LOCATION METATE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitrandic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Metate ashy loam--on a planar low stream terrace of a valley floor sloping 2 percent to the southeast at 6,230 feet (1,899 m) elevation-riparian forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 14, 2000, the soil was moist throughout with the water table at 60 inches. )
A1--0 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; 2 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; 2 inch lens of coarse sand; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
A3--8 to 17 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very coarse, common coarse, common medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; 7 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick)
AC--17 to 28 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very coarse, common coarse, common medium, and few very fine roots; 2 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick)
C1--28 to 33 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) stratified ashy coarse sand and ashy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain to weak fine subangular blocky structure, loose to soft, very friable, nonsticky to slightly sticky, nonplastic; few very coarse, few coarse, common medium, and few fine roots; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
C2--33 to 44 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) stratified ashy coarse sand and ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain to weak fine subangular blocky structure, loose to soft, very friable, nonsticky to slightly sticky, nonplastic; few very coarse, few coarse, common medium, and few fine roots; common, distinct, irregularly shaped, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist redoximorphic concentrations; 10 percent gravel to less than 2 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
2C3--44 to 70 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; common coarse, common medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; two 1 inch lenses of loam; common, distinct, irregularly shaped, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist redoximorphic concentrations; 60 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Bandelier National Monument, Sandoval County, New Mexico; about 7 miles south of Los Alamos; USGS Frijoles 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 47 minutes 4.5 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 16 minutes 46 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (SMCS) is moist in all parts from January to May and intermittently moist in some part from June to December. The SMCS is dry in some part less than 60 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soil moisture regime is typic ustic.
Average annual soil temperature: 49 to 51 degrees F
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 25 to 34 inches
Depth to seasonal endosaturation: 24 to 42 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: Dacite, latite, and rhyolitic tuff
Particle-size control section:
Rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent
Volcanic glass content: 50 to 65 percent in the coarse silt plus sand fraction
A1 horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Lower A horizons
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: ashy loam, ashy sandy loam, or ashy fine sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 10 percent gravel
AC horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: ashy sandy loam or ashy coarse sandy loam
Clay content: 4 to 8 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent
Rock fragments: 2 to 10 percent gravel
C horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: stratified ashy coarse sand to ashy sandy loam
Clay content: 2 to 12 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 10 percent gravel
2C horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist
Texture: extremely gravelly coarse sand or very gravelly coarse sand
Clay content: 0 to 4 percent
Rock fragments: total range is 35 to 85 percent
30 to 65 percent gravel
5 to 20 percent cobbles
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Metate soils are on flood plain steps of valley floors. They formed in alluvium derived from rhyolitic tuff of the Quaternary age Bandelier Tuff formation and dacite of the Tertiary age Tschicoma Formation. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,000 to 6,900 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 47 to 49 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Navajita, Piojillo, and Totavi soils. Navajita soils are fine-loamy, have argillic horizons, and occur on north-facing footslopes of valley sides. Piojillo soils are sandy, do not have mollic epipedons, and occur on south facing footslopes of valley sides. Totavi soils are sandy, are well drained, and occur on low stream terraces of valley floors.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; very low surface runoff; permeability is moderately rapid in the upper part and very rapid in the lower part. These soils are subject to rare periods of flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Metate soils are used for wildlife habitat and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is Rocky Mountain maple, blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, willow, and cottonwood. The ecological site is Populus fremontii/Salix exigua-Salix/Carex(F036XB137NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Metate soils are of small extent on the southwestern Espanola Basin part of the Basin and Range province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update, 2008. The typical pedon is in Sandoval County, New Mexico; Bandelier National Monument Soil Survey. Metate is a coined name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 28 inches. (A1, A2, A3, and AC horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (A3, AC, C1, and C2 horizons)
Vitrandic feature - Based on volcanic glass content throughout the upper 30 inches (A1, A2, A3, AC, and C1 horizons).
Irregular decrease in organic carbon - inferred from the stratified textures.
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: EC was determined with an instant EC salinity kit.