LOCATION MANUELITO NM+AZ

Established Series
Rev. CH/CLG/PDC/DWD
10/2011

MANUELITO SERIES

The Manuelito series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian material and slope alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. Manuelito soils are on summits, shoulders, and footslopes of plateaus. Slopes are 1 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 19 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 47 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Manuelito very fine sandy loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
AB--6 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--12 to 23 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Btk--23 to 30 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as common fine accumulations on undersides of rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bk--30 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine accumulations in root channels and pores and on undersides of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
2R--35 inches; hard sandstone bedrock

TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Chuska Mountains; 5,940 feet west and 1980 feet north of Assayi Lake; Latitude 35 degrees 59 minutes 01 seconds North and Longitude 108 degrees 54 minutes 40 seconds West, NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (SMCS) is moist in all parts from January to April and intermittently moist in some part from July to December. Driest during May and June. The soil moisture regime is Typic Ustic.
Soil temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.

Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 20 to 32 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate): 15 to 25 inches
Particle-size control section weighted average
Silicate clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 45 to 60 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 25 to 45 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent gravel in some horizons
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline in the upper part, slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in the lower part

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Other features: horizon is not thick enough to qualify for a mollic epipedon

Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, very fine sandy loam

Btk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent

Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Herrada (NM), Vibo (NM), Zeniff (AZ), and Zunalei (NM) series. These series are very deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Manuelito soils are on summits, shoulders, and footslopes of plateaus. They formed in eolian material and slope alluvium derived from sandstone. Slopes are 1 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 7,300 to 8,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 18 to 22 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free period is 110 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Verite, Stozuni, and Klizhin soils. Verite soils are shallow and occur on adjacent summits and shoulders. Stozuni soils are shallow, lack diagnostic subsurface horizons, and occur on adjacent backslopes. Klizhin soils are coarse-loamy, have thick mollic epipedons, and occur on footslopes of plateaus.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for wood products, livestock grazing, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, Gambels oak, and Indian ricegrass

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. The MLRA is 35, LRR-D. The Manuelito series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fort Defiance Area, Parts of Apache and Navajo Counties Arizona, and McKinley and San Juan Counties, New Mexico; 2008. The name Manuelito is taken from a local feature.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 12 to 30 inches (Bt and Btk horizons)
Lithic contact - the boundary with hard sandstone bedrock at 35 inches (R horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: The soil was sampled for full characterization by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S86NM-031-003.
Soils classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 11th Edition, 2010
Update and revisions for the correlation of Chinle Area (AZ713), August 2011, LJG2

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.