LOCATION ALAMOGORDO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calcigypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Alamogordo very fine sandy loam--rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Ak--0 to 7 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thick and medium platy structure in surface inch; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; lime disseminated; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary (4 to 8 inches thick).
Cky--7 to 15 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, lime mostly disseminated but with few fine soft masses of segregated lime; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary (6 to 14 inches thick).
Cky2--15 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, lime mostly disseminated but with few fine soft masses of segregated lime; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; .45 mile west from intersection of U. S. Hwy. 54-70 and W. S. M. R. La Luz Gate Road, cross railroad tracks to dirt road, .55 mile north on dirt road paralleling tracks, and 110 feet west of road on slight rise; NE1/4 SE1/4 sec. 29, T.15S., R.10E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soils are usually dry in the soil moisture control section, but are intermittently moist in some part in the 120 days following the summer solstice. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Depth to Cky1 horizon - 4 to 8 inches and ranges to 15 inches
Some areas have a desert pavement where gravel content on the surface ranges from 20 to 70 percent
Calcium carbonate content ranges from - 15 to 20 percent in the Cky1 (gypsic) horizon
A and Ck2 horizons contain - 25 to 30 percent calcium carbonates equivalent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Structure: moderate fine or very fine granular or weak fine or medium subangular blocky. In some pedons, the upper inch has weak or moderate medium or thick platy structure
Rock fragment: ranges from 0 to 5 percent
Cky1 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam and has more than 25 percent gypsum
Structure: massive or weak coarse subangular blocky structure
Ck2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR. 5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Texture: loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Structure: weak coarse subangular blocky or massive
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Borderline (AZ), Habcan (AZ), Monahans (TX), Monzingo (AZ) and Ugyp (AZ) series. Borderline soils contain 5 to 10 percent gypsum in the Bky horizon. Monahans soils have a calcic horizon above the gypsic horizon and gypsic horizons at depths of 16 to 36 inches. Monzingo soils contain 5 to 20 percent gypsum and have Cd layers. Ugyp soils contain less than 25 percent gypsum in the particle size control section. Hobcan soils contain less than 25 percent gypsum and are in the Mohave Desert and are moist in the soil moisture control section for less than 20 days cumulative between July and September.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alamogordo soils are on nearly level to gently sloping pediment slopes and alluvial fans. Slopes are dominantly 0 to 5 percent but range to 8 percent. The soils formed in calcareous and gypsiferous alluvium. Elevations range from 4,000 to 5,500 feet. The climate is semiarid continental. At the type location the mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches with over one-half of the total falling in June through September. The mean annual air temperature is 60 degrees F. to 64 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 180 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Largo, Lozier, Russler, Tome Holloman and Yesum soils. Largo, Lozier, Russler and Tome soils lack gypsic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate to moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Alamogordo soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is creosotebush, mesquite, alkali sacaton and broom snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral New Mexico. The series is inextensive. MLRA 42
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County, New Mexico, 1976.
REMARKS: The classification is supported mainly by data from characterization samples S74NM35-2-(1 to 9); however, field textures and behavior support the coarse-loamy family placement.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Gypsic horizon - the zone from 7 to 15 inches (Cky1 horizon)
Calcic Horizon the zone from 7 to 60 inches (Cky and Ck horizons)
Updated competing series section 3/18/08, CEM