LOCATION MIRAND                  NM

Established Series
RD: JBC/RJA/KLS
08/2022

MIRAND SERIES

The Mirand series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium derived dominantly from rhyolite and tuff. Mirand soils are on sideslopes of mountains and canyons and have slopes of 0 to 55 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 560 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Paleustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Mirand cobbly loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 cm; needles, leaves and twigs in various stages of decomposition.

A--3 to 11 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thin platy and moderate fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--11 to 24 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) cobbly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--24 to 57 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--57 to 85 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary.

Bt4--85 to 118 cm; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) cobbly clay, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons - 85 to 120 cm)

C--118 to 156 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Taos County, New Mexico; NE1/4; SE1/4 section 1, T.23N., R.12E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--8 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--12 degrees C

A horizon
Value--3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam or clay loam
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent pebbles and 0 to 25 percent cobbles

Bt horizons
Hue--5YR through 10YR
Value--5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma--3 through 6
Clay content--35 to 55 percent
Texture--clay loam, sandy clay or clay
Rock Fragment content--5 to 15 percent pebbles and 0 to 20 percent cobbles

C horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry or moist
Texture--sandy clay or clay
Rock Fragment content--5 to 25 percent pebbles and 0 to 20 percent cobbles

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Carjo (T), Hogg, Rocio, and Valnor soils. Carjo soils have a lithic contact at 50 to 100 cm. Hogg soils have mildly or moderately alkaline argillic horizons. Rocio soils have E horizons that are 15 to 38 cm thick. Valnor soils have paralithic contacts at 50 to 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--complex mountain and canyon side slopes
Elevation--2100 m to 2900 meters
Slope--0 to 55 percent
Parent material--old alluvium from various sources but mainly rhyolite and tuff
Mean annual precipitation--410 to 640 mm, about 60 percent is from snow and winter rain and 40 percent from heavy summer storms
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Frost-free period--60 to 115 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; very slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, grazing, wildlife, recreation and watershed. Vegetation is ponderosa pine, scattered Gambel oak, mahonia, pine dropseed, squirreltail and Kentucky bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mirand soils are moderately extensive in northcentral New Mexico; MLRA 48A and 48B

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taos Area, New Mexico, 1976

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--3 to 11 cm (A horizon)
Mollic subgroup--A horizons with values 3 through 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist. The A horizon has a maximum thickness of 13 cm and does not meet the thickness requirements of a mollic epipedon.
Argillic horizon--11 to 118 cm (Bt horizons)
Particle-size control section--11 to 61 cm (Bt1 horizon and part of Bt2 horizon)

Mirand soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic soil moisture regime with a typic subclass.

Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. 8/2022

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.