LOCATION MORENO NM+UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Moreno loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A11--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many fine and very fine roots; 5 percent cobbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
A12--4 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many fine and very fine roots; 5 percent rock fragments; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
B21t--8 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent rock fragments; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
B22t--14 to 25 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) gravelly clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine angular and subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent angular pebbles; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
B23t--25 to 37 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) gravelly clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; common medium faint mottles of light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4), reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium angular and subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent angular pebbles; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
C--37 to 60 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) gravelly clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; many medium mottles of light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) and pink (5YR 7/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 30 percent angular pebbles; neutral; common soft masses of lime.
TYPE LOCATION: Colfax County, New Mexico; about 1 3/4 miles west of Eagle Nest; 600 feet north and 260 feet west of Bill Gallagher Ranch headquarters.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 33 to 55 inches thick. Coarse fragments are sandstone, shale, and acid igneous rocks. Gravel makes up about 50 percent, cobbles about 40 percent, and stones about 10 percent. Rock fragments range from 0 to 10 percent of the A horizon, from 0 to 15 percent of the upper part of the B2t horizon, from 10 to 30 percent of the lower part of the B2t horizon, and from 10 to 35 percent of the C horizon.
Th A horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loam, sandy clay loam or sandy loam and is 18 to 30 percent clay.
The B21t horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is clay loam or clay and is 35 to 50 percent clay. The B22t and B23t horizons have hue of 2.5YR or 5 YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6 dry. They are similar to the B21t horizon in texture. The B2t horizon ranges from 27 to 44 inches thick.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR, and value of 4 or 5 dry. It is clay, clay loam or sandy clay and is 35 to 50 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Barela, Capillo, Darret, Fergus, Pino, Terrad, Turkeysprings and Wilcoxson series. Barela soils have bedrock at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Capillo and Wilcoxson soils have Bt horizons less than 27 inches thick. Darret and Pino soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches and have Bt horizons less than 27 inches thick. Fergus soils have lime accumulations at depths of 20 to 36 inches. Terrad soils have 50 percent or more clay in the Bt horizon. Turkeysprings soils contain free carbonates throughout the solum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Moreno soils are on valley sides. Slopes range from 3 to 30 percent. Elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 feet. The soils formed in fine textured material weathered from sandstone, shale, and acid igneous intrusive rocks. The climate is subhumid continental with an annual temperature of about 39 to 45 degrees F. and summer temperature of about 59 degrees F. The annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 18 inches with more than 60 percent falling during the frost free which lasts for 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brycan, Etoe, and Morval soils. Brycan soils have a mollic epipedon thicker than 16 inches and do not have an argillic horizon. Etoe soils have a loamy, skeletal control section and have an argillic horizon with its upper boundary at depths greater than 24 inches. Morval soils have a fine, loamy control section and have lime accumulations below a depth of 24 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland, homesites, recreation, and watershed. The principal plants are Arizona fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, mountain muhly, squirreltail, western wheatgrass, little bluestem, and sideoats grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colfax County, New Mexico, 1974.