LOCATION SKYVILLAGE NM+UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Lithic Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Skyvillage fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
C1--2 to 11 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C2--11 to 16 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; 14 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2R--16 inches; gray sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico; Alamo Ranch .75 mile northwest of Armijo Lake; 2,040 feet west and 1,940 feet south of the northwest corner of section 22,T. 14 N., R. 1 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Typically dry in all parts of the soil moisture control section from mid-February to the end of June and are moist in some part intermittently from July 1 to October 30. The SMCS is periodically moist in some or all parts from November 1 to mid-February. Ustic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 47 to 56 degrees F
Rock Fragments - 0 to 35 percent total (fragments are sandstone)
0 to 30 percent gravel
0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Reaction - Slightly or moderately alkaline; calcareous in all parts.
Depth to bedrock - 6 to 20 inches
A and C horizons
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam or loam, with appropriate modifiers
Clay content: 10 to 27 percent
Sand content: more than 25 percent fine sand or coarser
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the
Bigmon (CO),
Hideout (UT),
Kenzo (UT),
Lazear (CO),
Redspear (WY),
Rizozo (NM),
Rizno (UT),
Simel (UT),
Tesihim (AZ),
Travson (WY),
Travessilla (NM) and
Zukan (UT) series.
Bigmon soils are overlying basalt bedrock and contain 15 to 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Hideout soils have an even distribution of moisture throughout the year.
Lazear soils have more than 18 percent clay in the control section.
Kenzo soils contain 8 to 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Rizno, Rizozo, and Zukan soils have hue of 5YR or redder.
Simel soils have more than 27 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Tesihim are shallow over volcanic tuff. In addition, Redspear, Rizozo, Travessilla, Travson and Zukan soils are more moist in
May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Skyvillage soils are on bedrock controlled landscapes of ridges, hills, structural benches, breaks, cuestas and mesas. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevation is 4,800 to 8,100 feet. The soils formed in eolian material, residuum and slope alluvium derived from sandstone. Mean annual precipitation is 9 to 13 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 45 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 120 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Otero, Penistaja, and Sandoval soils. Otero and Penistaja soils are deep. Sandoval soils have more than 18 percent clay and a paralithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate and moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Skyvillage soils are used for livestock grazing. The present vegetation is galleta, blue grama, alkali sacaton, fourwing saltbush and oneseed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral New Mexico. MLRA 36, LRR-D. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)
Entisol feature: lack of diagnostic horizons.
Lithic contact: Sandstone at 16 inches.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.
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