LOCATION NAGEEZI NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Nageezi loamy fine sand -- on the tread of a high stream terrace sloping 1 percent to the east at 5,520 feet elevation -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist from 2 to 15 inches and dry below.)
A-- 0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bw-- 4 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1-- 14 to 18 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and fine and common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine irregularly shaped accumulations on coarse sand grains and rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2Bk2-- 18 to 24 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonates; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
2Bk3-- 24 to 32 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonates; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
2Bk4-- 32 to 48 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as many fine irregularly shaped accumulations on ped faces, coarse sand grains, and rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
3Bk5-- 48 to 56 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as common fine irregularly shaped accumulations on ped faces, coarse sand grains, and rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
3Bk6-- 56 to 64 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine and medium irregularly shaped accumulations on ped faces, coarse sand grains, and rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5).
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, New Mexico; on the Navajo Indian Reservation about 9 miles northeast of Newcomb; 2,300 feet west and 1,600 feet south of the northeast corner of section 15, T.25N., R.17W.; 36 degrees 24 minutes 16 seconds north latitude and 108 degrees 38 minutes 16 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Typically, the soil moisture control section (SMCS) is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to mid-April. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 54 to 57 degrees F.
Soil depth - greater than 60 inches to bedrock.
Depth to calcic horizon - 10 to 20 inches.
Particle-size control section - clay content: 10 to 18 percent by weighted average.
Reaction: moderately to strongly alkaline.
A horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Organic carbon content: 0.35 to 0.45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
Bw horizon-
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Organic carbon content: 0.25 to 0.40 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
Bk1 horizon-
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Organic carbon content: 0.50 to 0.60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.
2Bk horizons-
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Organic carbon content: 0.10 to 0.50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 50 percent
Salinity: 2 to 4 mmhos/cm
Sodicity: 5 to 13 SAR
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Other features: Some pedons have texture of sandy clay loam.
3Bk horizons-
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6
Texture: loamy sand or loamy coarse sand
Organic carbon content: 0.03 to 0.16 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Salinity: 4 to 8 mmhos/cm
Sodicity: 5 to 13 SAR
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Other features: some pedons have texture of coarse sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nageezi soils are on treads of high stream terraces and fan terraces. They formed in alluvium and eolian derived dominantly from Cretaceous sandstone. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,700 to 5,600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 8 inches with 35 to 60 percent falling as rain from high-intensity thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual temperature is 51 to 54 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blackston, Camac, Denazar, Kimbeto, Razito, and Shiprock soils. Blackston soils are loamy-skeletal on treads of high stream terraces. Camac soils are moderately deep to soft bedrock on risers of high stream terraces. Denazar soils are sandy; on adjacent eolian-mantled treads of high stream terraces. Kimbeto soils are fine-loamy with natric, calcic, and gypsic horizons; under plant communities reflecting moderately saline-sodic conditions. Razito soils are sandy and lack diagnostic horizons; on stable dunes and low fan terraces. Shiprock soils have argillic horizons and occur on adjacent surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nageezi soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta, sand dropseed, bottlebrush squirreltail, winterfat, fourwing saltbush, and Greene rabbitbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nageezi soils are of small extent on the San Juan Basin and Four Corners Platform portions of the Colorado Plateau province in northwest New Mexico. MLRA 35.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shiprock Area, Parts of San Juan County, New Mexico and Apache County, Arizona; 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 3 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 3 to about 14 inches. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 14 to about 48 inches. (Bk1, 2Bk2, 2Bk3, and 2Bk4 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data on the type location - S86NM-045-010. Another pedon was sampled for the soil laboratory of New Mexico State University as sample S75NM-24-4.