LOCATION KATZINE AZ+NM COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calciustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Katzine very cobbly very fine sandy loam - on a convex fan terrace riser sloping 23 percent to the south at 6,320 feet elevation - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist from 1 to 12 inches and otherwise dry throughout.)
A--0 to 1 inch; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very cobbly very fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 30 percent cobble, 20 percent gravel, and 5 percent stones; slightly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bw--1 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very cobbly very fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 25 percent cobble and 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bk1--7 to 12 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common medium and few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel and 25 percent cobble; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments and weakly cemented nodules; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)
Bk2--12 to 28 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) very cobbly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 25 percent cobble, 20 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many large weakly cemented accumulations on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)
Bk3--28 to 47 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very cobbly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 30 percent cobble, 20 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium weakly cemented accumulations on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 29 inches thick)
C--47 to 63 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely cobbly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; 35 percent cobble, 20 percent gravel and 15 percent stones; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 8.5 miles south-southeast of Teec Nos Pos; 150 feet west and 1,520 feet south of the northeast corner of section 7, T.39 N., R.31 E.; Latitude 36 degrees 48 minutes 21 seconds North and Longitude 109 degrees 3 minutes 3 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent of the time and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. December and August are the wettest months and May and June are the driest. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 47 to 58 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon - 6 to 15 inches
Clay content - less than 18 percent
Rock fragments - Average 35 to 60 percent. Some individual horizon may contain less than 35 percent in any one horizon.
A and Bw horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: 0.6 to 2 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 10 percent
Texture: Fine sandy loam and loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
10 to 55 percent gravel
5 to 35 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
Bk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: less than 0.6 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent
15 to 55 percent gravel
0 to 30 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
C horizon (when present)
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: less than 0.6 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent
Texture: loamy sand, sand
Rock fragments: 60 to 90 percent
20 to 30 percent gravel
35 to 45 percent cobble
5 to 15 percent stones
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buckndoe (AZ), Chicosa (CO), Saraton (CO), Tinaja (NM), Twobutte (KS), Upler (UT), and Yatne (UT) series. Buckndoe soils are deep to hardpan. Saraton and Twobutte soils are moderately deep. Chicosa and Tinaja soils exceed 18 percent in clay content within the particle size control section. Upler and Yatne soils have a Bk horizon that can be more yellow than 7.5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Katzine soils are on risers of fan terraces, hills and mountains. They formed in alluvium and colluvium derived from calcareous Tertiary quartz diorite and Jurassic or Triassic sandstones. Slopes range from 5 to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches in New Mexico and 14 to 20 inches in Arizona with about half falling as winter snow and half falling as rain from high intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 56 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chazner, Tsezhin and Wetherill soils. Chazner soils are fine-loamy, moderately deep to an indurated calcium carbonate hardpan and occur on adjacent treads of fan terraces. Tsezhin soils have argillic horizons containing over 27 percent clay and occur on treads of fan piedmonts. Wetherill soils are fine-silty, have argillic horizons and occur on eolian-mantled surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Katzine soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and fuelwood production. Present vegetation is Utah juniper, pinyon, black sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, datil yucca, green Mormon-tea, Indian ricegrass and muttongrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Katzine soils are of small extent on the Red Rock Bench portion-Canyonlands section of the Colorado Plateau province in northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico, in addition to northern Arizona. MLRAs 35 & 36
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 7 inches (A, Bw horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 7 to 47 inches (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3 horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.