LOCATION NAGEEZI NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Nageezi loamy fine sand -- on the tread of a high stream terrace sloping 1 percent to the east at 5,520 feet elevation -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist from 2 to 15 inches and dry below.)
A-- 0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bw-- 4 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1-- 14 to 18 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and fine and common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on coarse sand grains and rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2Bk2-- 18 to 24 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonates; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
2Bk3-- 24 to 32 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonates; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
2Bk4-- 32 to 48 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as many fine irregularly shaped accumulations on ped faces, coarse sand grains, and rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
3Bk5-- 48 to 56 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as common fine irregularly shaped accumulations on ped faces, coarse sand grains, and rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
3Bk6-- 56 to 64 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine and medium irregularly shaped accumulations on ped faces, coarse sand grains, and rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5).
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 9 miles northeast of Newcomb; 2,300 feet west and 1,600 feet south of the northeast corner of section 15, T.25N., R.17W.; 36 degrees 24 minutes 16 seconds north latitude and 108 degrees 38 minutes 16 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Typically, the soil moisture control section (SMCS) is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to mid-April. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 54 to 57 degrees F.
Soil depth - greater than 60 inches to bedrock.
Depth to calcic horizon - 10 to 20 inches.
Particle-size control section - clay content: 10 to 18 percent by weighted average.
Reaction: moderately to strongly alkaline.
A horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Organic carbon content: 0.35 to 0.45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
Bw horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Organic carbon content: 0.25 to 0.40 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
Bk1 horizon-
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Organic carbon content: 0.50 to 0.60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
2Bk horizons-
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Organic carbon content: 0.10 to 0.50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 50 percent
Salinity: 2 to 4 mmhos/cm
Sodicity: 5 to 13 SAR
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Other features: Some pedons have texture of sandy clay loam.
3Bk horizons-
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6
Texture: loamy sand or loamy coarse sand
Organic carbon content: 0.03 to 0.16 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Salinity: 4 to 8 mmhos/cm
Sodicity: 5 to 13 SAR
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Other features: some pedons have texture of coarse sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nageezi soils are on treads of high stream terraces and fan terraces. They formed in alluvium and eolian derived dominantly from Cretaceous sandstone. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,700 to 5,600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 8 inches with 35 to 60 percent falling as rain from high-intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual temperature is 51 to 54 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blackston, Camac, Denazar, Kimbeto, Razito, and Shiprock soils. Blackston soils are loamy-skeletal on treads of high stream terraces. Camac soils are moderately deep to soft bedrock on risers of high stream terraces. Denazar soils are sandy; on adjacent eolian-mantled treads of high stream terraces. Kimbeto soils are fine-loamy with natric, calcic, and gypsic horizons; under plant communities reflecting moderately saline-sodic conditions. Razito soils are sandy and lack diagnostic horizons; on stable dunes and low fan terraces. Shiprock soils have argillic horizons and occur on adjacent surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nageezi soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta, sand dropseed, bottlebrush squirreltail, winterfat, fourwing saltbush, and Greene rabbitbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nageezi soils are of small extent on the San Juan Basin and Four Corners Platform portions of the Colorado Plateau province in northwest New Mexico. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shiprock Area, Parts of San Juan County, New Mexico and Apache County, Arizona; 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 3 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 3 to about 14 inches. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 14 to about 48 inches. (Bk1, 2Bk2, 2Bk3, and 2Bk4 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data on the type location - S86NM-045-010. Another pedon was sampled for the soil laboratory of New Mexico State University as sample S75NM-24-4.