LOCATION VENADITO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, mesic Chromic Haplotorrerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Venadito clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and coarse roots; few very fine irregular pores; vertical cracks 1.5 inches wide; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bss--3 to 35 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, fine and coarse roots; few very fine irregular pores; common intersecting slickensides; vertical cracks .25 inch wide; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (25 to 40 inches thick)
C--35 to 60 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; Atarque Lake Quadrangle; about 3 miles north of the Atarque Ranch Headquarters; 500 feet east and 175 feet north of the southwest corner of Sec. 19. T. 7 N. R. 18 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the SMCS July through September and December through March. The soil is driest in May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 50 to 55 degrees F.
Sodicity: SAR of less than 12
Vertical Cracks: cracks about 0.5 inches wide extend from the surface to depths of 20 to 35 inches, and remain open about 135 days
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 to 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, clay with more than 30 percent clay
Bss and C horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 60 to 80 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Venadito soils are on alluvial fans on valley sides, low stream terraces, and flood plains on valley floors. Slopes are 0 to 6 percent. Elevations range 6,100 to 7,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches and the mean annual temperature is 48 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 110 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Catman, Flugle, Goesling, Hickman, Suwanee and Teco soils. Flugle, Goesling and Teco soils have argillic horizons. Hickman and Suwanee soils have less than 35 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and as irrigated farmland. Present vegetation is western wheatgrass and alkali sacaton. Principal crops are alfalfa, small grains, and potatoes.
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:
Clayey to the surface - greater than 30 percent clay in the surface layer
Intersecting slickensides - the zone from 3 to 35 inches (Bss horizon)
Deep wide cracks - cracks 1 cm wide to a depth of 50 cm or more that remain open about 135 days cumulative
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (parts of Bss and C horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Updated and revised for the correlation of Ft. Defiance Area AZ715 2/08 DWD