LOCATION NORKIKI NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Norkiki loamy sand-in rangeland on a northwest-facing slope of about 3 percent at an elevation of 6,385 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common medium irregular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--13 to 19 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common medium irregular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and bridging sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 10 to 25 inches)
Btk--19 to 28 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; Moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common medium irregular pores; 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; common medium filaments and masses of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
R--28 inches; sandstone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Becenti Lake Quadrangle; about 5 miles north of Standing Rock, New Mexico; about 1,900 feet west and 300 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 26, T. 19 N., R. 12 W. 35 degrees, 50 minutes, 30 seconds north latitude and 108 degrees, 04 minutes, 47 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The SMCS is usually dry, in all parts, 105 to 160 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually moist, in some part, less than 50 cumulative days during the same period. It is intermittently moist in some part November through March. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during April, May, and June. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 52 to 57 degrees F.
Particle-size control section: 18 to 30 percent clay
Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonates: 13 to 25 inches.
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 0 to 15 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry and moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry and moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or clay loam.
Btk and Bk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6 dry and moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam or loamy fine sand
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Doak (NM) series. Doak soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Norkiki soils formed in eolian and alluvium and slope alluvium derived from sandstone and shale and are on mesas, cuestas, hills, and ridges. Slopes are 1 to 8 percent. Elevation is 6,000 to 6,800 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 7 to 10 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 50 to 55 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Benally, Doak, Kimnoli, and Shiprock soils. The Benally, Doak, and Shiprock soils are very deep and on lower landscape positions. The Kimnoli soils are shallow and on mesa summits and cuesta dipslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland. Principal native vegetation is galleta, blue grama, winterfat, Indian ricegrass, rubber rabbitbrush, prickly pear and yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwest New Mexico. MLRA 35, 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 about 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 28 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Lithic contact: Sandstone bedrock at about 28 inches. (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.