LOCATION OELOP NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Oelop loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 16 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and medium and common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
Bk1--16 to 34 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent with disseminated calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 26 inches thick)
Bk2--34 to 44 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and irregular pores; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate occurs as few fine irregular filaments; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 30 inches thick)
Bk3--44 to 64 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine irregular pores; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate occurs as few fine irregular filaments; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County; about 4.5 miles southwest of south Garcia; 2,480 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner of Sec. 33, T. 8 N., R. 3 W. 107 degrees, 10 minutes, 00 seconds west longitude; 34 degrees, 52 minutes, 28 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is typically dry in all parts during April, May and June and are moist in some part periodically July through October. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 50 to 55 degrees F.
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon - 15 to 37 inches
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 15 to 40 percent with less than 15 finer than fine sand
Rock fragments: less than 10 percent dominantly gravel
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YT, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 throuigh 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, loam
Lower subhorizons have fine seams of carbonate in some pedons
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
Some pedons have lower substratums with gravelly loamy coarse sand or gravelly coarse sand
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balon (AZ), Blancot (NM), Bowbac (WY), Buckle (NM), Cambria (WY), Cerropelon (NM), Chilerojo (NM), Chilojo (NM), Cumacho (NM), Cushman (WY), Decolney (WY), Doakum (NM), Forkwood (WY), Fort (CO), Gaddes (AZ), Gapbutte (AZ), Gapmesa (CO), Hagerman (NM), Hagerwest (NM), Hiland (WY), Mentmore (NM), Olney (CO), Palacid (NM), Penistaja (NM), Pokeman (WY), Potts (WY), Pugsley (WY), Quagwa (AZ), Redpen (NM), Spangler (WY), Sundance (CO), Tamarindo (NM), Teckla (WY) and Yenlo (CO) series. Penistaja soils are noneffervescent in the argillic. Balon soils are noneffervescent throughout. Tamarindo soils have an argillic greater than 70 inches thick. Blancot and Mentmore soils have hue yellower than 10YR. Buckle, Palacid and Quagwa soils have an argillic base deeper than 40 inches. Cerropelon, Cumacho, Gaddes, Hagerwest, Gapbutte, Gapmesa and Hagerman soils have bedrock within 60 inches. Doakum soils have secondary carbonates in the argillic. Chilerojo, Fort, Olney, and Sundance soils occur on the Great Plains. Redpen and Yenlo soils contain more than 40 percent sand. Bowbac, Cambria, Cushman, Decolney, Forkwood, Hiland, Pokeman, Potts, Pugsley, Spangler and Teckla soils are moist during May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Oelop soils are on stream terraces, mesas, plateaus and alluvial fans, with slopes of 0 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 5,300 to 7,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 13 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 48 to 53 degrees F., and the frost-free period is about 120 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shingle, Skyvillage and competing Penistaja soils. The Shingle and Skyvillage soils are both shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff, moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is sage, blue grama, galleta and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern New Mexico. Series is moderately extensive. MLRA 35 & 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 16 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition 2006
Expanded pz, elev, ffp, chroma and rock frags for the Final Correlation of Santa Fe, NM 10/30/07 PDC