LOCATION SALADON NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic Typic Cryaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Saladon mucky silty clay - rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 4 inches; black (N 2/) mucky silty clay, black (N 2/) dry; weak fine and very fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine and common medium roots; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A12--4 to 9 inches; black (N 2/) clay, very dark gray (N 3/) dry; strong fine granular structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, very plastic; many fine, very fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
A13--9 to 16 inches; black (N 2/) clay, very dark gray (N 3/) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, very plastic; many fine, very fine and medium roots; very few fine tubular pores; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C1g--16 to 27 inches; olive (5Y 4/3) clay, olive gray (5Y 5/2) dry; common fine faint mottles of dark olive gray (5Y 3/2), and common medium faint mottles of olive brown (2.5Y 4/4); moderate fine subangular blocky and angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, very plastic; common fine and very fine and many medium roots; many pressure faces; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
C2g--27 to 60 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; common medium faint mottles of olive (5Y 4/3); massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, very plastic; few fine and common medium roots; common fine distinct masses of light gray (N 7/), and few fine distinct masses of very dark gray (N 3/); 8 percent fine gravel; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Colfax County, New Mexico; 2,500 feet west and 510 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 13, T.24N., R.16E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Average annual soil temperature is about 41 degrees F. and the average summer soil temperature is about 55 degrees F. These soils have a fluctuating water table at 0 to 4 feet. The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 dry or moist and is neutral, or has chroma of 1 or 2 in hue of 10YR. It is mucky silty clay, mucky silty clay loam or clay. It has weak or strong fine and very fine granular structure. The C1g horizon has hue of 5Y through 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 1 through 3. It is heavy silty clay loam, heavy clay loam or light clay with 37 to 50 percent clay. The C2g horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3. Texture is similar to the C1g horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dilman, Furniss, and Sawatch series. Dilman, Furniss, and Sawatch soils have mixed mineralogy; in addition, Sawatch soils have coarse texture in the lower part of the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Saladon soils are in depressions, swales and flats on gently to moderately sloping basalt flows at elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 feet. The soils formed in fine-textured alluvium from tertiary and quaternary basalt with slight influence of Pennsylvanian sandstone and shale. The climate is continental with an average annual temperature of about 39 degrees F. and an average summer temperature of about 53 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 18 to 20 inches with about 60 percent falling during the frost-free period.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Burnac, Frolic, and Hillery soils. Burnac and Hillery soils have argillic horizons. Frolic soils have fine-loamy control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; very slowly permeable. Runoff is very slow and some areas are ponded for short periods.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native rangeland restricted to summer grazing. Natural vegetation is water-tolerant grasses, sedges, and iris.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain areas of northeastern New Mexico. This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colfax County, New Mexico, 1974.
ADDITIONAL DATA: S70NMex-4-2-(1,2). Lincoln Lab. 70L112, 70L113 from an area of pedons representing the central concept of the series.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 6/74.