LOCATION MUZZLER NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Lithic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Muzzler cobbly sand loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very cobbly clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles, 40 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 19 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) very cobbly clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; thick continuous clay films on peds and in pores; 10 percent pebbles, 50 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
R--19 inches; slightly fractured acid igneous bedrock with some clay flows in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, New Mexico; southeast of Santa Rita and west of San Lorenzo; NW1/4 NE1/4 of section 7, T.18S., R.11W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Solum thickness:
Depth to bedrock: 8 to 20 inches
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Structure: weak or moderate granular
B horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 3 through 5
Chroma: 1 through 4 dry or moist
Clay content: averages more than 35 percent clay
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent cobbles and gravel, mainly cobbles. Some subhorizons have less than 35 percent rock fragments
Structure: moderate fine subangular blocky to strong coarse angular blocky structure.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Muzzler soils are at elevations of 5,000 to 7,500 feet and occur on mountain and hill sides. Slopes range from 15 to 65 percent. These soils formed in residuum from acid igneous bedrock. The climate is semiarid with an average annual precipitation of about 11 to 16 inches and a mean annual temperature of about 47 to 57 degrees F. The frost free season ranges from 140 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Daze, Motoqua, Oro Grande, Santa Fe, and Santana soils. Daze soils are not skeletal. Motoqua, Oro Grande and Santa Fe soils have a loamy, skeletal control section. Santana soils are loamy and do not have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for range and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, sideoats grama, threeawn, juniper, and pinyon pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Grant County, New Mexico. Muzzler soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grant County, New Mexico, Central and Southern Parts, 1979.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 19 inches. (A and Bt horizons)
Argillic horizon - 2 to 19 inches. (Bt horizons)
Lithic contact - 19 inches. (R horizon)
Classification changed to Aridic Lithic subgroup in 2006. This change was made to be consistent with the moisture regime.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.