LOCATION ORDNANCE NMInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Typical profile of Ordnance loam, in a virgin site in a cutover area. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
01&02--1 inch to 0, mat of needles, leaves, and twigs; considerable mycelial fungi; pH 6.0.
A1--0 to 2 inches, brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam or sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) when moist; weak, thin, platy structure; soft when dry, friable when moist, nonsticky and nonplastic when wet; vesicular in places; noncalcareous; pH 6.6; clear boundary.
A2--2 to 4 inches, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) when moist; moderate to strong, thin, platy structure; slightly hard when dry, friable when moist, slightly sticky and slightly plastic when wet; many fine pores and high content of clean sand; noncalcareous; pH 6.4; clear boundary.
B1--4 to 7 inches, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) when moist; moderate to strong, fine, subangular blocky structure; hard when dry, friable when moist, moderately sticky and moderately plastic when wet; many large pores; noncalcareous; pH 6.4; abrupt, wavy boundary.
B21t--7 to 11 inches, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR ) when moist; weak, medium, prismatic structure breaking to weak to moderate, fine and medium, angular blocky; extremely hard when dry, firm when moist, sticky and plastic when wet; continuous clay films; very few visible pores; some old root channels; noncalcareous; pH 6.6; diffuse boundary.
B22t--11 to 17 inches, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR ) when moist; weak, medium, prismatic structure breaking to weak to moderate, fine and medium, angular blocky; extremely hard when dry, firm when moist, sticky and plastic when wet; patchy clay films; noncalcareous; pH 7.2; diffuse boundary.
B3ca or C1--17 to 27 inches, reddish gray (5YR 5/2) silty clay, dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) when moist; weak, medium, angular blocky structure; very hard when dry, firm when moist, very sticky and very plastic when wet; very thin, patchy clay flows; strongly calcareous; pH 7.8; diffuse boundary.
C2/R--27 to 33 inches, pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) mixture of clay and partly weathered shale, dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) when moist; weak, fine, angular blocky structure or massive; very hard when dry, very firm when moist, very sticky and very plastic when wet; strongly calcareous with some concretions of lime; pH 8.2.
TYPE LOCATION: about 3 miles north and 1 miles west of McGaffey; NW1/4 sec. 29, T. 14 N., R. 16 W., McKinley County, New Mexico:
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
The color of the A1 horizon ranges from grayish-brown to brown. The B horizon is reddish-brown, but the hue varies between 2.5YR and 5YR. The C horizon is gray, dark reddish-gray, and dark reddish-brown. The depth to clayey shale ranges from 20 to 36 inches. In most places, the profile is free of coarse fragments to a depth of 20 inches or more; in other places there are many fragments of shale and sandstone. The variations in composition and color are attributed to variations in the parent shale
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crow (MT), Dargol (NM), Echolake (CO), Fortlewis (CO), Heckly (NM), Ligocki (NM), Lubrecht (MT), Rittel (MT), Valnor (NM), and Zuni (NM) series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Ordnance series consists of deep and moderately deep, well-drained soils on gently undulating uplands. They are derived from thin-bedded, reddish-gray, clayey shale and reddish-brown sandstone of the Chinle formation. These soils occur at elevations of 7,600 to 8,100 feet, where the average annual precipitation is 15 to 19 inches and the average annual temperature is about 44? F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Ordnance soils are associated with the Thurloni and Showlow soils. They have been more influenced by sandstone than the Showlow soils, which are reddish chestnut soils. They are less calcareous and better developed than the Thurloni soils, which are clayey Regosols.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, alligator juniper, one-seeded juniper, Gambel oak, and cliffrose. The understory consists of blue grama, weeds, and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico. 1964.
REMARKS: This description was added to the OSD database in March 2007. The intent is to preserve the concept of the series. The information in this description is taken verbatim from the Soil Survey of Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico published in 1967. No update was made to the typical pedon nomenclature, geographically associated soils, etc.