LOCATION MONCHA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Moncha silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) silt loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 12 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 21 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C1--21 to 38 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
C2--38 to 60 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) silty clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; slightly effervescent with disseminated lime; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; seven miles north of Atarque Lake, 640 feet east and 600 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 30, T. 8 N., R. 18 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in some part during the 120 days following the winter solstice and is moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inch depths is above 41 degrees F. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 50 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon - 14 to 30 inches.
Particle-size control section - content of fine sand or coarser: less than 15 percent.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6
Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam.
C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Chroma: 6 or 8 dry, 4 or 6 moist
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Altega (T)(NM),
Amal (NM),
Buick (CO),
Chevelon (AZ),
Chita (NM),
Elpedro (NM),
Keiser (MT),
Klinedraw (WY),
Oshoto (WY),
Pulpit (CO),
Roubideau (CO),
Sharps (CO),
Verde (CO),
Wetherill (NM) and
Wiley (CO) series.
Altega soils contain less than 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the particle size control section.
Amal, Chita and Wetherill soils have calcic horizons.
Buick soils have buried argillic horizon, and do not have 5YR hues in the argillic horizon.
Chevelon, Klinedraw and Sharps soils are moderately deep over soft sandstone or shale.
Elpedro soils have secondary carbonates in the lower part of the Bt and have a Bt horizon more than 30 inches to the base.
Keiser soils have carbonates accumulation at less than 10 inches.
Osoto soils have 10YR to 5Y hues.
Roubideau soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Pulpit soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact.
Verde soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches depth.
Wetherill soils contain more than 35 percent sand in the particle size control section.
Wiley soils depth to the base of the argillic horizon is 12 to 40 inches, and depth to visible calcium carbonate is 7 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils formed in alluvium from mixed sources on fan terraces, valleys and mesa tops. Slopes are 2 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 6,800 feet to 7,300 feet. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches. The average annual temperature is about 48 to 52 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 115 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Celacy, Flugle, Galestina, Goesling, Nogal, Pinitos and Ribera soils. Galestina and Nogal are fine textured. Celacy, Flugle, Goesling, Pinitos and Ribera soils have more than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is livestock grazing. The native vegetation is blue grama, ring muhly, alkali sacaton, and rabbitbrush with a few scattered oneseed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. The soils of this series are of small extent. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 2 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 2 to 21 inches. (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Lab data (NSSL; S82 NM006-017) confirms the classification.