LOCATION KWAKINA                 NM+UT

Established Series
Rev. SSP/LWH/SAZ/WWJ
06/2013

KWAKINA SERIES

The Kwakina series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in alluvium, fan alluvium and stream alluvium derived from stratified multicolored sandstone formations on alluvial fans on valley sides and floodplains on valley floors. Mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Ustic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Kwakina loamy fine sand--in rangeland on a convex surface of 1 percent slope at an elevation of 6,425 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

C1--7 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary.

C2--11 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary.

C3--23 to 33 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary.

C4--33 to 53 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual smooth boundary.

Ck--53 to 65 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated as few very fine soft masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8). (The combined thickness of the C horizons is 58 to 63 inches.)

TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Zuni Quadrangle; about 3.4 miles southeast of Dowa Yalanne Mt. on the Zuni Indian Reservation; 108 degrees 45 minutes 18 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 00 minutes 54 seconds north latitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually dry, in all parts, 105 to 160 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually moist, in some part, 50 to 105 cumulative days during the same period. It is intermittently moist in some part November through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic aridic moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 51 to 54 degrees F.

Particle-size control section: 5 to 18 percent clay and greater than 40 percent sand, averages less than 15 percent clay and less than 50 percent very fine sand

A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 3 to 8 dry, 3 to 4 moist
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Salinity: EC less than 2 mmhos/cm

C horizons
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 3 to 8 dry, 4 or 4 moist
Texture: stratified layers of loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, sand, sandy loam, fine sandy
loam, silt loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Percent calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Salinity: EC of 1 to 8 mmhos/cm

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bankard (CO), Chupe (NM), Draknab (WY), Ellicott (CO), and Escavada (NM) series. Bankard, Draknab and Ellicott soils are in LRR-G and are more moist in May and June. Ellicott soils are noncalcareous. Chupe soils have more than 5 percent rock fragments. Escavada soils are dry for more than 150 days cumulative from April through October and moist fewer than 50 days during the same period.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Kwakina soils formed in alluvium, fan alluvium and stream alluvium derived from banded red and yellow colored Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstone formations. Kwakina soils are on floodplains on valley floors and alluvial fans on valley sides. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 4,940 to 7,300 feet. The mean annual temperature is 49 to 53 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches. The frost free period is 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aparejo, Aquima, Mido, Ojocal, Hawaikuh and Zia soils. Aparejo and Ojocal soils have greater than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Aquima soils have a cambic horizon and occur on fan terraces. Mido soils are sandy throughout and occur on dunes. Hawaikuh soils have an argillic horizon. Zia soils do not have an irregular decrease in organic carbon and are on fan terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, negligible to very slow runoff, moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Kwakina soils are used for livestock grazing, and subsistence cropland and pasture. Principal native vegetation is alkali sacaton, western wheatgrass, sand dropseed, giant dropseed and fourwing saltbush. Principal crops are corn, small grains and alfalfa.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central, New Mexico and souther Utah. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jicarilla Apache Reservation, Parts of Rio Arriba and Sandoval Counties, New Mexico; 2001.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 7 inches. (A horizon)

Entisol feature - lack of diagnostic horizons

Fluvent feature - irregular decrease in organic matter

The source of the parent material for the Kwakina soils are stratified multi-colored sandstone formations. The colors of the sandstone range from dark red to yellow. This is the reason for the range of hues being 2.5YR to 10YR.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999 and Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

Update and revisions for the correlation of Capitol Reef National Park, January 2013, WWJ

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.