LOCATION KITSILI NMInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Kitsili fine sandy loam--on a planar fan terrace sloping 4 percent to the north at 5,765 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist to 17 inches and dry below.)
A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
AB--3 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; very few thin clay films bridging sand grains; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
Bk1--14 to 30 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Bk2--30 to 48 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 25 inches thick)
BC--48 to 64 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as very few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 19 miles southwest of Shiprock; about 550 feet north and 250 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 17, T.28 N., R.20 W; Latitude 36 degrees 39 minutes 22 seconds N and Longitude 108 degrees 59 minutes 21 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Typically, the soil moisture control section (SMCS) is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to mid-April. The SMCS is assumed to be dry in all parts 50 to 75 percent of the time (cumulative), when the soil temperature at 20 inches is 41 degrees F or higher. Ustic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 52 to 54 degrees F.
Silicate clay content, control section weighted average - 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragment content, control section weighted average - less than 5 percent gravel
Reaction - ranges from slightly alkaline in the surface to moderately alkaline in the subsoil and substratum
A horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
AB horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand
Bw horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam
Bk horizons-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
BC horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Begay (UT), Delvalle (NM), Ignacio (NM), Koshare (NM), Ojito (NM), Parida (NM), Remmit (CO), Sandspring (AZ), and Turnback (WY) series. Begay and Delvalle soils have epipedons with more organic carbon. Koshare soils have a significantly higher content of mica. Ignacio, Ojito and Turnback soils are moderately deep. Parida, Remmit, and Sandspring soils have hues of 10YR or yellower. In addition, Remmit and Turnback soils are in the Western Great Plains (LRR-G) and are more moist in May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kitsili soils are on fan terraces, and summits of mesas and plateaus. They formed in alluvium and eolian material derived from Triassic and Jurassic sandstone. Slopes are 1 to 8 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,600 to 6,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches about half of which falls as rain from high-intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The remainder falls as gentle rain or snow between December and mid-April. The mean annual temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arches, Marjane, and Mido soils. Arches soils are shallow to a lithic contact and occur on structural benches. Marjane soils have argillic horizons, are moderately deep to sandstone, and occur on adjacent footslopes. Mido soils are sandy and occur on stable dunes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Kitsili soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is Indian ricegrass, needleandthread, blue grama, Fendler threeawn, galleta, broom snakeweed, Greene rabbitbrush, Cutler Mormon-tea and fourwing saltbush, with scattered Utah juniper and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Kitsili soils are of moderate extent on the Blanding Basin portion of the Colorado Plateau province in northwest New Mexico and northeast Arizona. MLRA 35.
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 the soil surface to a depth of about 7 inches. (A and AB horizons)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 7 to 14 inches. (Bw horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalence determined with a field volume calcimeter. The low organic carbon is estimated based on data from adjacent soils.