LOCATION SIMITARQ NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Simitarq sandy loam--in a pinyon-juniper woodland on a 4 percent north facing slope at an elevation of 7,300 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 10 percent sandstone channers and siliceous gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Bt1--1 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films coating faces of peds and bridging sand grains; 5 percent sandstone channers and 1 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches)
Bt2--6 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; many prominent clay films coating faces of peds and bridging sand grains; 2 percent sandstone channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 15 inches thick)
R--14 inches; sandstone; the top 1 inch is weathered with Bt2 material in the cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Continental Divide Quadrangle; about 1.4 miles southwest of Continental Divide, New Mexico; 500 feet south and 800 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 29, T. 14 N., R. 14 W.; 108 degrees 20 minutes 13 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 25 minutes 16 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually dry, in some part, for more than 120 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through March. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 49 to 55 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 5 to 20 inches to sandstone
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Sodicity: SAR less than 1
Particle-size control section: 20 to 35 percent clay and greater than 35 percent sand. (The lower argillic horizons contain more than 35 percent clay but are not thick enough or have a high enough clay content to make the PSCS clayey.)
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent total
5 to 25 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt1 horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam with less than 35 percent clay
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent total
5 to 15 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt2 horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay, clay, clay loam with greater than 35 percent clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent total
0 to 30 percent gravel
0 to 20 percent cobbles
Some pedons have Btk horizons with less than 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atarque (NM), Pescado (NM), Uva (NM), Valena (AZ) and Verite (AZ) series. These soils lack a lower argillic horizon with greater than 35 percent clay. Valena soils formed from granite, particle size control section contain more than 50 percent sand and more than 5 percent 2 to 5 mm gravel size fragments. Uva and Verite soils have typic ustic soil moisture regimes. Pescado soils are inactive.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Simitarq soils formed in eolian material and slope alluvium over residuum from sandstone (Sonsela sandstone of the Chinle Formation) and are on summits and dipslopes of mesas and cuestas. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 7,200 to 8,100 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 13 to 16 inches. The frost free period is 100 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Celavar soils on dipslopes of cuestas; the Fickle soils on valley sides; and the Tuces soils on escarpments. The Celavar and Tuces soils are moderately deep to sandstone and shale. The Fickle soils are very deep and have vertic properties.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to high runoff, and moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for wood products and livestock grazing. The present vegetation is a pinyon-juniper woodland with an understory of buckwheat, yucca, blue grama, prairie junegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central, New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 1 to 14 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact - sandstone bedrock at 14 inches (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999.
Revised and updated competing series section.