LOCATION CONCHAS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Conchas loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak thin and medium platy structure; soft, friable, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots, few fine pores; slightly calcareous; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
B1--2 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine pores; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
B21--5 to 15 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; few medium soft lime bodies increasing in number with increasing depth; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
B22ca--15 to 30 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; about 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; common medium soft lime bodies; strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 17 inches thick)
R--30 inches; red sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: San Miguel County, New Mexico; 2,400 feet west, 1,200 feet south of the northeast corner sec. 14, T. 13 N., R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum and depth to bedrock range from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to the calcic horizon ranges from 12 to 24 inches. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 59 degrees to 72 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 through 6. It is loam or silt loam. This horizon is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The B horizon has value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 or 4. It is silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam and has 20 to 35 percent clay. The calcic horizon usually is more than 20 percent calcium carbonate.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hoban and Reagan series. Hoban and Reagan soils lack bedrock within depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Conchas soils are on uplands and have slopes of 1 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 3,500 to 5,500 feet. The soils formed in sediments eroded from red shales and sandstone. Climate is semiarid continental with mean annual precipitation ranging from 14 to 18 inches of which about 2/3 is received from May through September; the mean annual temperature is about 58 degrees to 62 degrees F. The frost-free season is 170 to 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lacita, Latom, Newkirk, Quay and Redona soils. Lacita, Quay, and Redona soils lack a lithic contact within depth of 40 inches. Lacita soils lack a calcic horizon within depth of 40 inches. Latom and Newkirk soils have a lithic contact at a depth of less than 20 inches. Also, Newkirk and Redona soils have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used mostly for rangeland. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, black grama, galleta, sideoats grama, and silver bluestem.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern New Mexico. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Miguel County Area, New Mexico, 1977.
ADDITIONAL DATA: A nearby pedon was sampled by the Lincoln Soil Survey Laboratory in 1967. Field numbers are S67NM25-1-1 to 3, Laboratory Nos. 67L896-67L900.