LOCATION TECHADO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, nonacid, frigid, shallow Typic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Techado channery clay loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) channery clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; strong fine granular structure; soft, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 25 percent channers; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
C--3 to 16 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 10 percent channers; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
2Cr--16 to 60 inches; soft shale interbedded with sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; Cebollita Peak Quadrangle; about 5 miles south of Cebollita Peak; 2,375 feet east and 250 feet south of the NW corner of sec. 19, T. 5 N., R. 9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The SMCS is usually moist, in some part, for more than 90 cumulative days from May through October. It is usually dry, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to soft shale - 10 to 20 inches
A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Texture: gravelly clay, channery clay loam or cobbly clay loam
Rock fragments (by volume): 15 to 35 percent channers
0 to 5 percent cobbles
C horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry and 2 to 4 moist
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent weighted average
Rock fragments (by volume): 0 to 15 percent channers
Other features: colors with chroma less than 2 are parent material colors.
COMPETING SERIES: This the Saruche (CO) series. Saruche soils are in LRR-E (MLRA 49) and are moist in May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Techado soils are on summits of mesas, dipslopes of cuestas, hills, ridges and mountains. They formed in slope alluvium and colluvium over residuum derived from shale and sandstone. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent. Elevations range from 6,600 to 8,900 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 22 inches and the mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bryway, Catman, Galestina, Galzuni, Nogal, Silcat, Silkie and Valnor soils. Catman soils lack paralithic contact and are on flood plains. Galestina, Nogal, Silkie and Valnor soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Techado soils are used for grazing and wood production. Present vegetation is pinyon, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper and oakbrush. Douglas fir and ponderosa pine occur on this soil on the Zuni Reservation.
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: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 3 inches. (A horizon)
Entisol feature - Lack of diagnostic horizons.
Paralithic feature - The occurrence of soft shale at a depth of 16 inches. (2Cr horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.