LOCATION PIETOWN NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aridic Ustifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Pietown fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
C1--10 to 28 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary.
C2--28 to 32 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary.
C3--32 to 42 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary.
C4--42 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (Combined thickness of the C horizons are greater than 60 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Catron County, New Mexico; about 2 miles northwest of Quemado on state highway 32; in the southwest 1/4, sec. 33, T. 2 N., R. 16 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through September and December through March. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 49 to 54 degrees F.
Particle-size control section: 5 to 17 percent clay, greater than 40 percent sand on a weighted average. Strata range in thickness and texture (S-CL)
A horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
C horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Altazano (NM) and Sodawells (WY) series. Altazano soils have fragments of granite or schist in the profile, have buried soils within 40 inches, and have frost-free periods of more than 140 days. Sodawells soils are in the Powder River Basin and adjacent areas of eastern Wyoming (MLRAs 58A & 58B) and are moist in May and June with over half of the annual precipitation falling in April, May, and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pietown soils are at elevations of 6,000 to 7,600 feet on flood plains and alluvial fans with slopes of 0 to 5 percent. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches, average annual air temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F, and frost-free period is 110 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Catman, Flugle, Goesling, Hickman and Jacques. Catman and Jacques have more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Flugle and Goesling have argillic horizons. Hickman soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff; rapid to moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland. Present vegetation is western wheatgrass, alkali sacaton, spike muhly and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central New Mexico. The series is inextensive. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Catron County, New Mexico, 1982.