LOCATION WILCOXSON NM+AZ
Established Series
Rev. JAW/BDS
10/2013
WILCOXSON SERIES
Wilcoxson soils consist of moderately deep to deep soils that formed in fine textured material weathered from limestone and calcareous sandstone or shale. Wilcoxson soils are on uplands. Mean annual temperature is less than 47 degrees F. and the average precipitation is about 20 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wilcoxson clay loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, friable, sticky, plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 12 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky, plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; common thin clay films on surfaces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 23 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; very hard, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few very fine pores; common thin clay films on surfaces of peds; calcareous with some segregated lime; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Btk3--23 to 44 inches; light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; strongly calcareous with few nodules of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 24 inches thick)
R--44 inches; hard limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; SE1/4 section 21, T.11N., R.13W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: 40 to 55 inches
Depth to bedrock: 22 to 55 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: less than 47 degrees F.
Soil moisture: typic ustic moisture regime
Reaction : neutral to moderately alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: usually clay or heavy clay loam but some pedons are silty clay and heavy silty clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Structure: moderate medium prismatic and moderate and weak angular and subangular blocky
Calcium carbonate: noncalcareous or calcareous
Btk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: similar to the Bt horizon
This horizon is absent in some pedons and is replaced by a calcium carbonate horizon
Bk horizon
Texture: silty clay loam or loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Alder (MT),
Bacbuster (MT),
Bigbear (MT),
Billman (MT),
Charo (NM),
Darret (MT),
Durston (MT),
Microy (NM),
Mishakal (MT),
Pino (NM),
Roaringlion (MT) and Wilcoxson (NM) series. Alder, Bacbuster, Billman, Darret, and Mishakal are moderately deep to a paralithic contact. Charo, Microy and Pino soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Bigbear, Durstan and Roaringlion soils are very deep.
Turkeysprings soils are inactive.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wilcoxson soils are on gently, strongly sloping, and undulating uplands at elevations of 6,000 to 9,000 feet. The soils formed in fine textured material weathered from limestone and calcareous sandstone or shale. The climate is subhumid continental. At the type location the mean annual temperature is less than 47 degrees F. and the average precipitation is about 20 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Andrews,
Jekley, McGaffey, and
Zuni soils. Andrews soils lack an argillic horizon. Jekley soils have a lithic contact within a depth of 20 inches. McGaffey soils lack argillic horizons and lithic contacts. Zuni soils have ochric epipedons and are underlain by granite.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; slow permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber, rangeland, and recreation. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, Arizona fescue, ponderosa pine, gambel oak, and some pinyon pine, and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: New Mexico and Arizona. It is of moderate extent. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Zuni Mountain Area, New Mexico, 1964
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 7 to 23 inches (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact - the boundary at 44 inches with sedimentary rock (limestone) (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Eleventh Edition, 2010
These soils were formerly classified as Chestnut soils.
Updated for the correlation of Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ, May 2013, CEM
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.