LOCATION TRANQUILAR NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Argialbolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Tranquilar silty clay loam--mountain grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and very fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.1);; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
A2--4 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
E1--8 to 11 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E2--11 to 13 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) on faces of peds silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; ped interiors light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few fine faint reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) redoximorphic features inside peds; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 20 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) on faces of peds clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; ped interiors brown (10YR 5/3), dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and few medium roots; thin organic films; thin clay films on faces of peds; stress cutans on a few peds; few fine faint reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) redoximorphic features inside peds; strongly acid (pH 5.4);; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt2--20 to 34 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) on faces of peds clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; ped interiors very pale brown (10YR 7/3), brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; continuous moderately thick clay coatings and organic stains on faces of peds; stress cutans on a few peds; few fine faint reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) redoximorphic features inside peds; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bt3--34 to 42 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and medium roots; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds with discontinuous patchy organic films; stress cutans on a few peds; common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) redoximorphic features; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Btg1--42 to 50 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) clay, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine and medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and medium roots; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of prism; stress cutans on a few peds; common, fine, prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) redoximorphic features; extremely acid (pH 4.4); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Btg2--50 to 65 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) clay, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and medium roots; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of prism; common fine prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) redoximorphic features, black (N 2/0) root stains, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Btg3--65 to 75 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; discontinuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; common fine prominent reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) redoximorphic features and black (N/2) root stains on ped faces; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
C--75 to 98 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive, hard, firm sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common fine prominent reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) redoximorphic features and black (N/2) root stains on ped faces; very strongly acid (pH 4.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico, Baca Location No. 1; San Antonio Valley about 3,500 feet east of gate on pipeline road at tree line on west side of valley, and about 400 feet north of pipeline road; New Mexico State Plane Coordinates E. 398,000 feet. N. 1,813,213 feet. Valle San Antonio USGS quad; lat. 35 degrees 59 minutes 00 seconds N. and long. 106 degrees 35 minutes 45 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: typic ustic
Average annual soil temperature: 43 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to argillic horizon: 10 to 22 inches
Linear extensibility: 7.0 to 9.0
Base saturation: 60 to 90 percent throughout
Depth to seasonal endosaturation: 20 to 48 inches from March through July.
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 60 to 75 percent
A horizon
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent boulders, stones, and cobbles
Volcanic glass content: 10 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
E horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Volcanic glass content: 10 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 7 dry, 2 through 7 moist
Chroma: 3 through 8
Texture: clay, silty clay
Volcanic glass content: 10 to 40 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid
Btg horizon
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 or 7 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist
Texture: clay, silty clay, silty clay loamReaction: extremely acid or very strongly acid
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silty clay, clay loam, gravelly loam, gravelly clay loam, gravelly silty clay loam
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. A similar soil is Jarola. Jarola soils have mixed mineralogy and less than 60 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tranquilar soils have formed in lacustrine and alluvial deposits on valley floors and on adjacent terrace positions. The sediments were derived mainly from rhyolite, tuff, dacite, and latite. Slopes are 1 to 15 percent. Elevations are 8,500 to 9,200 feet. The climate is subhumid continental with a mean annual precipitation of about 20 to 25 inches. During spring and early summer there is a water table at 20 to 48 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 42 to 46 degrees F., and the frost-free season is about 70 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cajete, Jarmillo, Jarola, and Hesperus series. Cajete soils are formed in pumice and are ashy-skeletal. Jarmillo soils lack an argillic horizon and are well drained. Jarola soils are poorly drained, formed in alluvium and have a solum less than 35 inches thick. Hesperus soils do not have albic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium runoff; slow or very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Tranquilar soils are used mainly for grazing. The native vegetation is Arizona fescue, bluegrass, pine dropseed, and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral New Mexico; MLRA 48A. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sandoval County, New Mexico, 1987. Name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 8 inches. This pedon is a mollisol because colors above and below the albic horizon meet the criteria (0 to 11 inches and 13 to 20 inches; A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons.)
Albic horizon: The zone from 11 to 13 inches. (E horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 13 to 75 inches. (Bt horizons)
The classification of this soil is changed from fine to very-fine based on NSSL lab data S 78-NM-43-11. The 12/2001 version changes the subgroup classification from Typic to Vertic.
Questions arose during the 12/2001 update of this description: The redox features in the E horizon suggest the depth to saturation may be shallower than stated. Additionally this series appears to include the poorly drained class. These characteristics were not revised, pending further mapping and study of this series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The pedon was described and sampled as number S78-NM-43-11. It is part of a characterization study in the Baca Location, Sandoval County.