LOCATION TUCES NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Tuces extremely gravelly clay loam--in wildlife land on a 65 percent north-northeast facing slope at an elevation of 7,600 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 40 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 10 percent boulders (all sandstone); slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bk1--1 to 4 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated occurs as few very fine masses; strongly effervescent (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bk, or Bw, horizon is 17 to 39 inches thick.)
Bk2--4 to 24 inches; about 95 percent of the matrix is weak red (10R 4/4) clay, dusky red (10R 3/4) moist with the other 5 percent light olive gray (5Y 6/2), olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; many angular soft shale fragments; calcium carbonate occurs as few very fine masses; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bk, or Bw, horizon is 17 to 39 inches thick.)
Cr--24 inches; (95 percent) dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) and (5 percent) olive gray (5Y 5/2) shale; very slightly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Cottonwood Canyon Quadrangle; about .75 miles northwest of the Bass Ranch headquarters; 108 degrees 15 minutes 19 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 20 minutes 30 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually dry, in some part, for more than 120 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through March. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 48 to 55 degrees F
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to shale
Particle size control section: 40 to 60 percent clay
Percent calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10R to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent total (sandstone)
20 to 60 percent gravel or channers
5 to 25 percent cobbles
2 to 10 percent stones
0 to 10 percent boulders
Bk or Bw horizons:
Hue: 10R, 2.5YR, or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Calendar (NM) series. Calendar soils have 10YR and 2.5Y hues.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Tuces soils formed in slope alluvium and colluvium over residuum derived from shale and sandstone (Chinle Formation) and are on escarpments of cuestas. Slopes are 20 to 40 percent. Elevations range from 7,400 to 8,000 feet. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 53 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 13 to 16 inches. The frost free period is 100 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Simitarq soils on cuestas and the Fickle soils on valley sides. Simitarq soils are shallow to a lithic contact with sandstone. Fickle soils are very deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very high runoff, and slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is pinyon, one seed juniper, cliffrose, mountain mahogany, blue grama, galleta, sideoats grama, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 1 inch. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: The zone from 1 to 24 inches. (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
Paralithic contact: Shale at 24 inches. (Cr horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.