LOCATION RAMAH NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Ramah sandy loam--on a south-facing slope of 1 percent in rangeland at an elevation of 6820 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; few fine irregular pores; common distinct clay films bridging sand grains; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 22 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 15 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; many prominent clay films bridging sand grains and coating faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 17 inches thick)
Btk--15 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; many prominent clay films bridging sand grains and coating faces of peds; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated (9 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bk1--23 to 33 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; common fine and medium soft seams and soft masses of calcium carbonate (12 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual irregular boundary. (8 to 27 inches thick)
Bk2--33 to 41 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; many fine and medium soft seams and soft masses and common fine and medium concretions of calcium carbonate (17 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 27 inches thick)
Bk3--41 to 62 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; common fine soft seams and soft masses of calcium carbonate (5 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (0 to 21 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Pescado Quadrangle; about 1000 feet southeast of Pescado Reservoir on the Zuni Indian Reservation; 108 degrees 33 minutes 11 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 6 minutes 8 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The SMCS is usually moist, in all parts, for less than 90 cumulative days from April through October. It is usually dry, in some part, for more than 120 cumulative days during the same period. It is continuously moist in some part November through April, but not moist in all parts for 45 consecutive days from January through April. The period of maximum precipitation is July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 48 to 51 degrees F
Particle-size control section: 35 to 40 percent clay Greater than 30 percent sand
Depth to visible carbonates: 12 to 25 inches
Depth to calcic horizon: 25 to 45 inches 15 to 30 percent calcium carbonate
Rock Fragments: 0 to 5 percent. All fragments are mostly sandstone.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3, 4, or 6 moist
Chroma: 4 or 5 dry, 3, 4, or 6 moist
Textures: Typically clay loam with some pedons having thin upper sandy clay loam Bt horizons
Bk horizons:
Percent calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Jacee (NM), Paguate (NM) and Teczuni (NM) series. The Jacee and Paguate soils are moderately deep to a lithic or paralithic contact. Teczuni soils have clay textured calcic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Ramah soils formed in eolian and alluvial materials and are on lava flows on valley floors and fan terraces. Slopes are 1 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 6400 to 7000 feet. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 49 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 13 to 15 inches. The frost free period is 100 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Toldohn and Vessilla soils on escarpments of mesas and cuestas; the Pescado soils on lava flows on valley floors; the Hosta soils on fan terraces; and the Concho soils on stream terraces. The Toldohn soils are shallow to a paralithic contact to shale; the Vessilla soils are shallow to sandstone; the Pescado is very shallow and shallow to basalt; and the Hosta and Concho soils lack calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff, and moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used primarily for rangeland with minor areas used for urban development and subsistent crops. Present vegetation is big sagebrush, broom snakeweed, blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, sand dropseed, buckwheat, pingue, and widely scattered pinyon and oneseed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 23 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 33 to 41 inches. (Bk2 horizon--17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.