive Ustic Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Katlon silt loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

O--0 to 10 cm; decomposing needles and litter.

A1--10 to 25 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

A2--25 to 45 cm; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

E--45 to 78 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common thin silt coats on faces of peds; slightly acid (p.H 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 38 cm thick)

Bt1--78 to 96 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine flattened roots; few very fine vesicular pores; common thick clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid (p.H 5.4); gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bt2--96 to 213 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist, few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) mottles; moderate coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots, few very fine vesicular pores; common very thick clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid (p.H 4.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. About 14 km east of Ensenado, New Mexico. Long. 106 degrees, 28 minutes, 8 seconds west; 36 degrees, lat. 41 minutes, 44 seconds north.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--3 to 6 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--7 to 8 degrees C
Soil moisture--The soil is moist in at least some parts of the soil moisture control section during the months of November through May and July through September.
Mollic epipedon thickness--25 to 41 cm

Particle-size control section:
Base saturation--less than 50 percent in some part of the Bt horizon within 175 cm of the soil surface
Clay content--35 to 45 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent

A horizon:
Value--2 or 3 dry or moist
Chroma--1 or 2
Reaction--pH 6.6 to 7.3

E horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4
Rock fragment content--0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 6.5

Bt horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--silty clay loam or silty clay
Rock fragment content--0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 5.5, commonly decreasing with depth

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family to date. Mudbuz (CO) soils are similar. Mudbuz soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--mountain side slopes that have undergone mass wasting
Elevation--2600 to 3025 meters
Slope--25 to 45 percent
Parent material--colluvium from igneous and sedimentary rock
Mean annual precipitation--710 to 890 mm
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 4 degrees C
Frost-free period--50 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Katlon soils are used mainly for wood production and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is white fir and aspen with an understory of mountain brome, peavine, snowberry and Gambel oak.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Katlon soils are of small extent in northcentral New Mexico; MLRA 48A.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, 1989.

REMARKS: This soil was originally classified as a mollisol without regard to base status.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--10 to 45 cm (A horizon)
Albic horizon--45 to 78 cm (E horizon)
Argillic horizon--78 to 150 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Base saturation--less than 50 percent in the Bt horizons
Particle-size control section--78 to 128 cm (Bt1 horizon and part of the Bt2 horizon)

Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 05/2023

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.