LOCATION VERANO NMTentative Series
The Verano series consists of well drained soils that are very deep to sandstone bedrock. They formed in colluvium derived from sandstone, shale, and conglomerate. Verano soils are on north-facing backslopes of plateaus. Slopes are 35 to 65 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 16 inches and mean annual temperature is about 44 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Verano very cobbly loam, on a backslope of a mesa sloping 52 percent to the west at 265 degrees, at 7,630 feet elevation-ponderosa pine forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 20th, 1999, the soil was moist from 2 to 45 inches and otherwise dry throughout.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed needles, twigs, and pine cones; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
A--2 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 2 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
BA--5 to 10 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very cobbly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse, few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; few medium and few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--14 to 25 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few coarse, common medium, and few fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; few prominent clay films on faces of peds and common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary
Bt3--25 to 33 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very coarse, few coarse, few medium, and few fine roots; few medium and few very fine tubular pores; common prominent and common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bt4--33 to 53 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and moderately plastic; common medium and few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary.
Bt5--53 to 72 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse, few medium, and few fine roots; few medium, common fine and common very fine tubular pores; few distinct and common fine clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 52 to 72 inches)
2Cr--72 to 88 inches; moderately cemented sandstone bedrock. (16 inches thick)
2R--88 to 98 inches; very strongly cemented sandstone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 3.5 miles south of Glorieta; USGS Glorieta 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 32 minutes 2 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 45 minutes 6 seconds West, NAD 27.
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 and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is typic ustic.
Soil temperature - 45 to 47 degrees F
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 10 to 12 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 54 to 88 inches
Particle-size control section weighted averages - Silicate clay content: 35 to 50 percent; Sand content: 25 to 45 percent; Fine sand or coarser content: 20 to 40 percent; Rock fragment content: total of 35 to 60 with 30 to 40 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones, lithology of fragments is sandstone.
Reaction - neutral in the surface and in the upper part of the subsoil; strongly alkaline in
the lower part of the subsoil.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2, 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 1 through 3 moist
Texture: very cobbly loam, cobbly loam
Clay content: 6 to 20 percent
Rock Fragments: total range is 30 to 60 percent
10 to 35 percent gravel
10 to 30 percent cobbles
0 to 10 percent stones
0 to 10 percent boulders
BA horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 or 5 dry, 2.5 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: very cobbly loam or cobbly sandy loam
Clay content: 13 to 22
Rock Fragments: total range is 20 to 45 percent
10 to 25 gravel
10 to 20 cobbles
Bt horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10 YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3, 4, 6, or 8 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly clay loam, very cobbly clay, very cobbly clay loam, very gravelly clay, very gravelly clay loam, gravelly clay, cobbly clay loam.
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock Fragments: total range is 35 to 60 percent
30 to 40 percent gravel
5 to 25 percent cobbles
0 to 10 stones
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cebolleta, Rionutria, Roy, Shanley, and Storyhill series. Cebolleta and Rionutria soils are moderately deep. Roy soils have a horizon of carbonate accumulation Shanley soils do not have a paralithic contact within 80 inches. Storyhill soils have a calcic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Verano soils are on north-facing backslopes of mesas. They formed in colluvium derived from sandstone, shale, and conglomerate. Slopes are 35 to 65 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,200 to 8,100 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 17 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Altezita, Esquila, and Estrada soils. Altezita soils are loamy, very shallow to sandstone bedrock, and occur on summits of plateaus. Esquila soils are clayey, shallow to sandstone bedrock, and occur on toeslopes of plateaus. Estrada soils are fine-loamy, have a thicker mollic epipedon, and occur on toeslopes of valley sides.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high to high surface runoff; permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Verano soils are used for wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. Present vegetation is ponderosa pine, twoneedle pion, Gambel oak, Rocky Mountain juniper, mountain muhly, plains prickly pear, banana yucca, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Verano soils are of small extent on the northern Glorieta Slope part of the Pecos Valley section of the Great Plains physiographic province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 70A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - soil surface to a depth of about 12 inches (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon - 10 to about 72 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 and Bt5 horizons)
Paralithic material - 72 to about 88 inches (2Cr layer)
Lithic contact At a depth of 88 inches.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.