LOCATION TSEZHIN AZ+NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Tsezhin very cobbly very fine sandy loam, extremely stony -- on a planar fan terrace tread sloping 9 percent to the south at 7,000 feet elevation -- woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry from the surface to 2 inches and moist from 2 through 60 inches.)
A--0 to 2 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly very fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 30 percent cobble, 20 percent gravel, and 10 percent stones; very slightly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--2 to 7 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common medium and few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; very slightly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Btk1--7 to 22 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common medium and few very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as very few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 23 inches thick)
Btk2--22 to 35 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as very few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Btk3--35 to 51 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very cobbly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent cobble, 20 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many large irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments and as weakly cemented nodules; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)
Btk4--51 to 65 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very cobbly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent cobble, 15 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped accumulations on rock fragments and faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Apache County, Arizona; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 13.5 miles north-northeast of Cove; 1,650 feet west and 1,750 feet north of the southeast corner of section 32, T.38 N., R.30 E.; Latitude 36 degrees 44 minutes 32 seconds North and Longitude 109 degrees 8 minutes 42 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent of the time and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. December and August are the wettest months and May and June are the driest. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 50 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 30 to 60 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 23 to 50 inches
Clay content - 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments - 35 to 60 percent
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Organic carbon content: 0.6 to 2 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent
10 to 20 percent gravel
20 to 35 percent cobble
5 to 20 percent stones
Bt and upper Btk horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent, <20mm: 0 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
15 to 40 percent gravel
10 to 30 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
Lower Btk and Bk horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 0 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent, <20mm: 15 to 60 percent in the calcic horizon, 3 to 10 percent below
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
15 to 25 percent gravel
20 to 30 percent cobble
0 to 5 percent stones
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fangio (NM) and Quagmeier (UT) series. Fangio soils have a paralithic contact at 79 inches. Quagmier soils depth to the calcic horizon ranges from 10 to 20 inches below the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tsezhin soils are on treads of fan terraces and alluvial fans. They formed in alluvium derived from Triassic sandstone and shale and Tertiary quartz diorite. Slopes range from 5 to 70 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,000 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches in New Mexico and 16 to 20 inches in Arizona, with about half falling as winter snow and half falling as rain from high intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 56 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chazner, Katzine, and Wetherill soils. Chazner soils are moderately deep to a petrocalcic horizon and have carbonatic mineralogy. Katzine soils lack argillic horizons and occur on risers of fan terraces. Wetherill soils are fine-silty and occur on eolian-mantled surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Tsezhin soils are used for livestock grazing wildlife habitat and fuelwood production. Present vegetation is Utah juniper, pinyon, black sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, muttongrass, and plains prickly pear.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Tsezhin soils are moderately extensive in northern Arizona and northwest New Mexico. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Apache County, Arizona; Shiprock Area Soil Survey; 1993. Tsezhin is a place name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 65 inches (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, Btk3, Btk4 horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 35 to 51 inches (Btk3 horizon)
Classification changed to Calcidic subgroup in 2007.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.