LOCATION MARIANOLAKE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Marianolake fine sandy loam-on a west facing, 4 percent slope at 7,220 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) fine sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; 3 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 8 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; 1 percent gravel; few faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary.
Bt2--8 to 14 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; strong very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 1 percent gravel; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--14 to 24 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) fine sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic parting to moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 2 percent gravel; very few pockets of remnant alluvial stratification; few faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 5 to 22 inches thick)
Bk--24 to 39 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; very few pockets of remnant alluvial stratification; slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
C--39 to 70 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loamy sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; soft, soft, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (0 to 21 inches thick).
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Casamero Lake Quadrangle; about 2.5 miles northeast of Casamero Lake; about 300 feet west and 900 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 17, T. 15 N. and R. 11 W. 108 degrees, 01 minutes, 02 seconds west longitude and 35 degrees, 32 minutes, 05 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 56 degrees F.
Particle-size control section: 18 to 34 percent clay
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 8 to 20 inches
Gypsum percentage: 0 to 2 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent sandstone gravel and shale fragments
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Salinity: EC of 0.3 to 2 mmhos
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry and moist
Texture: loam or fine sandy loam
Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 10YR
Value: 4 to 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay loam
Btk horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, loam, silty clay loam, silt loam, or clay loam
BC and C horizons:
Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry and moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry and moist
Textures: loam, loamy sand, or fine sandy loam
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Harbord (CO) series. Harbord soils have redder hues and are in LRR-G MLRA 67B and are more moist in May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Marianolake soils are on fan remnants on valley sides, summits of mesas, drainageways, and cuesta dipslopes. These soils formed in alluvium, fan alluvium and slope alluvium derived from shale and sandstone of the Menefee formation. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 6,200 to 7,300 feet. The climate is semiarid. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 49 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Querencia, Penistaja, Skyvillage, and the Sparank soils. The medium textured Querencia soils are on valley sides and lack argillic horizons. The medium textured Penistaja soils are on valley sides. The shallow Skyvillage soils are on ridges and hills. The Sparank soils are fine textured and on valley floors.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low to medium runoff; moderate to moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland. The present vegetation is blue grama, galleta, winterfat, fourwing saltbush, and small scattered juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central, New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: the zone from 2 to 24 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.