LOCATION KRAKON NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, frigid, shallow Typic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Krakon clay loam, on a south-facing hillside covered with Gambel oak. Slope is 15 percent at 8,500 feet elevations. When described, the soil was nearly dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many fine and medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; 3 percent channers; mildly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
AC--6 to 14 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate and strong medium and coarse granular structure; slightly hard; friable, sticky and plastic; many fine, medium and coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 5 percent channers; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cr1--14 to 17 inches; black and dark grayish brown clayey shale.
Cr2--17 to 60 inches; black and dark grayish brown shale with thin strata of mudstone and calcareous limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: More County, New Mexico; just north of abandoned road about 1 7/8 miles up Alamitos Canyon from NM Highway 121 in SW corner of NW1/4 sec. 30, T. 22 N., R. 15 E., in the Mora Land Grant.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact ranges from 8 to 20 inches. Rock fragments are shale, limestone, and sandstone mainly less than 3 inches in size. The soil is neutral or mildly alkaline throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR and less commonly 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It commonly is clay loam, but the range includes silt loam and loam. Rock fragments range from 0 to 14 percent channers. Organic matter content ranges from 0.4 to 0.7 percent.
The AC horizon has hue of 10YR and less commonly 2.5Y, value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3. It is loam, silt loam, or clay loam. Rock fragments range from 5 to 30 percent channers.
Some pedons have thin C horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kettner series in the same family and the Carracas, Midnight, and Nergen series in similar families. Kettner soils are slightly acid and are derived from schist. Carracas soils are mesic. Midnight soils are skeletal. Nergen soils are thermic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Krakon soils are on gently sloping to moderately steep convex mountainsides and foothills. Slopes range from 5 to 30 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from shale. Elevation is 7,500 to 9,000 feet. Mean annual temperature is 42 to 46 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The frost-free period is 85 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brycan, Dargol, Firo, Hesperus, Kinesava, Moreno, Rocio, and Vamer soils. These soils lack a paralithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium and rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most Areas of the Krakon soils are used for grazing livestock and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly Gambel oak with mountain grasses in open areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Krakon soils are not extensive. They occur in northern New Mexico.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mora County, New Mexico, 1981.
REMARKS:
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.