LOCATION OSORIDGE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Osoridge very gravelly clay loam--in a ponderosa pine woodland on a convex-linear, southwest facing, 3 percent slope at an elevation of 7,840 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick.)
Btl--2 to 6 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--6 to 18 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; strong moderate and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; many prominent clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 4 to 19 inches.)
R--18 inches; Chinle sandstone
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; about 3 miles southwest of Page; Page Quadrangle; about 2,550 feet west and 700 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 12, R. 16 W., T. 12 N.; 108 degrees 28 minutes 03 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 17 minutes 06 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in some part, for more than 90 cumulative days from May through October. It is usually dry, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F.
Particle size control section: 35 to 50 percent clay
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 15 to 70 percent total; 15 to 50 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones. All rock fragments are sandstone.
Bt horizon:
Hue: 1OR to 5YR
Value: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Textures: clay loam or clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent total; 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles. All rock fragments are sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Osoridge soils formed in alluvium over residuum derived from sandstone and shale of the Chinle formation and are on hills, ridges, and dipslopes of cuestas. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 7,500 to 8,000 feet. The mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The frost free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fortwingate, Morclay, Owlrock, and the Asaayi soils. The moderately deep Fortwingate soils are on dipslopes of cuestas. The very deep Morclay soils are on valley sides and floors. The loamy-skeletal, shallow, Owlrock soils are on dipslopes of cuestas. The shallow Asaayi soils are on dipslopes of cuestas and ridges.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high to very high runoff, and slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is a ponderosa pine woodland, with pinyon pine, Rocky mountain juniper, and Gambel oak, with an understory of mountainmahogany, Oregongrape, pine dropseed, mountain muhly, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central, 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, New Mexico Zuni Mountain Area; 1964. The name Osoridge is from a local geographic feature.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizons: The zone from 2 to 18 inches. (Btl and Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact: Sandstone bedrock at 18 inches. (R horizon)
The type location was moved to this pedon in the McKinley County Area in December 2000. The description from the Zuni Mountain Area was never entered in OSDs.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.