LOCATION HORCHATA NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Horchata very fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 10, 2002, the soil was dry throughout.
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and common very fine roots; common fine and common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few medium tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 1percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
Btk--11 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; very few medium tubular pores; few faint clay films on ped faces; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated in common fine and medium irregularly shaped soft masses (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Bk--17 to 28 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) very cobbly sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel sized petronodes and 15 percent cobble sized petronodes; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonate (32 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
R--28 to 38 inches; very strongly cemented sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 3 miles east of White Lakes; 1,530 feet west and 50 feet south of the northeast corner of Sec.11, T.11N., R.11E.; USGS White Lakes 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 12 minutes 5.2 seconds N and Longitude 105 degrees 44 minutes15.9 seconds W, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. It is assumed to be dry in all parts for less than 75 percent of the time (cumulative), when the soil temperature at 20 inches is 41 degrees F. or higher. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 51 to 53 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to hard sandstone
Silicate clay content, control section weighted average - 18 to 27 percent
Depth to base of the argillic horizon - 13 to 30 inches
Depth to the calcic horizon - 6 to 18 inches
Reaction - ranges from moderately alkaline in the surface to strongly alkaline in the subsoil and substratum
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Bt horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam or silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Btk horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, gravelly loam, gravelly silt loam,
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 20 percent, mostly gravel
Reaction: moderately to strongly alkaline
Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly sandy loam, very cobbly sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: total range is 25 to 45 percent
20 to 30 percent gravel
10 to 20 percent cobbles
Reaction: moderately to strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alvey (UT), Barx (UT), Cabreros (NM), Cerrillos (NM), Clovis (NM), Fernando (NM), Flaco (NM), Maysdorf (WY), Millett (AZ), Palabria (NM), Progresso (CO), Sanostee (NM), Scholle (NM), Selpats (WY) Solirec (UT), Spenlo (UT), Threetop (WY), and Tuweep (AZ), and Wineg series.
Alvey,
Barx,
Cerrillos,
Clovis,
Fernando,
Hiland,
Maysdorf,
Millett,
Palabria,
Scholle,
Selpats,
Solirec,
Spenlo,
Tuweep and
Wineg soils are deep or very deep.
Cabrero soils are moderately deep to monzonite bedrock and are deeper to secondary carbonates.
Flaco and Tuweep soils are formed from volcanic material.
Maysdorf, Selpats, and
Threetop soils receive most of their summer precipitation in May and June. In addition, Maysdorf soils contain 15 percent or fewer secondary carbonates in the calcic horizon.
Millett soil are gravelly throughout.
Progresso and
Sanostee soils are colder in winter and receive more precipitation in winter months.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Horchata soils are on interfluves of undulating plains and plateaus . They formed in eolian materialover residuum derived from sandstone and limestone. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,000 to 7,100 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches about half of which falls as rain from high intensity thunderstorms between July and October. The remainder falls as gentle rain or snow between December and mid-April. The mean annual temperature is 49 to 52 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clovis and Kech soils. Clovis soils are very deep and occur on summits of undulating plateaus. Kech soils are shallow to bedrock and occur on adjacent shoulders.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Horchata soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is blue grama, galleta, mountain muhly, broom snakeweed, and oneseed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Horchata soils are of small extent on the northeastern Estancia Basin part of the Mexican Highlands section of the Basin and Range physiographic province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 70C.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2003. Horchata is a coined name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - surface to a depth of about 4 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - 4 to about 17 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon - 11 to about 28 inches. (Btk and Bk horizons)
Lithic contact - 28 inches. (top of the R layer)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined using a field calcimeter.