LOCATION PAGUATE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Paguate loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 10 percent pebbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few medium and common very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium and common very fine roots, few fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt3--16 to 19 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
Bk--19 to 33 inches; pink (5YR 7/3) gravelly clay loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 20 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and in many medium irregular soft masses; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (9 to 18 inches thick)
2R--33 inches; hard basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; about 4 miles west of Bibo, New Mexico; latitude of 35 degrees, 11 minutes, 53 seconds; and longitude of 107 degrees, 25 minutes, 8 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Usually moist in all parts of the soil moisture control section 30 to 40 consecutive days during the 120 days following the winter solstice and is moist in all parts 35 percent of the time the soil temperature at 20 inch depth is above 41 degrees F. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches.
Depth to the base of the Bt - 11 to 33 inches.
Depth to the calcic horizon - 11 to 33 inches.
A horizon
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Fine-Earth Fraction: loam or clay loam
Rock Fragments: 0 to 20 percent cobbles and 0 to 15 percent pebbles
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline.
Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Rock Fragments: 0 to 10 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent pebbles
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Fine-Earth Fraction: loam or clay loam.
Rock Fragments: 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 10 to 20 percent pebbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 40 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jacee (NM), Ramah (NM) and Teczuni (NM) series. Jacee soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact and have hues of 10YR or yellower. Ramah and Teczuni soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paguate soils are on basalt capped mesas and plateaus and have slopes of 1 to 5 percent. They formed in alluvium derived from basalt. Elevations range from 7,000 to 8,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hackroy and Remunda series. Hackroy soils have lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches. Remunda soils are deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Paguate soils are used for livestock grazing. Principal vegetation is blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, spike muhly, pinyon and oneseed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. The series is of small extent. MLRA 35.
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 the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic Horizons - The zone from about 3 to 19 inches. (Bt horizons)
Calcic Horizons - The zone from about 19 to 33 inches. (Bk horizon)
Classification changed to Calcidic subgroup in 2007.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.