LOCATION RESOLANA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Resolana very gravelly coarse sandy loam--on the backslope of an eroded fan remnant sloping 59 percent to the north (354 degrees) at 7,440 feet elevation--pinyon pine forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was slightly moist from 2 to 11 inches and otherwise dry throughout.)
A--0 to 1 inch; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few fine and few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bt--1 to 5 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very gravelly sandy clay loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; few distinct and common faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Btk1--5 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Btk2--11 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, common medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium and large irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Btk3--17 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common coarse, common medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium and large irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
2Bk1--24 to 34 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; 65 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
2Bk2--34 to 43 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; 60 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common large irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments and few large cemented concretions in matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 22 inches thick)
2Bk3--43 to 63 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; 65 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine and medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 26 inches thick)
2R--63 inches; very strongly cemented granitic fanglomerate bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 2 mile west of the Village of Tesuque; 1,700 feet south and 2,050 feet west of the northeast corner of section 29, T.18N., R.10E.; USGS Tesuque 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 45 minutes 52 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 54 minutes 01 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 48 to 50 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 13 to 19 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 20 to 29 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate) - 5 to 11 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 20 to 29 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: granite, gneiss, and schist
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 18 to 27 percent;
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 45 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent
Organic matter content - 2 to 4 percent in the mollic epipedon
Reaction - neutral in the surface and the upper part of the subsoil; slightly to strongly alkaline in the lower part of the subsoil; strongly alkaline in the upper part of the substratum; moderately alkaline in the lower part of the substratum
Salinity, mmhos/cm - 0 to 1 in the surface and subsoil; 0 to 2 in the substratum
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 1 in the surface and subsoil; 0 to 4 in the substratum
Some pedons have a thin (1 to 2 inches thick) Oi horizon of slightly decomposed needles, twigs, and leaves
A horizon
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2.5 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Clay content: 14 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: total range is 40 to 60 percent
35 to 50 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Bt horizon
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2.5 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly sandy clay loam or very gravelly coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: total range is 40 to 60 percent
35 to 50 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Btk horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly sandy clay loam, very gravelly coarse sandy loam, or very gravelly sandy loam
Rock fragments: total range is 35 to 60 percent
30 to 50 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
2Bk horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, or very gravelly coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: total range is 50 to 75 percent
45 to 65 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 20 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Espadon,
Luckystrike,
Traley, and
Truehill series.
Espadon soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Luckystrike soils have Bkq horizons with silica coats and greater than 20 percent carbonate content. Traley soils are deep to limestone bedrock and have an ustic aridic moisture regime. Truehill soils have mean annual soil temperatures greater than 52 degrees and 25 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Resolana soils are on backslopes of eroded fan remnants. They formed in colluvium derived from Precambrian granite, gneiss, and schist over residuum derived from Tertiary granitic fanglomerate. Slopes are 40 to 70 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,100 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Crucitas, Encantado, Levante, and Nazario soils. Crucitas soil are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy skeletal, lack argillic and calcic horizons, and occur on low stream terraces of valley floors. Levante soils are sandy, do not have diagnostic horizons, and occur on flood plains of valley floors. Encantado soils are sandy-skeletal, lack mollic epipedons, and occur on backslopes of eroded fan remnants generally on adjacent south-facing slopes. Nazario soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, lack mollic epipedons, and occur on narrow beveled summits of eroded fan remnants.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; permeability is moderate in the subsoil, moderately rapid in the substratum, and very slow in the underlying bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: Resolana soils are used for cordwood production, urban development, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, black grama, New Mexico feathergrass, galleta, sideoats grama, oneseed juniper, and twoneedle pinyon. The ecological site is Juniperus monosperma-Pinus edulis/Fallugia parodoxa-Chrysothamnus nauseosus/Bouteloua hirsuta-Bouteloua gracilis(F036XB136NM)..
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Resolana 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. Resolana is a Spanish word for tasty.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 17 inches. (A, Bt, Btk1, and Btk2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 1 to about 24 inches. (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 24 to about 43 inches. (2Bk1 and 2Bk2 horizons)
Lithic contact - The presence of very strongly cemented granitic fanglomerate bedrock at 63 inches. (2R layer.)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 1 to 21 inches (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, and part of Btk3 horizons)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.