LOCATION MAURICANYON COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Mauricanyon loam, on a north facing, level, 1 percent slope in grass at an elevation of 6,760 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on August 8, 1973 the soil was moist from 0 to 72 inches.
A1--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate very coarse platy structure parting to weak medium subangular blocks; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 6 to 16 inches)
Bw--8 to 25 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 24 inches thick)
Bk--25 to 72 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium soft masses of lime; violently effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Las Animas County, Colorado; about 9 miles southwest of Trinidad in Longs Canyon; located about 300 feet north and 1,100 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 33, T. 34 S., R. 65 W.; Valdez USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 2 minutes 4 seconds N. and long. 104 degrees 40 minutes 54 seconds W., NAD 1927
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part April through August; ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 53 degrees F
Mean annual summer soil temperature: 68 to 72 degrees F
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 20 to 30 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 28 to 72 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Sand content: 20 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
A horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam, clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, clay loam, silt loam; some pedons have stratified layers of sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and loam.
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bon (SD),
Frazwell (AZ),
Humbarger (KS),
Lynx (AZ),
Manzano (NM),
Maskell (NE),
Merrick (NE),
Pack (UT),
Shanta (NM),
St. Onge (SD) and
Umbarg (CO) series.
Bon soils: do not have Bw horizons and are calcareous at depths of 6 to 20 inches.
Frazwell soils: are dry in
May and June.
Humbarger soils: have free carbonates above a depth of 10 inches.
Lynx soils: are dry in May and June.
Manzano soils: are dry April through June.
Maskell soils: do not have carbonates above a depth of 40 inches.
Merrick soils: do not have carbonates above a depth of 40 inches.
Pack soils: are somewhat poorly drained.
Shanta soils: average 5 to 20 percent rock fragments in the control section.
St. Onge soils: are calcareous above a depth of 20 inches.
Umbarg soils: are calcareous throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Alluvium derived from sedimentary deposits.
Landform: Terraces, flood plains, and drainageways
Slopes: 0 to 4 percent
Elevation: 4,400 to 6,800 feet
Mean annual temperature: 47 to 53 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 17 inches
Precipitation pattern: continental climate
Wettest period: April through August
Driest period: December through February
Frost-free period: 120 to 155 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Capulin, La Brier, Sitcan, and Trementina series. The Capulin and Sitcan soils have argillic horizons and are on fans. The La Brier soils average more than 35 percent clay in the control section and are on terraces and swales. The Trementina soils average less than 15 percent sand in the control section and are on flood plains and terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow runoff, moderate permeability, rarely flooded for very brief periods with the highest probability from April through October.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland, cropland, hay and pasture, wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is blue grama, western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, fringed sagewort, galleta, and perennial forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico; LRR E and G, MLRA's 49, 67, 70 and 70; moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Las Animas County, Colorado, Las Animas County Area soil survey area, Colorado, 2007. The name is coined from Mauricio Canyon.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Part of the Bw and Bk horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 72 inches. (A1, A2, Bw and Bk horizons)
Other features: secondary calcium carbonate. (Bk horizon)
This series replaces the Manzano series in Las Animas County, Colorado, and in Colfax and Union Counties in New Mexico. These areas average more than 14 inches annual precipitation and are moist during periods that are typically dry as described in the Manzano series. In addition, the Manzano series identified several species that typically grow on alkaline soils in the vegetation section.
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998