LOCATION RUSBACH                 NM

Established Series
Rev. JPR-LWH-KLS
05/2023

RUSBACH SERIES

The Rusbach series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils on mountains and canyons. They formed in colluvium derived from tuff. Slopes are 40 to 80 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 710 mm, and mean annual air temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Lamellic Cryorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Rusbach cobbly sandy loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 5 cm; undecomposed litter of pine needles.

E1--5 to 41 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) cobbly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 50 cm thick)

E2--41 to 64 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) cobbly loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bw1--64 to 122 cm; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) very cobbly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few thin sandy loam lamellae; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine, fine and few medium vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (30 to 76 cm thick)

Bw2--122 to 183 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very cobbly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few thin sandy loam lamellae; common fine and few medium roots; common very fine, fine and few medium vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico; about 11 km north and 8 km west of Los Alamos, New Mexico; long. 106 degrees, 23 minutes, 44 seconds west and lat. 35 degrees, 58 minutes, 34 seconds north.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture--The soil moisture control section is moist in at least some part every month, except June.
Mean annual soil temperature--3 to 4 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--7 to 8 degrees C
Rock fragment content--35 to 70 percent in the particle-size control section consisting mainly cobble-size fragments of tuff.
A thin A horizon may occur in some pedons.

E horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10 YR
Value--7 or 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma--1 through 4
Texture--loamy sand or sandy loam
Rock fragment content--15 to 35 percent, mostly cobbles

Bw horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma--2 through 4
Rock fragment content--35 to 70 percent, mostly cobbles of tuff
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.0
Lamellae--Sandy loam lamellae range from a few thin (3 to 5 mm thick) lamellae, up to lamellae with a thickness of 1 to 2 cm, with a combined thickness of 8 to 10 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Comad (MT) series. Comad soils are moderately acid through neutral and contain fragments of granite and quartzite.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--mountains and canyons
Elevation--2625 to 3300 meters
Slope--40 to 80 percent
Parent material--colluvium derived from tuff
Mean annual precipitation--640 to 760 mm
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free period--60 to 80 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very rapid runoff, and moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for woodland. The present vegetation is Engelmann spruce with an understory of American vetch, wild strawberry, vaccinium, mountain brome, and cliffbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rusbach soils are of small extent in north-central New Mexico; MLRA 48A.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sandoval County, (Rio Arriba Soil Survey) New Mexico; 1989.

REMARKS: Diagnostics horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Alfic feature--lamellae within 150 cm (Bw1 and Bw2)

Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 05/2023

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.