LOCATION DOAKUM NM+AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Doakum fine sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine continuous pores; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine continuous pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine continuous pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bk1--17 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine and fine continuous pores; strongly effervescent; few medium irregular soft masses of calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bk2--24 to 31 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots violently effervescent; few medium irregular soft masses of calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bk3--31 to 44 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; violently effervescent; few medium soft masses and seams of calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline; clear gradual boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C--44 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico; about 8 miles south of Counselors New Mexico; 800 feet south and 1400 feet west of the northeast corner of Section. 29, T.22 N. R.6 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December to March and July to September. Driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 48 to 56 degrees F.
Organic matter: averages less than 1 percent organic matter in the upper 16 inches
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Salinity: EC of 0 to 8 dS/m
Soil depth: 40 inches or more to hard sandstone
Depth to base of the argillic horizon: 11 to 26 inches
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam
Effervescence: noneffervescent
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry and moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam; a weighted average of 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 40 percent sand
Effervescence: noneffervescent
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
Effervescence: strongly or violently
C horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent
Effervescence: violently
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balon (AZ), Blancot (NM), Bowbac (WY), Cerropelon (NM), Chilojo (I)(NM), Buckle (NM), Cambria (WY), Chilerojo (NM), Cumacho (NM), Cushman (WY), Decolney (WY), Forkwood (WY), Fort (CO), Gaddes (AZ), Gapmesa (CO), Hagerman (NM), Hagerwest (I)(NM), Hiland (WY), Mentmore (NM), Oelop (NM), Olney (CO), Palacid (NM), Penistaja (NM), Pokeman (WY), Potts (WY), Pugsley (WY), Quagwa (AZ), Redpen (NM), Spangler (WY), Sundance (CO), Tamarindo (NM), Teckla (WY) and Yenlo (CO) series. Balon soils are noneffervescent throughout. Blancot and Yenlo soils have hue of 10YR and 2.5Y. Bowbac, Cambria, Cushman, Delconey, Forkwood, Hiland, Pokeman, Potts, Pugsley, Spangler and Teckla soils are moist in May and June. Buckle, Oelop and Palacid soils contain less than 40 percent sand. Penistaja soils average more than 1 percent organic matter in the surface 16 inches. Quagwa soils contain less than 25 percent sand. Cerropelon, Cumacho, Gaddes, Gapmesa and Hagerman soils have bedrock at moderate depths. Chilerojo, Fort, Olney, Sundance and Tamarindo soils attempt to reflect the effects of soil forming agents unique to the Great Plains. Redpen soils have 2.5YR hue. Mentmore soils have 2.5Y hue. Chilojo and Hagerwest soils are Inactive.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Doakum soils are on mesas, cuestas, fan remnants, fan terraces and plateaus. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in alluvium, fan alluvium, stream alluvium and eolian material derived dominantly from shale and sandstone. Elevations range from 6,000 to 7,200 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 46 to 53 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Betonnie series. Betonnie soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low to medium runoff; moderate permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Doakum soils are used for livestock grazing, urban development and irrigated cropland. Present vegetation is galleta, blue grama, Wyoming big sagebrush and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. MLRA 35 & 36, LRR-D. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sandoval County, New Mexico, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 5 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 5 to 17 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006
The Doakum and Penistaja series were originally classified in Ustalfic and Ustollic subgroups, respectively. A later revision to Soil Taxonomy combined these into one Ustic subgroup resulting in duplication of series differentia and inconsistent field mapping. Surface organic matter content has been better defined as differentia but the Doakum series may need to be inactivated if concept confusion persists after 7/2007
ADDITIONAL DATA: Reference data for one pedon from San Juan Co. NM is available as S86NM-045-17.