LOCATION MORIARTCHE NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Moriartche clay loam--on a flood plain sloping 1 percent to the east at 7,095 feet elevation-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 30th, 2004, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; few coarse, few fine, and common very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; slightly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
BA--3 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse, few medium, few fine, and common very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--10 to 14 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few medium, few fine, and common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint pressure faces on vertical and horizontal faces; common vertical 3 to 5 mm wide cracks, and few horizontal 1 to 2 mm wide cracks; slightly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
Bss1--14 to 27 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few medium and few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common prominent slickensides; continuous pressure faces; many coarse wedge shaped aggregates; few vertical 10 mm wide cracks, few vertical 2 to 5 mm wide cracks; strongly effervescent (9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary.
Bss2--27 to 88 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few prominent slickensides; common distinct pressure faces; few coarse wedge shaped aggregates; few vertical 10 mm wide cracks, few vertical 1 to 2 mm wide cracks; strongly effervescent (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (combined Bss horizons are 54 to 78 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, about 6 miles south of Glorieta; 1,680 feet east and 415 feet north of the southwest corner of Section 28, T15N, R11E; USGS Glorieta 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 29 minutes 35.7 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 46 minutes 55.4 seconds West, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (SMCS) is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic ustic.
Soil temperature - 48 to 50 degrees F.
Depth to base of ochric epipedon 10 to 16 inches
Particle-size control section weighted averages:
Silicate clay content: 40 to 55 percent clay
Sand content: 5 to 10 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 2 to 5 percent
Rock fragment content: less than 1 percent gravel
Cracks: Mostly occur from 4 to 88 inches
Pressure faces: Mostly occur from 4 to 88 inches.
Slickensides: Mostly occur from 14 to 88 inches deep.
Salinity: dS/m - 0 to 2
Sodicity: SAR - 0 to 4
A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 35 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 1 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 2 percent
BA horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 35 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 1 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 2 percent
Bw horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 1 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 3 percent
Bss horizons
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 1 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Silcat series. Silcat soils have hues of 2.5Y throughout the substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Moriartche soils are on alluvial flats on valley floors. They formed in alluvium material derived from Triassic Age shale. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,600 to 7,300 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 46 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Altega, Fangio, and Ortiz soils. Altega soils are fine-silty, have an argillic horizon, and occur on adjacent fan aprons. Fangio soils are loamy-skeletal, have an argillic horizon and a calcic horizon, and are on upper backslopes of eroded fan remnants. Ortiz soils are fine, have an argillic horizon, and occur on lower backslopes of eroded fan remnants.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is medium; permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Moriartche soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation consists blue grama, western wheatgrass, fringed sagewort, galleta, and broom snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Moriarthe soils are of small extent on the northern Glorieta Slope part of the Pecos Valley section of the Great Plains province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 70A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES PROPOSED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2002. Moriartche is a coined name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 inches to a depth of about 14 inches. (A, BA, and Bw horizons)
Slickensides - 14 to 88 inches. (Bss1 and Bss2 horizons)
Classified according to Keys of Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
Note: The type location was moved and re-classified from the old classification of Very-fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Gypsiusterts. A new pedon description was created on September 30th, 2004. The old type location became the new type location for the proposed Stanley series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalent was determined using a field calcimeter.