LOCATION THURLONI NMInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Typical profile of Thurloni clay, in a virgin area under a cover of pinyon pine, juniper, and ponderosa pine. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
01&02--1 inch to 0, needles, leaves, and twigs, in various stages of decomposition.
A1--0 to 2 inches, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) clay, dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) when moist; moderate, fine, granular structure; soft when dry, friable when moist, sticky and plastic when wet; weakly calcareous; pH 7.6; clear, smooth boundary.
B1--2 to 6 inches, weak red (2.5YR 4/2) clay, dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) when moist; moderate, very fine or fine, subangular and angular blocky structure; hard when dry, firm when moist, very sticky and very plastic when wet; strongly calcareous, with visible lime; pH 8.0; clear smooth boundary.
B2--6 to 11 inches, weak red (10R 5/3) clay, weak red (10R 4/3) when moist; moderate, medium, prismatic structure breaking to weak, fine and medium, angular blocky; very hard when dry, very firm when moist, very sticky and very plastic when wet; no distinct pores; strongly calcareous; pH 8.2; clear boundary.
B3--11 to 18 inches, weak red (10R 5/3) silty clay, weak red (10R 4/3) when moist; weak, fine, angular blocky structure; hard when dry, friable when moist, sticky and plastic when wet; some fine pores; strongly calcareous; pH 8.4; clear boundary.
C/R--18 to 33 inches +, pale red (10R 6/3), weak red (10R 5/3), and white (10YR 8/1) shale and silty clay loam, weak red (10R 4/4) and light gray (10YR 7/2) when moist; slightly hard when dry, friable when moist, sticky and plastic when wet; many fine pores; strongly calcareous, with lime in mycelial veins; pH 8.5.
TYPE LOCATION: in Sixmile Canyon, north of McGaffey; SE1/4 SW1/4 sec. 22, T. 14 N., R. 16 W., McKinley County, New Mexico.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Fragments of petrified wood are common on the surface and within the solum. In some places fragments of limestone occur in the profile. Fragments and pieces of shale occur on the surface in places, and there are outcrops of shale. This soil is generally calcareous to the surface. The A1 horizon is noncalcareous in places but is not acid. The depth to fractured shale ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The color of the A1 horizon ranges from dark gray to reddish-brown to brown. In the layers below the A1 horizon, the degree of redness varies, depending on the color of the parent shale. The texture of the B2 horizon is generally clay, but in places it is silty clay or heavy clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Meloche (NM) series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Thurloni series consists of moderately deep or deep, moderately well drained, calcareous soils on gently rolling or moderately steep uplands. They formed in strongly calcareous, red, clayey shale of the Chinle formation. These soils occur at elevations of 6,000 to 7,000 feet, where the annual precipitation is 14 to 17 inches and the average annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Thurloni soils are associated with the Ordnance and Showlow soils. They have been less influenced by sandstone than the Ordnance soils, and their horizonation is less distinct than that of those soils. The Thurloni soils are shallower and more calcareous than the Showlow soils. They are less well developed than those soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, permeability is moderately slow to slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: The vegetation consists mainly of pinyon pine and juniper, but there is some ponderosa pine, oak brush, mountain-mahogany, blue grama, western wheatgrass and squirreltail. Greasewood and shadscale grow in the drier areas. In many places the stands of pinyon and juniper are so dense that there is little other vegetation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico. 1964.
REMARKS: This description was added to the OSD database in March 2007. The intent is to preserve the concept of the series. The information in this description is taken verbatim from the Soil Survey of Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico published in 1967. No update was made to the typical pedon nomenclature, geographically associated soils, etc.