LOCATION NUTRITA CO
Established Series
Rev. JPP/KLS
04/2018
NUTRITA SERIES
The Nutrita series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium or colluvium derived from shale and sandstone. Nutrita soils are on hillslopes. Slopes range from 5 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 41 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 7.8 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Torrertic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Nutrita loam, on a south facing, simple, 20 percent slope in ponderosa pine woodland at an elevation of 2,073 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on July 16, 2003 the soil was dry from 0 to 91 cm. The surface is covered by 2 percent cobbles.
A--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium platy structure that parts to moderate fine granular; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots throughout: few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent sandstone gravel; neutral; (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)
AB--5 to 18 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure that parts to strong fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots throughout: few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent sandstone gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
Bt1--18 to 61 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots throughout: common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on ped faces; 2, 43 cm deep, 15 mm wide cracks per square meter; 2 percent sandstone cobbles, 2 percent sandstone gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (30 to 61 cm thick)
Bt2--61 to 91 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots throughout: common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on ped faces; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 51 cm thick)
Cr--91 to 117 cm; weathered sandstone and shale; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Archuleta County, Colorado; about 12 miles northeast of Arboles; located about 701 meters north and 396 meters west of the southeast corner of Sec. 28, T. 33 N., R. 3 W.; Pagosa Junction USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 4 minutes 28 seconds N. and long. 107 degrees 10 minutes 39 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.3 to 9.4 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 15.0 to 16.1 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 50 to 100 cm to weakly cemented sandstone and shale
Depth to argillic horizon: 5 to 20 cm
Vertic features: Cracks occur in the Bt horizon and are 5 to 20 mm wide, 30 to 75 cm deep, and occur at intervals of about 45 cm. Linear extensibility ranges from about 5 to 9 cm for the whole soil. The cracks may extend to the surface in dry periods and in areas where surface layers have been eroded away.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
A horizon (including AB horizon)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Clay content: 20 to 27 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH): 6.1 to 7.3
Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH): 6.1 to 7.8
COMPETING SERIES:
Demar (SD) - are deep or very deep to paralithic contact
Horselake (NM) - have secondary carbonates below 25 cm
Moorhead (WY) - are very deep and have secondary carbonates below 33 cm
TeeQuee (NM) - are deep to paralithic contact
Thurlow (MT) - are very deep and have secondary carbonates below 40 cm
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - hillslopes
Elevation - 2,040 to 2,260 meters
Slopes - 5 to 45 percent
Parent material - slope alluvium or colluvium derived from shale and sandstone, locally of the Animas Formation
Mean annual air temperature - 7.0 to 8.5 degrees C.
Mean annual precipitation - 380 to 430 mm
Precipitation pattern - driest months are May and June, wettest months are July and August
Frost-free period - 100 to 110 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high runoff, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Gambel oak, Antelope bitterbrush, blue gramma, galleta, and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Colorado. LRR D, MLRA 36, small extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES PROPOSED: Archuleta County, Colorado, Archuleta soil survey area, 2004. The name is taken from a creek in the vicinity.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 18 to 68 cm (Bt1 and part of Bt2 horizons)
Argillic horizon: 18 to 91 cm (Bt horizons)
Paralithic contact: 91 cm to weathered sandstone and shale bedrock(Cr horizon)
Vertic features: cracks in the Bt1 horizon that are about 15 mm wide, 43 cm deep, 45 cm apart and reach the surface in dry periods. Linear extensibility is about 8.3 cm for the whole soil, projected from lab data of the Bt1 horizon.
Nutrita soils have a mesic soil temperature regime and are in an ustic soil moisture regime bordering on aridic.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.