LOCATION VIUDA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Viuda gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--2 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 15 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bk--8 to 15 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; few fine calcium carbonate accumulations; 15 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
2R--15 inches; hard basalt lava with a 3/4 inch layer of lime cemented soil material on the top of the basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Catron County, New Mexico; on the north plains about 3/4 mile south of the Catron-Cibola County boundary line in the northeast 1/4, southeast 1/4, sec. 13, T. 4 N., R. 13 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through September and December through March. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 48 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock: 6 to 20 inches
Reaction: Neutral through strongly alkaline
Particle-size control section: 35 to 50 percent clay, 5 to 20 percent pebbles, 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent pebbles, 5 to 50 percent cobbles
Bt horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Rock fragments: 5 to 20 percent pebbles, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Bk horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam, or clay
Rock fragments: 5 to 20 percent pebbles, 5 to 15 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Boysag (AZ) series. Boysag soils have a calcium carbonate equivalent between 15 and 40 percent in the Bk horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Viuda soils formed in alluvium and eolian materials derived from basalt and are on old basalt flows. Slopes are 0 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 6,500 to 7,400 feet. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 to 12 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 46 to 54 degrees F. The average frost-free period is about 115 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Flugle and the Veteado soils. Flugle and Veteado soils are deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Viuda soils are used for grazing. Present vegetation is blue grama and western wheatgrass.
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: Catron County, New Mexico, 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 2 inches
Argillic horizon: 2 to 8 inches
Lithic contact: 15 inches
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon was sampled for characterization in August 1980 as pedon S80-NM-003-16-(1 to 3).