LOCATION PARAJE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Paleargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Paraje very gravelly loam--on the shoulder of an erosional fan remnant sloping 12 percent to the west at 6,265 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry from the surface to 75 inches and slightly moist from 75 to 94 inches.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 or 3 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 45 percent gravel; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Btk--6 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse, few medium, few fine, and common very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores and few faint clay films on faces of peds; noneffervescent in soil matrix and strongly effervescent on rock fragments, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine and medium irregularly shaped coats on undersides of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bk1--12 to 21 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) very gravelly sandy clay loam, pink (7.5YR 7/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, few medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Bk2--21 to 37 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, pink (7.5YR 7/3) and strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common large irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and as masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 21 inches thick)
BCk1--37 to 47 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) with pink (7.5YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) with light brown (7.5YR 6/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and common very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 55 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and few medium and large irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 17 inches thick)
BCk2--47 to 62 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) with light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, pink (7.5YR 7/4) with strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and common medium and large irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
BCk3--62 to 79 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; prominent films of nonilluvial silicate clay coating some rock fragments and very coarse sand grains; 65 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; very slightly effervescent in the matrix to strongly effervescent on rock fragments, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine and medium irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
C--79 to 94 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; prominent films of nonilluvial silicate clay coating some rock fragments and very coarse sand grains; common distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulations which are relict redoximorphic features; 50 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 3.5 miles northeast of La Cienega; 1,000 feet north and 2,400 feet east of the southwest corner of section 22, T.16N., R.8E.; USGS Turquoise Hill 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 35 minutes 52 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 4 minutes 53 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 52 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 10 to 13 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate) - 6 to 9 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 10 to 13 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: granite, gneiss, and schist
Reaction - neutral in the surface; neutral to slightly alkaline in the upper part of the subsoil; moderately alkaline in the lower part of the subsoil; moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in the substratum
Salinity, mmhos/cm - 0 to 1 in the surface, subsoil, and upper part of the substratum; 0 to 4 in the lower part of the substratum
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 1 in the surface and subsoil; 0 to 4 in the substratum
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 27 to 34 percent
Sand content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent, mostly gravel
Mica content: 1 to 3 percent (by grain count)
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: total range is 35 to 60 percent
30 to 50 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Clay content: 33 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: total range is 35 to 55 percent
30 to 45 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Btk horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly sandy clay loam, very gravelly clay loam, or very gravelly loam
Clay content: 24 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: total range is 35 to 55 percent
35 to 50 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Bk horizons
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 through 8 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: very gravelly sandy clay loam, very gravelly coarse sandy loam, or extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: total range is 45 to 70 percent
40 to 60 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Other features: some pedons have texture of very gravelly loam
Upper BCk horizons
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Texture: extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, extremely gravelly coarse sand, or very gravelly coarse sand
Rock fragments: total range is 50 to 75 percent
45 to 60 percent gravel
5 to 15 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Lower BCk or C horizons
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, very gravelly sandy clay loam, or extremely gravelly sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: total range is 50 to 75 percent
50 to 70 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Other features: much of the silicate clay in these subhorizons is of geologic (ie. nonilluvial) origin and prominent clay coats are evident in some pedons coating rock fragments and very coarse sand grains; some pedons have texture of very gravelly coarse sandy loam or very gravelly or extremely gravelly coarse sand throughout their lower substrata.
COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paraje soils are on shoulders and beveled summits of eroded fan remnants and on backslopes of low hills. They formed in alluvium derived from Precambrian granite, gneiss, and schist; and from Quaternary loess. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,600 to 7,100 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free period is 150 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Golondrina and Agua Fria soils. Golondrina soils have mollic epipedons, argillic horizons that have moderate increase in clay from the surface, and occur on adjacent backslopes of eroded fan remnants. Agua Fria soils are fine-loamy and are on adjacent summits of eroded fan remnants.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; permeability is slow in the upper part and very rapid in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Paraje soils are used for urban development, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, galleta, black grama, sideoats grama, New Mexico feathergrass, twoneedle pinyon, and oneseed juniper. The ecological site is Gravelly(R036XB114NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Paraje soils are of small extent on the southeastern Espanola Basin part of the Basin and Range province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2008. Paraje is the Spanish word for spot or area.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to about 12 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 12 to about 37 inches. (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
Paleargid great group - a clay increase of 15 percent or more (absolute) within one inch at the upper boundary of the argillic horizon. (A and Bt horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 12 inches ( Bt and Btk horizon)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.