LOCATION PICLIFF NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, mesic, shallow Leptic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Picliff silty clay loam, on an east facing, 5 percent slope in grassland at an elevation of 5600 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on April 25, 2002 the soil was dry throughout. The surface is covered by 10 percent gravel.
A--0 to 2 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, soft, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few very fine roots throughout; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; 28 percent clay; 3 percent parachanners; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; clear smooth boundary.
Bky--2 to 6 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) parachannery silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common very fine, and common fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent fine irregular carbonate masses in matrix, 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; and 2 percent fine irregular gypsum masses in matrix; 3 percent gypsum; 29 percent clay; 20 percent parachanners; violently effervescent, moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; clear smooth boundary.
By--6 to 15 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) extremely parachannery clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; firm, hard, very sticky, very plastic; 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 2 percent fine irregular gypsum masses, 8 percent gypsum total; 28 percent clay; 65 percent parachanners; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; gradual smooth boundary.
Cr--15 inches; interbedded Lewis siltstone and shale.
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; about 9.5 miles north of Kirtland, at the northwest side of the Hogback; Purgatory Canyon, USGS quad; lat. 36 degrees 52 minutes 31.68 seconds N. and long. 108 degrees 17 minutes 51.23 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is typic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 54 to 58 degrees F
Depth to paralithic contact: 7 to 20 inches to siltstone or shale
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 2 to 6 inches
Depth to gypsic horizon: 1 to 7 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: Silty clay loam, silt loam, or loam
Pararock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 1 to 4
Gypsum: 1 to 5 percent
SAR: 1 to 5
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Bky horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam, or loam
Pararock fragments: 5 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 1 to 4
Gypsum: 1 to 5 percent
SAR: 1 to 5
Reaction: moderately alkaline, or strongly alkaline
By horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam, clay loam, loam, gypsiferous silty clay loam, or gypsiferous loam.
Pararock fragments: 25 to 75 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 2 to 6
Gypsum: 5 to 20 percent
SAR: 1 to 5
Reaction: moderately alkaline, or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Toadlena (NM) series. Toadlena soils are in an aridic soil moisture regime that borders ustic
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum derived from siltstone or shale
Landform: cuesta valley
Slopes: 3 to 9 percent
Elevation: 4,800 to 5,700 feet
Mean annual temperature: 52 to 56 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 7 to 10 inches
Precipitation pattern: Uniform with slight dip in May and June and slight increase in July and August.
Frost-free period: 135 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chimrock and Monierco series. The Chimrock soils are very deep well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium and alluvium derived from siltstone and shale and are on alluvial floodplains and washes. The Monierco soils are shallow well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium, and residuum derived from interbedded mudstones. Monierco soils lack a gypsic horizon, and contain an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high runoff, moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These areas are used for grazing. The vegetation is mainly saltbush, galleta, alkali sacaton, cheat grass, and snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ute Mountain Reservation, San Juan County, New Mexico; MLRA 35; small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan County, New Mexico; Ute Mountain Area, Colorado and New Mexico, 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 25 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 15 inches. (By horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizons)
Gypsic horizon: The zone from 6 to 15 inches. (By horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with siltstone and shale at 15 inches. (Cr horizons)
Leptic subgroup: A gypsic horizon with its upper boundary within 18 cm (7 inches) of the soil surface.
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003