LOCATION OREJAS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Orejas very stony clay loam, juniper pinyon woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very stony clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, 40 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 9 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles; 20 percent cobbles; 5 percent stones; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--9 to 14 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) very gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; thin clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent pebbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
R--14 inches; fractured basalt with patchy lime coatings.
TYPE LOCATION: Taos County, New Mexico; ELF photo 2-33, stop 2-, NW1/4 NE1/4 sec. 9, T.26N., R.11E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and July through October.
Soil Temperature: 52 to 58 degrees F. and summer temperature ranges form 68 to 72 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 20 inches.
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist Chroma: 2 through 4 Texture: loam or clay loam with cobbly and stony modifiers.
Bt horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist Chroma: 2 through 4 Texture: clay loam or clay averaging 35 to 50 percent clay. Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent, dominantly pebbles and cobbles.
In some pedons C horizons are present and lime accumulations in the lower part of the Bt or C horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Sombordoro series. Sombordoro soils have more than 35 percent sandstone stones.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Orejas soils are on plateaus, mesas and breaks at elevations of 5,500 to 7,800 feet. Slopes range from 1 to 75 percent. These soils formed in alluvium, colluvium and eolian material derived from basalt. The annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches with a significant proportion resulting from intense late summer thunderstorms. Mean annual temperature is 50 to 56 degrees F. Frost-free period is 110 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aguaje and Montecito soils. Aguaje soils are loamy-skeletal. Montecito soils are deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Orejas soils are used for fuel wood production, rangeland and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly oneseed juniper and pinyon pine in the overstory with broom snakeweed, blue grama, Indian ricegrass, and sand dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taos Area, New Mexico, 1976.
REMARKS: DIAGNOSTIC HORIZONS AND FEATURES RECOGNIZED IN THIS PEDON ARE:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon) When this horizon meets the color and organic carbon requirements for a mollic epipedon, it does not meet the thickness requirements.
Bt horizon: The zone from 2 to 14 inches. (Bt horizons)
Lithic contact: Basalt at 14 inches.