LOCATION POJOAQUE           NM
Established Series
Rev. RJ
10/2008

POJOAQUE SERIES

The Pojoaque series consists of deep, well drained moderately permeable soils that formed from colluvium and alluvium derived from granite, gneiss, schist and sandstone. Slopes range from 5 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 51 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Ustic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Pojoaque sandy clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 7 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; 10 percent igneous gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bk--7 to 25 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; 25 percent igneous gravel; strongly effervescent, lime mainly disseminated, with some soft masses; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)

C--25 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 15 percent igneous gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline. (24 inches or more thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; along Tano Road in NE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 3, T.17N., R.9E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Temperature: 47 to 59 degrees F.

Soil Moisture: These soils are usually dry in the soil moisture control section, but are not dry in all parts above 12 inches more than three-fourths the time the soil temperature is 41 degrees F. The driest months are May and June. Ustic aridic moisture regime.

Rock Fragments: 15 to 35 percent; mostly gravel in the particle-size control section.

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 15 percent

Hue: 2.5YR through 10YR

Value 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist

Chroma: 3 through 6

Texture: gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kishona (WY), Mikim (CO), Neville (CO), Paradox (CO), Thedalund (CO), Theedle (WY), and Tsosie (NM). Mikim, Neville, Paradox, Thedalund and Tsosie soils all contain less than 15 percent rock fragments. Kishona soils are moist for 60 consecutive days following the end of April, when the soil temperature is 41 degrees F., or greater and they are dry in all parts of the soil moisture control section for 60 days from July 15 to October 25. Theedle soils are less than 40 inches to a paralithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pojoaque soils are on 5 to 30 percent slopes in the highly dissected Santa Fe Formation. The soils formed in medium to moderately fine textured calcareous sediments derived mostly from granite, gneiss, schist, sandstone and some limestone. The climate is semiarid continental. Average annual precipitation is about 10 to 14 inches. Mean summer temperature is about 68 degrees F. The precipitation pattern is characterized by a marked summer maximum occurring as thunderstorms usually of short duration.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aqua Fria, Harvey, Panky and silver soils. Harvey soils have calcic horizons within 40 inches of the surface. Silver, Panky and Aqua Fria soils have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is rangeland with minor amounts used for residential development. The principal vegetation is blue, black, and sideoats gramas with moderate stands of pinyon and juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rio Grande drainage of Northern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs 35, 36, and 39.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County (Santa Fe Area), New Mexico, 1970.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Entisol feature: Lack of diagnostic horizons. Bk horizon lacks sufficient calcium carbonate for a calcic horizon.

Consideration should be given to moving the type location to Cibola County New Mexico since this series was not correlated in the Santa Fe County update.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.