LOCATION SEDILLO NM+CO UT AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Sedillo very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky and weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 9 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds, gravel, and lining pores; 55 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bt2--9 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds, gravel, and lining pores; 40 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--16 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent with few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate and thin calcium carbonate coatings on bottom of gravel; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bk2--23 to 50 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 55 percent gravel; discontinuous lenses of cementation; violently effervescent with many soft masses of calcium carbonate and moderately thick calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Bk3--50 to 67 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; 55 percent gravel; violently effervescent with thin calcium carbonate coatings on bottom and sides of gravel; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Valencia County, New Mexico; about 15 miles southeast of Belen, 1.8 miles east and 0.4 mile south of old ranch headquarters; 106 degrees, 33 minutes, 12 seconds west longitude; 34 degrees, 35 minutes, 24 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Usually dry, intermittently moist from December through March and July through September. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 50 to 59 degrees F.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, very fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 10 to 65 percent
Reaction: neutral through moderately alkaline
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Rock fragments: 30 to 80 percent. Averages greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section
Reaction: neutral through moderately alkaline
Accumulations of calcium carbonate are in the lower subsoil of some pedons but do not qualify as a calcic
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 80 percent
Some pedons have thin strata of very cobbly loamy fine sand
Cementation: Strongly cemented in some pedons
Calcium carbonate equivalent: averages 15 to 40 percent below 23 inches
Reaction: slightly through strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Larim (WY), Musofare (NM), and Samala (CO) series. Larim soils are moist during May and June. Musofare soils have a paralithic contact between depths of 20 to 40 inches. Samala soils have a calcic horizon and secondary carbonates within the argillic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Sedillo soils are on gravelly bajadas, fan terraces, fan remnants, stream terraces and piedmont slopes at elevations ranging from 4,800 to 7,500 feet. Slopes are dominantly 3 to 20 percent and range from 0 to 60 percent. The soils formed in gravelly moderately fine to moderately coarse textured calcareous alluvium derived from mixed rocks. The climate is semiarid continental. The average annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. The average annual air temperature ranges from 48 to 57 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ildefonso, Millett, Salas, Tesajo, and Tres Hermanos soils. Ildefonso and Tesajo soils lack argillic horizons. Millett soils have 15 to 35 percent gravel in the upper portion of the control section. Salas and Tesajo soils have mollic epipedons. Tres Hermanos soils have 15 to 35 percent gravel in the control section and have annual soil temperatures of 59 degrees F. or more.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is principally black grama, galleta, ring muhly, sideoats grama, bush muhly, juniper, small soapweed, littleleaf sumac, cholla, and Apache plume.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central New Mexico, southern Colorado, northern Arizona, and southern Utah. The series is moderately extensive. MLRAs 35, 36, 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Valencia County (East Valencia Area), New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 16 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone 23 to 50 inches (Bk2 horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition 2006
Expanded carbonate ranges and cleaned up competitors for the Final Correlation of Santa Fe, New Mexico 10/29/07 PDC