LOCATION MORCLAY NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Chromic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Morclay silty clay--in rangeland on a north facing, linear-concave slope of 3 percent at an elevation of 7,560 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) silty clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) moist; strong very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bk1--1 to 5 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; few pressure faces; few vertical cracks 1 cm wide; slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bssk--5 to 48 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) moist; strong medium and coarse wedge shaped aggregates; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; many pressure faces and intersecting slickensides; few vertical cracks 1 cm to 2 cm wide visible to a depth of 42 inches; slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (45 to 59 inches thick)
2Ck1--48 to 56 inches; pale red (2.5YR 6/2) clay, weak red (2.5YR 5/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary.
2Ck2--56 to 70 inches; light gray (5YR 7/1) clay, gray (5YR 6/1) moist; massive; few very fine roots; 70 to 80 percent small (2-5 mm) soft shale fragments; slightly effervescent; few very fine masses of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual irregular boundary. (The combined thickness of the Ck horizons is 0 to 22 inches)
Cr--70 to 80 inches; dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) Chinle Shale
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; about 4.5 miles southwest of Page; Upper Nutria Quadrangle; about 1,500 feet south and 1,100 feet west of the northwest corner of section 14, T. 12 N. R. 16 W., 108 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 16 minutes 24 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in some part, for more than 90 cumulative days from May through October. It is usually dry, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F
Particle size control section: 40 to 60 percent clay
Depth to vertic properties: 5 to 59 inches
Salinity: 0-2 mmhos/cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
A horizons
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YRValue: 4 or 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 dry and moist
Textures: clay or silty clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sandstone pebbles
Bssk horizons
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 dry and moist
Texture: clay or silty clay
Ck horizons
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Morclay soils formed in alluvium or slope alluvium and residuum derived from shale of the Chinle Formation. Morclay soils are on valley floors and valley sides. Slopes are 1 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 7,400 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The frost free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chunkmonk, Losegate, Owlrock, and Rauster soils. The Chunkmonk and Owlrock soils are shallow to limestone on dipslopes of cuestas. The Losegate soils are moderately deep on dipslopes of cuestas. The Rauster soils are deep and on escarpments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high to very high runoff, and very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for livestock grazing. The present vegetation is western wheatgrass, blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, muttongrass, broom snakeweed, rubber rabbitbrush, and curlycup gumweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central, New Mexico; MLRA 39, 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 5 inches. (A horizon)
Vertic properties: The presence of slight gilgai, pressure faces, intersecting slickensides, and cracks 0.5 inches wide that extend from the surface to 42 inches or more. (Bssk1 and Bssk2 horizons)
Paralithic contact: Shale at 68 inches. (Cr horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.