LOCATION VESSILLA                NM+AZ+CO+UT

Established Series
Rev. LWH/GBM/CDL
10/2018

VESSILLA SERIES

The Vessilla series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained, moderately rapid permeable soils that formed in eolian and alluvial material weathered from sandstone. Vessilla soils are on narrow ridges, hills, breaks and mesas of bedrock controlled landscapes. Slopes are 1 to 65 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 48 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Aridic Lithic Ustorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Vessilla gravelly fine sandy loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

C--2 to 11 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 15 inches thick)

R--11 inches; sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico. Approximately 15 miles northwest of San Ysidro, New Mexico and 3 miles southeast of the Holy Ghost Campgrounds. State plane coordinates 306,800 feet east and 1,705,620 feet north. 106 degrees, 54 minutes, 00 seconds west longitude; 35 degrees, 41 minutes, 13 seconds north latitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section from July through October and November through March. Driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 47 to 55 degrees F.

Depth to sandstone: 4 to 20 inches

Particle size control section -
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent

Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline; calcareous in all parts

Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel, channers, cobbles, stones or flagstone

A and C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent cobbles and flagstones, 0 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent stones and 0 to 15 percent channers

Other features: In some pedons BC horizons are present instead of C horizons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Nizhoni series. Nizhoni soils have hue 5YR and redder.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Vessilla soils occupy narrow ridges, hills, breaks, mesas, cuestas, benches and plateaus of sandstone bedrock controlled landscapes. Slopes are 1 to 65 percent. Average annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 18 inches. Average annual air temperature is 45 to 53 degrees F., and average frost-free period is 100 to 150 days. Elevation ranges from 5,060 to 8,000 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hickman, Menefee and Sparham soils. The Hickman and Sparham soils are deep. The Menefee soils are on fractured shale at 8 to 20 inch depths.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for wood products, livestock grazing, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is pinyon pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, oneseed juniper, Utah juniper, Indian ricegrass, Nevada bluegrass, mountain mahogany, antelope bitterbrush, blue grama, oak, yucca, Mexican cliffrose, Mormon tea, Wyoming big sagebrush, and Bigelow sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: This soil occurs in northeastern Arizona, southern Utah and northwestern New Mexico. MLRA 36 and 35; LRR-D. This series is extensive.

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:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Entisol feature - lack of diagnostic horizons (A and C horizons)

Lithic contact - the boundary at 11 inches (R horizon)

Reaction class - calcareous throughout (A and C horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Twelfth Edition, 2014

Hues of 5YR were allowed in the Sandoval Area Soil Survey, New Mexico. The series was redefined as 7.5YR and 10YR only in 1990. The series was reclassified from Typic Ustic to Aridic Ustic in August of 2001 to reflect current and past use of the series.

Revisions and updated for the correlation of Ft. Defiance Area (AZ715) 2/08 DWD

Modified format to meet Region 8 standards 4 Dec 2008 CEM

Updates and revisions for the correlation of Kane County UT642, July 2017, CEM

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.